pgEd’s Annual Summer Institute

Professional development for teachers

Earn 18 PDPs for the three-day session
Cost: $60 beginning (scholarships available)
To register, click here.

Personal Genetics in the High School Classroom: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

This three-day interdisciplinary training for teachers will be an introduction to personal genetics and its impact on society. A wave of personal genetic information is coming – how can we prepare students to make informed choices for themselves and for society as a whole?

Current high school students are among the first generation that will have unprecedented access to information about their DNA, as genome sequencing and genetic testing become cheaper and more available.  We create interactive lessons that engage students in discussions about the potential risks and benefits of knowing more about your DNA, as well as ways in which they could be impacted. We help students understand that this information has both personal and social impacts.

Through workshop-style sessions, we look at examples of the hopes, realities and controversies in personal genetics. Topics and lessons we will explore include: An Introduction to personal genetics, Genetics, jobs & your rights, a History of the American eugenics movement, Genetics and reproduction, DNA, crime and law enforcement, and several others. The training will also include a session by a professor of social work who will address strategies for discussing personal and sometimes upsetting topics with students who may be personally affected by these issues.

Topics to be covered: Advances in personal genetics, the intersection of athletics and genetics, genetics and aggression/complex human behavior, reproductive genetics, low cost genetic testing, the history of eugenics and future of genetics, crime and DNA, and critical thinking as it applies to assessing genetic risk factors.

Content Area: Biology, Social Studies, Health, Bioethics, Genetics, English and Biotechnology; grades 8 – 12

To register, click here. For more information email Lauren Tomaselli at ltomaselli@pged.med.harvard.edu, or call (617) 432-1797.