10 A niversary of IIMCB
10 A niversary of IIMCB
10 A niversary of IIMCB
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Courses for biology teachers<br />
During our workshops for biology teachers we try to<br />
build a connection between them and scientists so they<br />
can feel they are a part <strong>of</strong> the scientific community. Since<br />
we strongly encourage teachers to implement practical<br />
protocols at schools, we not only train them but also equip<br />
them with classroom scenarios and affordable experimental<br />
kits, equipment and reagents that can be used in a school<br />
environment. A total number <strong>of</strong> 202 biology teachers<br />
participated in our laboratory workshops and scientific<br />
meetings last year.<br />
In 2008 following events were organized by CIBE as a part<br />
<strong>of</strong> teachers’ excellence projects:<br />
• “Molecular biology from the kitchen”, 7-8 March 2008,<br />
Oświęcim, Poland<br />
• “Introducing new approaches to teaching evolution<br />
in secondary schools” 12-14 March 2008, EMBL<br />
Heidelberg, Germany[http://www.embl.de/training/ells/<br />
learninglab/2008/llmar2008/index.html]<br />
• “Practical experiments at school” 3 April 2008, Siedlce,<br />
Poland<br />
• “Volvox – let’s teach to experiment!” 6-7 June, 21-22<br />
November, 9-<strong>10</strong> December 2008, CIBE laboratory, Warsaw,<br />
Poland<br />
• “Let’s teach to experiment – biotechnology every day” 24-<br />
26 October 2008, part <strong>of</strong> a bigger project for 30 secondary<br />
school teachers from small cities and villages in Poland,<br />
this workshop was run at CIBE laboratory in Warsaw.<br />
Participants were also given valuable sets <strong>of</strong> school<br />
laboratory equipment<br />
• “The VIIth scientific conference for biology teachers”<br />
6 December 2008, NIEB, Warsaw<br />
78 Annual Report 2008<br />
The final year <strong>of</strong> the European “VOLVOx” project<br />
“Volvox – Innovative network for bioscience education”<br />
(www.eurovolvox.org) was a European project founded by<br />
European Commission in 6. Framework Programme; <strong>IIMCB</strong><br />
represented a Polish partner in this project. It aimed to help<br />
to enliven school biology teaching, so that more young<br />
Europeans would continue to study biological science,<br />
follow scientific carriers and, as engaged citizens, help to<br />
shape Europe’s scientific culture and economy. To achieve its<br />
aims, Volvox has:<br />
• established an international network for European<br />
bioscience education<br />
• implemented mechanisms to help teachers, scientists and<br />
others develop, exchange, translate and adapt resources<br />
for biology teaching<br />
• identified barriers that prevent the exchange <strong>of</strong> new and<br />
novel ideas between those with a pr<strong>of</strong>essional interest in<br />
bioscience education<br />
• investigated practical means <strong>of</strong> enhancing the uptake <strong>of</strong><br />
new and novel ideas by European biology teachers<br />
• investigated ways in which such innovation networks can<br />
be expanded to create a ‘critical mass’ and so become<br />
sustainable.<br />
The current reporting period covers the fourth and final<br />
year <strong>of</strong> the Volvox project. During this year we have focused<br />
on translating and adapting the educational resources and<br />
setting up web sites so that the materials can be made<br />
available to teachers. An on-line evaluation system, linked<br />
to the web sites, has also been implemented. Several events<br />
have been held to promote the project and its resources<br />
across Poland and the European Union. Although the project<br />
has now <strong>of</strong>ficially ended, the project partners will continue<br />
to exchange their educational experiences and materials to<br />
publish them for the foreseeable future.<br />
Four meetings <strong>of</strong> Volvox partners were held during<br />
this reporting period - a meeting <strong>of</strong> Volvox Management<br />
Committee in Reading in January, a small meeting to<br />
become more adept in the use <strong>of</strong> the In Design s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />
in Reading in February, two Volvox Consortium meetings in<br />
Reading in April and in October in Luxemburg were focused<br />
on production <strong>of</strong> resources for publication and involving<br />
an <strong>of</strong>ficial press launch and public promotion <strong>of</strong> the Volvox<br />
project.<br />
Volvox web sites were mentioned as a recommendable<br />
source <strong>of</strong> educational materials in the May issue <strong>of</strong> Nature<br />
[Nature, vol 453; 1 May 2008].