VaNTH High School Physics and Biology Teachers

Workshop Summary 2003

After completing organizational details and getting-to-know-you activities, the workshop began with an overview of the educational research that supports the style in which the high school biomedical engineering curriculum was designed.  This overview included a review of John Bransford’s book, How People Learn, and details on the Legacy Cycle method of instruction.  A summary of all of the high school modules written was provided to give participants an idea about the various ways that one can incorporate biomedical engineering into the high school classroom.

 The teachers then participated in the Electrocardiogram Mosaic as a student would.  The grand challenge of this mosaic is, “Suppose one of your teachers visits his doctor and, as a part of a routine exam, he has his electrocardiogram (ECG) measured.  The results are shown below.  Should your teacher be concerned about these results?”

The teachers generated ideas about what they already knew that was relevant, what they knew but needed a refresher on, and what they thought they should learn about in order to answer the question.  After organizing their collective thoughts, we began a challenge of “How does the heart beat and why?”  The physics teachers in the group learned rapidly about cardiac anatomy and physiology.  All teachers learned about the intrinsic conduction system of the heart, particularly at the cellular level where action potentials create the flow of electricity.  The teachers completed the student assignment of designing an artificial heart.

With a basic understanding of the heart completed, the teachers spent the second day of the workshop answering the second challenge question, “What does an ECG measure?  What information is reflected on the normal ECG?”  Biology teachers learned about electric fields, and all teachers completed an electric field mapping lab.  This lab was then linked with the electric dipole in the heart and the heart vector.  All of the teachers learned about Einthoven’s triangle and the normal timing and voltages of the ECG.  The day culminated with the teachers recording, printing, and analyzing their own Electrocardiograms.

Day three of the workshop began with completion of the ECG lab and review of some student work.  The teachers then began the final challenge question, “How can the ECG reflect abnormalities of the heart structure and rhythm?”  Each teacher or teacher pair chose an ECG abnormality from a list provided.  They researched the abnormality on-line and in textbooks.  After an hour, the teachers presented their abnormality to the others.  At this point, we worked as a group to answer the grand challenge posed on Day one. 

The afternoon of Day three was spent completing the module post-test as the students would and discussing the results.  We reviewed the mosaic and discussed its implementation in their classrooms.  The teachers also had the opportunity to discuss the work with a recent high school graduate who had completed the ECG mosaic in the Spring of 2003.

On Day four, the participants split into two groups: Physics Teachers and Biology Teachers.  Mr. Doug Finney took the Physics teachers and worked on the Iron Cross module.  Dr. Stacy Klein took the Biology teachers and worked on the Swimming module.

The Iron Cross module begins with the challenge question, “What muscle strength is needed for an athlete to hold these positions?”

The teachers worked as a group to complete all of the relevant homework assignments and to answer the challenge question through a mathematical analysis of torque and equilibrium.  These physics teachers also learned how muscle groups work as forces, the anatomy of the shoulder, and which muscle groups are active in the iron cross.  Again, participants completed and discussed the pre-test and post-test.

The Swimming module begins with the challenge, “How can a swim team coach best determine the physical condition of his/her team throughout the season?  How can he/she modify practices to best meet the needs of the individual swimmers?  How can an individual swimmer chart his or her progress during the season?”  The biology teachers reviewed the energy systems of a cell and discussed how these processes are relevant to the challenge question.  Everyone learned more about exercise physiology and the instruments that are used to measure athletic conditioning.  Teachers worked in teams to design an instrument that would measure a person’s minute oxygen ventilation (VO₂) utilizing the Vernier gaseous Oxygen sensor.  Participants concluded the module by completing and reviewing the module post-test.

Day four concluded with all participants receiving their supply packages.  Everyone was thrilled with the equipment because it gave them a way to implement what they had learned in their classrooms this fall.

Day five included workshop evaluation and wrap-up.  The majority of the day, however, was spent letting the teachers design new legacy cycle curricula.  Each teacher or teacher pair determined a section of their curriculum that they wanted to revise.  They spent the day designing a challenge question and supporting curriculum with assistance from workshop leaders.  Teachers designed curriculum with a broad range of topics including the following:

Meiosis in the context of understanding genetic testing on an unborn child

Additions to the swimming module relating to the muscles, bones, and tendons

Gravitational force, momentum, centripetal motion, kinematics, etc. in the context of certifying an astronaut during space flight training

Mitosis in the context of understanding cancer

Ecology in the context of identifying and eliminating an evasive plant taking over a stocked fishing pond

Radiation in the context of determining whether or not tanning salons are safe

Comments by Participants through the Workshop

“Today’s experiences have left me excited about implementing the [Iron Cross] module and [ECG] mosaic.”

 “Measurement of VO₂ was a good process for cementing some understanding and assessing our own level of understanding.”

 “An important thing I learned today is innovative curriculum which incorporates a relevant challenge to students can be fun and educational.”

 “Today’s experiences left me feeling excited about learning and applying the Legacy cycle.”

 “Interdisciplinary learning is much better than learning isolated facts.  Application is essential!”

 “These modules will incorporate multidisciplinary concepts and give my students a ‘reason to know’ material outside the traditional context of my Biology/Anatomy classes.’

 “The curriculum and training was much more than I ever hoped for.”

 “I have truly enjoyed many aspects of this workshop!  It has inspired me to consider and being shaping my curriculum in ways that will have (I believe) more impact on my students.  Stacy, Doug, and Daniel were great to work with.  Stacy’s enthusiasm is wonderful – more people need to experience what she has to offer.  I have been changed by this experience.  Thank you!”

 “I feel more confident in the use of ECG probes, interfaces, and analysis software.  The equipment will definitely not site locked in a closet.”

 “This was the best workshop I’ve ever attended with regard to the level of content and the organization and enthusiasm modeled by Stacy.  I am energized and inspired.  I’ve looked forward to it since I was accepted, but it far exceeded my expectations.  Attending this week has made me want to be more involved with VaNTH and perhaps to write grant(s) to allow me to do so.  I will also be more likely to encourage my students to consider biomedical engineering as a career.”

Return to Workshop Home