LOTS 51 - Live From The Center For BioMolecular Modeling

This week I have been at the Center for BioMolecular Modeling (CBM), taking the workshop “Modeling the Molecular World.” This is one of several professional development workshops that introduce teachers to modeling materials and provides them with the experience necessary to confidently use them in their classroom. The Modeling the Molecular World workshop focuses on connecting the macroscopic world in which students live with the invisible world of molecules. This includes using models of all sorts during the workshop – from magnetic water molecules and mini-toober models of proteins to schematic models of membranes and components of the flow of genetic information (DNA → RNA → proteins). There is also a wide variety of different teaching strategies and "pedagogical moments" interspersed throughout the course.