Learning Genetics On the Fly
Leading team
Summary
This site was developed in the biology group, department of science teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science. Our goal was to provide accessibility of authentic examples of genetic information for middle to high school students. The site is based on the fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster which is a model organism that has been studied for over a decade in genetic research. The site was designed in order to support students understanding of genetic phenomena through their underlying mechanism.
Links for further reading
- Haskel-Ittah, M., Duncan, R. G., Vazquez Ben, L., and Yarden, A. (2019). Reasoning About Genetic Mechanisms: Affordances and Constrains for Learning. JRST -Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 57(3), 342-367.
- Haskel-Ittah, M., & Yarden, A. (2018). Students’ Conception of Genetic Phenomena and Its Effect on Their Ability to Understand the Underlying Mechanism. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(3), ar36. –Highlighted in GENETICS (Volume 202, Issue 4).
- 5Haskel-Ittah, M., & Yarden, A. (2017). Toward Bridging the Mechanistic Gap Between Genes and Traits by Emphasizing the Role of Proteins in a Computational Environment. Science & Education, 26, 1143-1160.