Activity
Days 1-2
1. Day 1 starts with a general discussion about current
medical innovations. These questions are meant to prompt
discussion and not necessarily be answered at this time.
These are questions for students to ponder and expound
upon over the next few days. You may wish to organize
student ideas and responses on the board in a ‘who,
what, why, how’ chart. Ask students to name some
common prescription or over the counter drugs. Who developed
these drugs? When were they developed? (If students are
in a class using the science lessons from this unit they
will have talked a little about antibiotics.)Ask students
how important they think antibiotics are. What would
life be like without them? Remind them of the numbers
of people who historically died, even in recent history,
as a result of diseases we can treat today. Ask them
who they think develops medicines and treatments today.
Is it just pharmaceutical companies? What about medical
doctors? Researchers at universities? Researchers at
private foundations, for example the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute. Does medical innovation occur just in the
US? (Students should recognize that medical innovations
happen all over the world.) What are the sources of inspiration
for medical innovations?
2.
After discussing current medical innovations for a short
time transition to more
historical innovations
if the topic hasn’t already developed. Who developed
treatments and medicines in earlier times?
3.
Display Overhead 1, the list of Doctors and medical innovations/inventions.
4.
Explain to students that they will be conducting individual
research on a medical individual or innovation
for the
next couple of days. Student will create biographies
on the innovator and describe the impact of their
innovation.
5.
Ask students to choose a name or subject from the list
for them to research. Write the
student
name next
to the name/subject they chose. For more reticent
students, the teacher can assign the name or
subject.
6.
When done, display Overhead 2 (Biographical information
List). This loosely outlines what
information students
are to collect.
7.
Research time will be given to students at the library
or on the Internet (check
out
this
site:
http://www.mic.ki.se/HistDis.html or other listed sites.)
Day
3
8. At the start of the class, each student
will be given Handout 1 (Job Application
Questionnaire) and
they all
must fill it out as a test of how well
they have
researched their individual or innovation.
9.
If they cannot fill it out, they need to conduct more
research during the remainder
of class and
at home until
they can adequately and completely answer
the
Questionnaire.
Days
4-5
10. Using their researched information,
students will prepare a poster communicating
their
work. Their poster
content will then be presented to the
class.
11.
When done, the posters will be mounted on the walls of
the room for
the reflection
assignment.
12.
Reflection assignment. Students must choose TWO of the
following
questions or statements
and answer
them
in complete sentences.
a.
Question 1: Which of these breakthroughs or innovations
changed
people’s lives the most? Explain.
b. Question 2: Which of these innovations/breakthroughs
could not have happened without
human subjects to test it on?
Explain.
c. Question 3: Name one breakthrough/innovation
that unnecessarily risked human
life. Defend your answer.
d. Question 4: Which of these
innovations met with opposition
from society?
Explain.
e. Question 5: Which of these
innovations drew upon non-traditional
western
medical practices?
Closure
Take a vote to see what students
thought were the top 3 breakthroughs and discuss why.
Homework
Any
work that is not finished should be completed as homework.
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