Talking science on the Blood Reserve
AHFMR offers free science workshops to teachers and students through its Education and Community Outreach program. This past fall the program took the show on the road-to the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta.
Story by Janet Harvey/Photos by Trudie Lee
When they hear the word scientist, most kids of elementary and junior-high age probably envision someone in a white lab coat with crazy hair. But anyone who has ever wondered why something is a certain way, or how something works, has the makings of a scientist.
"Science is everywhere around us: we're living it," says Dr. Zenobia Ali, a former AHFMR Student who now works with the Let's Talk Science (LTS) Partnership Program at the University of Calgary, along with Dr. Wendy Hutchins. Drs. Ali and Hutchins have also been contracted to run AHFMR's outreach programs in southern Alberta. "And if you have ever questioned or observed something in the world around you, you are engaging in science, whether you realize it or not." This is an important message, one that AHFMR's Education and Community Outreach (ECO) Program wants students and teachers to hear. And AHFMR is starting to take the message on the road, reaching out to reserve schools that do not have the resources to teach hands-on science themselves.
 |
| Grade 6 teacher Lisa Crowshoe and her students |
Let's Talk Science is a nationwide initiative that aims to promote science among youth. In partnership with the Calgary branch, AHFMR offers science workshops for students of almost any age on topics related to the human body. The workshops are normally held in state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine. But they can also be brought to the classroom and tailored to the needs of the specific class. Tatsikiisaapo'p Middle School principal Mike Bruised Head chose this option when he approached the program staff about bringing hands-on science to the teachers and students of the Blood Reserve in Standoff, Alberta.
To introduce the workshops, ECO volunteers held a workshop for teachers at the Standoff school. It began with some role-playing: The staff attended a "dinner", hosted by the presenters, at which almost everyone became ill. The challenge was to determine which food was the culprit, and why. During the same session, volunteers described the various workshops LTS offers for students, and explained how they can be tailored to different grades.
On a separate day Dr. Ali and graduate student volunteers returned to the Blood Reserve to deliver two student workshops on topics that fit with the provincial curriculum. Grade 6 students learned about forensics and DNA; Grade 8 students studied the cell. Since the school has no laboratory, the volunteers brought along microscopes, pipettes, gloves, and other materials that would be required.
In the Grade 6 workshop, students learned to isolate DNA samples—using common substances found in kitchens, so they could go home and show their families what they had learned. The students also made candy models of the DNA double helix out of licorice and jujubes. "The kids were in awe," says Dr. Ali. "The Grade 6 students were excited just to wear the gloves, but they were also pretty happy to eat the candy."
Grade 6 teacher Lisa Crowshoe agrees. "The presentation on DNA was an excellent starting point for my students for when they begin this unit. They got to see the intricacy of DNA samples and I got to witness my students being very involved with the hands-on activities using the equipment provided by the presenters. They loved being scientists!"
In the Grade 8 workshop, volunteers taught the kids the differences between plant and animal cells. Students learned to stain blood films: They worked with prepared slides containing drops of blood, and introduced dyes to highlight certain features. Then they examined different types of blood cells under microscopes.
Since reserve schools often see students drop out by Grade 7, the hope is that engaging kids in science will motivate some of them to continue. The ECO program staff is also looking for ways to provide mentorship to students who show an interest, in order to encourage them to continue in science.
"Since this outstanding experience, I have recommended the workshops to other teachers," adds Lisa Crowshoe. "It got my students excited about science, and I hope others will be just as enthused about the program."