Biotechnology Tops List of Topics
in Science Teachers' Future Plans

Biotechnology ranked first on a list of 11 topics that middle school and high school teachers would like to include in future curricula, according to a survey conducted at the National Science Teachers Association annual convention in Orlando, Florida in April.

More than 600 science teachers completed surveys about their knowledge of agriculture, biotechnology and related curriculum needs. The survey was conducted by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture in partnership with Novartis Seeds, Inc. Teachers who completed the survey received a package of microwave popcorn and a CD-ROM titled "A Short Course on Biotechnology."

"Biotechnology is emerging as one of the most popular education topics this year. We wanted to find out what science teachers are teaching about with regards to biotechnology and it many applications, as well as what teachers need regarding background information, lesson plans and activity ideas," said Dana Tennison, Novartis Seeds.

In this survey, only 10 percent of elementary teachers said they currently include biotechnology in the curriculum. That answer jumps to 25 percent at the middle school level and 59 percent at the high school level. When considering topics they would like to include in the future, teachers ranked biotechnology foremost on the list of 11 topics for middle school and high school teachers, with about one-third of them describing biotechnology as their first priority.

More than 80 percent of the teachers in all three categories said they currently teach agriculture or related topics in their curriculum. Of 11 topics listed, more than half of all teachers surveyed said they currently teach about wetlands, watersheds and nutrition. When asked how important it is for students to understand biotechnology and its use in agriculture, teachers responded with a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being very important.

The 604 survey respondents were almost evenly divided across elementary, middle and high school levels. When asked how familiar they are with current food production methods, teachers gave themselves an average grade of 3 on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being very familiar and 5 being not familiar. However, only 27 percent of elementary teachers, and about 18 percent of middle school and high school teachers were familiar with Agriculture in the Classroom, a state-based nationwide program that provides educational materials and resources to educate students about today's agriculture.

"Clearly, those of us who are involved in the Agriculture in the Classroom program have more work to do in making teachers aware of the many free and low-cost resources that can help them teach about agriculture," said Dr. Laurie Wink, director of agricultural education for the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. "That is why we continue to participate and exhibit at major teacher conferences such as NSTA -- to let teachers know there are resources in their own states."

Most teachers surveyed said they welcome activity ideas for teaching about agriculture, as well as background information and lesson plans to help them present these topics. They prefer to receive new information and educational materials via web sites, videotapes, and CD-ROMs.

For more information on agricultural biotechnology, link to the Voice of Agriculture web site at www.fb.org. A free copy of the CD-ROM, "A Short Course on Biotechnology," is available by calling 888-989-4246 and can also be previewed at www.webackbiotech.com. The 20-minute presentation traces the evolution of plant breeding from Gregor Mendel's cross-breeding experiments to today's precise methods aided by genetic-enhancement technology.

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