Genetics Education - Current Challenges and Possible Solutions

This edited volume presents the current state of the art of genetics education and the challenges it holds for teaching as well as for learning. It addresses topics such as how genetics should be taught in order to provide students with a wide and connected view of the field. It gives in-depth aspects that should be considered for teaching genetics and the effect on the student's understanding. This book provides novel ideas for biology teachers, curriculum developers and researchers on how to confront the presented challenges in a way that may enable them to advance genetics education in the 21st century. It reviews the complexity of teaching and learning genetics, largely overlooked by biology textbooks and classroom instruction. It composes a crucial component of scientific literacy.



Professor Anat Yarden is Head of the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Head of the Biology Group at this Department. She holds an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Sciences (from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), a master's degree and a PhD in molecular biology (from the Weizmann Institute of Science), and has carried out postdoctoral training in Genetics (at Stanford University). The primary theme in all of her academic activities has been adapting practices employed by scientists to the processes by which students and teachers accumulate and advance their knowledge within the discipline of biology.
 
Dr. Michal Haskel-Ittah is a senior scientist at the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She holds an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences (from Ben-Gurion University), a master's degree and a PhD in molecular biology (from the Weizmann Institute of Science), and has carried out postdoctoral training in Science Teaching (the Weizmann-Abroad combined program - Rutgers University and the Weizmann Institute of Science). Her research group studies the learning and teaching of biological mechanisms and the development of mechanistic reasoning.