Overview

The European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences (ELLS), in collaboration with the Institute of Biosciences & Applications at the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” and the Directorate of Secondary Education of Piraeus via the Environmental Education Officer, invites Greek-speaking secondary school science teachers to apply for the ELLS LearningLAB “Learning from life – exploring new ways of teaching modern biology”. The course is free of charge and takes place on 25 and 26 April 2015 in the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” – Institute of Biosciences & Applications (IB-A), Athens, Greece.

The 2-day professional training course for Greek-speaking secondary school science teachers will offer an introduction to selected DNA technologies and provide opportunities to explore how these can be transferred to and used in the classroom.

The course will consist of a mix of seminars by practising scientists, hands-on activities and visits to state-of-the-art research facilities at the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”. The programme will cover a  range of scientific topics and highlight established DNA-based technologies that are regularly used in molecular biology laboratories and that can be employed in the biology classroom to illustrate concepts found on modern school biology curricula. The set of teaching resources will be provided in Greek and English language.

During the 2-day course, a combination of seminars, discussions, hands-on activities and visits will:

• Introduce you to selected laboratory techniques like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), agarose gel electrophoresis and others to demonstrate how they can be used in a school laboratory;
• Update your knowledge on current biological research and offer plenty of opportunities to interact with research scientists;
• Illustrate a range of classroom activities and experiments, and equip you to use the presented resources to support your teaching of biology;
• Include visits to research facilities at the Institute of Biosciences & Applications which is located on the campus of the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”;
• Give you the opportunity to develop your own scientific teaching resources and make them available to your students;
• Allow you to network and share your experiences with teacher colleagues.

Location/ Travel

Location

The 2-day course (25 – 26 April 2015) will take place at the Institute of Biosciences & Applications on the campus of the  National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in Athens.

Single-room accommodation for participants will be provided nearby the institute (preferentially for participants who do not reside in Athens).

Travel

Instructions on how to reach the Institute of Biosciences & Applications can be found on the official website of the NCSR Demokritos.

Application

To apply for the ELLS LearningLAB, please use the application interface of the Directorate of Secondary Education of Piraeus :

CLICK HERE and you will be guided to an external page on which you can apply for the course.

Following your course application, you will receive an email in due course notifying you whether your application has been successful.

Application deadline: 16 March 2015 – early registrations are welcome and are more likely to be successful.

Acceptance notification date: 27 March 2015 (latest)

Maximum number of course participants: 24

Minimum number of course participants: 15

Registration fee: none

Bursaries

We are pleased to offer three bursaries to assist with travel costs.  All applicants must be active in teaching biology to 16-19 year old students. Greek-speaking candidates of any nationality may apply but must be resident and work in the EU and associated member states.

Bursaries will be awarded on the basis of:

• explanation of the relevance of this course to your teaching;
• justification of use of the funds to support your attendance in the LearningLAB;
• demonstration of involvement with national (and possibly international) teaching networks and a commitment to sharing course materials through these.

How to apply for a bursary?
Once you have been selected to participate in the course, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to submit your application for a bursary.

If you are accepted for a bursary, you will receive partial support for your incurred travel costs upon completion of the course.

Course programme

Course overview

• Scientific presentations by practising research scientists
• The seminars and hands-on activities will focus on the use of modern DNA-based laboratory techniques
• Guided visits to research facilities at the NCSR “Demokritos”
• Perform experiments and discover teaching resources for the classroom
  • experimental kits
  • educational games
  • classroom activities
• Platform to network and share your experiences with teachers colleagues.