June 23, 1998
Contact: Timothy McKernan
What’s the Wishbone Connected To?
Getting San Diego’s K-12 students excited about math and science is the goal of a unique program underway at San Diego State University. Teachers from every school in the city are participating in a three-week course designed to increase their own knowledge of anatomy and physiology -- and show them new ways to impart that knowledge to students.
“A lot of teachers don’t have the content knowledge to get students excited about the scientific method,” says Bruce Wyngerd of SDSU’s biology department, who along with SDSU biology professor Dr. Paul Paolini will conduct the anatomy and physiology classes. (Other fields will be addressed in subsequent seminars.) “By providing the teachers with a stronger background in general science, and showing them new methods to present it, we hope to increase the enthusiasm of students for math and science.’
Wyngerd says the program, officially known as The San Diego Urban Systemic Initiative and funded by National Science Foundation and the Department of Education, incorporates multi-media strategies into traditional lectures and approaches science from a more practical angle.
“Instead of showing how the body works, we’ll approach the topic from the opposite direction. What happens when the body doesn’t work? That way, for example, students who have had a grandparent with cancer will be able to correlate it to their own lives,” Wyngerd says, adding images from the internet and transparencies are incorporated into lectures, providing a visual dimension that may help clarify difficult concepts.
Wyngerd says he and Dr. Paolini will remain available to the teachers after they return to their respective schools to share what they’ve learned with their colleagues.
“We’ll serve as resources for difficult questions and even as potential in-class speakers,” he said. “Anything to get kids more excited about math and science.”
To arrange an interview with Bruce Wyngerd, or to attend a class lecture, please call (619) 594-2588.