Cancer Education Professional Development Sessions for Teachers
Originally Published June 18, 2019
YSP regularly hosts professional development sessions for its participating teachers and the education community at large. This year, with schools transitioning to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the fall, YSP is performing regular training sessions for teachers to provide additional support in the implementation of the new science standards at the elementary level. In addition to this ongoing effort, YSP strives to provide at least one professional development session per semester on different STEM fields.
On April 27th, 2019, YSP hosted a teacher professional development session focused on cancer education with funding by the USC Norris Comprehensive Center as an addition to our new Medical STEM program. YSP Director and Manager of the K-12 URM Cancer Education Program, Dieuwertje Kast, in conjunction with Dr. W. Martin Kast, the Director K-12 URM Cancer Education Program, from USC Norris led a group of LAUSD elementary educators in several hands-on activities in subjects related to the science and treatment of cancer including: cell division, genetics, UV radiation, oncology and biotechnology.
Two of the activities in this workshop: the “What is Cancer” activity that the group engaged with together at the beginning of the session and the cellular mitosis models were also utilized. The other activities were as follows.
Two of the activities focused on the basics of genetics (genetics is one of many factors that contribute to an individual’s cancer risk). The teachers were invited to create a model DNA strand using toothpicks and different colored gummy bears. DNA is constructed from four different bases that occur in exclusive pairs (adenine-thymine, guanine-cytosine), to reflect this, four colors of gummy bears were provided and should be paired consistently across the modeled strand. Within the first few pairs of these ‘bases’ being connected, the strand can be twisted to illustrate the double-helix structure of DNA. Our other genetics activity involves testing the group to see who can detect the bitter taste of PTC paper and polling to see what fraction of the ‘population’ can or cannot. From there the lesson encourages discussion of other genetic traits (e.g. hair color, eye color, etc.) and how they are passed on from parent to child.
Another set of lessons was aimed at demonstrating the risk of UVA and UVB radiation from the sun, the skin cancer that can result from too much exposure and how to reduce exposure through sun protection like SPF. Teachers were able to experiment with UV beads, plastic beads that change color when exposed to UV radiation and how placing the beads in plastic bags coated in sunscreens with various levels of SPF leads to a reduction in the color change reaction with higher UV protection. Different types of skin cancer were explored by the teachers, and they practiced a lesson that puts the participant in the role of a dermatologist diagnosing melanoma based on a checklist of conditions.
The final lesson available for the educators to try was an arthroscopic surgery simulation. Plushies representing both healthy and normal cells were placed in a large cardboard box which represented the human body. Teachers guided mechanical grabbers that were inserted through small holes in the box to remove cancerous cells, guided only by the images generated by a webcam in the closed box. This simulation represents a simplified version of the robotic and arthroscopic techniques that surgeons use today to keep the physical impacts of surgery on patients to a minimum.
Many of the teachers shared personal stories of their own or their families’ personal experiences with cancer. One of the teachers commented that “she would not have considered teaching a cancer education curriculum to K-5 students prior to the workshop” and another one said “there is a need to teach “cancer” science at the elementary level and these types of lessons can spark an interest for a career in science”.