The Joondalup Family Health Study (JFHS) Schools Outreach Program

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Education is the key to taking advantage of the improvements in science, technology and medicine that will result from the Joondalup Family Health Study. At the same time, education is critical to Joondalup residents being able to live in harmony and safety with the choices they make regarding this long-term, population-based health study. The purpose of the Joondalup Family Health Study schools outreach program is to improve the teaching and learning of science and health in Joondalup schools. This will result in today’s students, the adult citizens of the future, being informed decision makers and health consumers. The schools outreach program is a collaborative initiative between science education researchers at Edith Cowan University and scientists at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research.

Goals

The goals of the JFHS schools outreach program are to:

1. Provide comprehensive professional development and curriculum support for teachers in Joondalup schools who want to incorporate aspects of the JFHS into their teaching program,
2. Transform the content and approaches used for the teaching and learning of topics in primary and secondary schools relevant to the JFHS such as biology, genetics, gene-technology and health, and
3. Facilitate collaboration between teachers (and their students), scientists and health practitioners in the City of Joondalup.

Approach

The JFHS schools outreach program will consist of three central activities:

1. A professional development program and curriculum support for interested teachers from all secondary and primary schools in the City of Joondalup, and
2. A program of action research in 20 case study schools about improving the teaching and learning of topics related to the Joondalup Family Health Study including biology, genetics, gene-technology and health.
3. A longitudinal study to monitor students’ understanding of genetics, genetic testing, health issues, science careers and the JFHS.

The professional development program and the action research program are currently being trialed and will commence in 2007. The three programs will be closely linked and mutually informing. Subject to funding the programs will be developed and supported by a qualified teacher associate and an education research associate who will be based in the School of Education at the Joondalup Campus of Edith Cowan University.

The professional development program will involve out of school professional development days for interested Joondalup teachers as well as in-class feedback and modelling of teaching approaches. Teachers will be given support to implement currently available, relevant, cutting edge curriculum materials as well as to develop their own improved materials. A strong component of the professional development will be facilitation of collaboration between scientists, academics, teachers and students through activities such as mentoring. The longitudinal study will provide evidence of the impact of these initiatives.