Detectives in the classroom

Format: Lessons

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Language/s: English

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Resource Link: View the Lesson
Short Description:

Five modules of materials for promoting epidemiology among high school students.

Key Concepts addressed:

• 1-3 Association is not the same as causation
• 2-1 Comparisons are needed to identify treatment effects
• 2-2 Comparison groups should be similar
• 2-5 People should not know which treatment they get
• 2-9 Reviews of fair comparisons should be systematic
• 2-15 Fair comparisons with few people or outcome events can be misleading
• 2-8 Consider all of the relevant fair comparisons

Details

The Epidemiology Education Movement, a grass roots effort to integrate epidemiology and other public health science into elementary and secondary schools, is based on two main ideas:

• If we define education as something that prepares people to live in their world, it should include giving people tools with which to make informed lifestyle and societal decisions that affect their health.
• If people with common interests in grade 6-12 epidemiology education are aware of each other’s activities, we will progress more quickly to critical mass and significant change.

To bring together common efforts to this end, we have created this website as a communications venue for teachers, public health professionals and organizations involved in the Movement. The goals include:

1. Infusing epidemiology into curricula in grades 6-12;
2. Increasing students’ scientific literacy; and
3. Increasing the number of students considering careers in public health.