USC School of Medicine hosts Project Lead the Way for the first time

Kacheckia DeWitt (left), a high school science teacher from Fayetteville, N.C., tests the reflexes of Shayla Paul-Johnson, a teacher from Lake Marion High School in Santee, S.C., during one of the Project Lead the Way curricular activities.

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine is hosting more than 40 high school teachers from across the southeastern United States as a part of the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program. The two-week training program is designed to introduce teachers to PLTW’s biomedical science curriculum.

This year marks the first time the School of Medicine has hosted PLTW participants on its campus. The School of Medicine’s research labs provide an ideal venue for hosting the hands-on science training program.

PLTW is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education curricular programs. The program is specifically designed by university educators, engineering and biomedical professors and school administrators. PLTW aims to promote critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving skills.

“Yes, I would absolutely recommend this to other teachers,” said Ty Mervin of Charlotte, N.C., a teacher participating in PLTW. 

PLTW allows teachers to be more hands on with the curricular activities they will use in the classroom. Students also appreciate the hands on approach to learning. PLTW provides teachers with lesson plans and the ability to adjust the curriculum to meet their students’ learning needs.

“With Project Lead the Way, we are not up there lecturing, talking or telling the students what they need to know,” Mervin said. “The kids have to discover for themselves. We’ll give them the procedure and the steps they need to take, but the kids will find this out on their own.”

By equipping teachers, PLTW’s goal is to re-engage students in high level science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“I think it’s a great way to re-engage the students thinking creatively about science in the classroom,” said Marlene Wilson, Ph.D., interim associate dean for basic science and graduate studies at the USC School of Medicine. “Students conduct experiments that are engaging. It’s not just reading a textbook; it’s doing hands on experiments. It’s fun to read about science, but it’s more fun to actually practice science.”

Hosting PLTW at the School of Medicine offers many benefits to the school. PLTW gives the school exposure to teachers from all over the southeast region who will come in contact with hundreds of high school students. In the long term, the School of Medicine hopes these future scientists may one day consider continuing their education at USC.

July 19, 2012