Poster: Education & outreach
Abs #
924: Informing the public on the risks and benefits of plant biotechnologies: the role of teacher training and the importance of new teaching tools
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Presenter: |
De Tullio, Mario C., detullio@botanica.uniba.it |
Authors | De Tullio, Mario C. (A) Roberto, Rosa (B) | | Affiliations: |
(A): Dept. Plant Biology and Pathology, University of Bari, Italy
(B): Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti di Scienze Naturali (ANISN)
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In the last few decades, giant steps have been made in our understanding of plant biology. Unfortunately, in some cases the importance of new discoveries has not been fully perceived outside our labs. This led to many misunderstandings and reinforced in some part of the public opinion the stereotype of the mad (plant) scientist locked in his/her ivory tower, heading for the Nobel prize by doing weird experiments. This opinion is probably more diffused in Europe than in the US, and is often (if not always) based on incorrect information: according to a survey done a few years ago with Italian citizens aged over 18, about 30% of people interviewed stated that "only genetically modified tomatoes contain genes, while ordinary tomatoes don't" (Bucchi and Neresini, Nature 2002, 416: 261). Teacher education has a key role in communication. Discussing controversial themes in plant biology with in service- and perspective teachers can really help in disseminating scientifically based information. The other way around, school teachers, by living in close contact with the issues and concerns of kids and their families, can bring to the attention of plant scientists first hand information on the public perception of their work. The results of a study done in collaboration with school teachers show that teachers themselves have a strong interest in being informed about new topics in biology, and that they need new teaching tools specifically designed for primary and early secondary schools. A "game of genes", developed in collaboration with the Italian Association of Science Teachers (ANISN) will be presented and discussed.
