LENScience

Facilitating learning: GutBugs@School

These strategies and ideas for learning outlines and activities support learning and teaching about health, the human microbiome and the scientific processes of clinical trials.

» Strategies to Support Context-Embedded Learning
» Learning Foci and Big Ideas
» Possible Learning Outlines and Activities

Strategies to Support Context-Embedded Learning

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The LENScience Context-Embedded Learning model involves exploration of socially relevant issues. Students are supported develop capabilities and understandings that enable them to become critically engaged citizens, able to decide upon and take evidence-informed action. Use these strategies, ideas and resources to think about how students might engage with and explore complex socio-scientific issues associated with health and wellbeing within the context of the Gut Bugs trial.

These learning outlines and ideas support the design of five separate and self-contained mini-modules or one larger unit.

Complex causes of NCDs
The human gut microbiome
Gut Microbiome Transfer (GMT)
Gut Bugs - Trial Processes
Gut Bugs - Social Processes

Differentiation: Activities and resources can be selected and adapted to support the appropriate level(s) of conceptual complexity and literacy for the learners involved.

Assessment opportunities: The learning experiences and activities in these modules are designed to to be assessed against curriculum levels 4 and 5 for junior secondary and used in a formative or summative sense. Learning can also be assessed against curriculum level 6 and NCEA level one science and health achievement standards. See curriculum links for this topic.

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Learning Foci and Big Ideas

Researchers are currently working to understand more about the human microbiome and its impact on health conditions such as obesity and other NCDs, mental health, IBS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, autism, even skin conditions such as acne.

Use the Gut Bugs trial as a context for learning about:

Complex causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
The microorganisms that live in, on, and around us
How microorganisms interact with us and provide an interface between humans and their environment
Nature of Science and scientific processes - research and development in human biology and health
Nature of Science and scientific processes - help students to see how evidence is gathered, how knowledge is developed, and how this knowledge is used in an attempt to solve a complex problem impacting human health and wellbeing.

Science conceptual knowledge and knowledge of scientific principles and processes are crucial in the discovery and development of medical treatments. Science is about asking questions and testing new ideas, but contemporary social issues and environments inform the questions asked.

Before any new medical treatments can be used to help people, there must be a careful scientific process of trial and development. Clinical trials are an important step in treatment development. In the current context of rising obesity rates and associated health-related human costs, researchers at the Liggins Institute are examining the link between the human gut microbiome and obesity. They are conducting a clinical trial which investigates the use of GMT (Gut Microbiome Transfer) as a treatment for obesity.

Explore the Gut Bugs Trial to help students to understand science as:

A team effort which requires different expertise in different areas
A social, collaborative, and iterative process
A human endeavour, which involves wondering, problem-solving, risk-taking, failures, uncertainties and surprises

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Possible Learning Outlines and Activities

1. Complex Causes of NCDs
Learning Objective	Possible Learning Experiences	Teacher Resources and Suggestions for Learning Activities
Be able to recognise, explain, discuss and analyse the complex causes of obesity and other NCDs.	Students are introduced to concepts of: Obesity, NCDs and BMI. Students study and describe trends in obesity in the NZ population.	Health and the Human Microbiome web page (under development) Students use OCED and NZ Ministry of Health data to make infographics or posters commmunicating key facts and statistics about obesity in NZ The non-communicable disease epidemic: LENScience teacher PLD e-module What are non-communicable diseases? LENScience information for teachers NCD risk factors: LENScience information for teachers
Be able to recognise, explain, discuss and analyse the significance of these chronic health conditions for 21st century society.	Students study and analyse the complex causes of obesity in the NZ population. Students investigate the health costs and social/economic costs of obesity and NCDs. Discuss why and how the prevention of obesity and other NCDs has multiple benefits.	Students use OCED and NZ Ministry of Health data to make up sets of questions about obesity statistics for their peers to answer Students research and report on a chosen NCD and its implications. Integrating Health Checks into Learning: LENScience Learning resource
Be able to discuss and explain prevention and treatment of obesity and other NCDs.	Students brainstorm actions and interventions that support the prevention of obesity and NCDs. Students explore issues around food choices in relation to health and well-being.	Students create their brainstorms using iBrainstorm or Padlet, or using Google Docs Food photographs: Observation and comparison (under development) My food, my future: LENScience Learning Resources
Take action towards the prevention of obesity and NCDs and connect the action to health, economic or environmental benefits.	Students research actions and interventions that support the prevention of obesity and NCDs. Students discuss effectiveness of these initiatives. Students decide on achievable actions that they could take towards the prevention of obesity and NCDs for themselves and their whanau/communities.	Group work - Rapid research presentation framework utilising different skill student sets (under development) Students (groups or individuals) present their findings to the class using a one-slide, three-minute presentation. Students use this information to augment their original brainstorms

Engage with and explore contextual and conceptual knowledge:

2. The Human Gut Microbiome
Learning Objective	Possible Learning Experiences	Supporting Activities and Resources
Demonstrate understanding of the human microbiome.	Students are introduced to and explore concepts related to the human microbiome - what lives on me, in me, and around me? How do these microorganisms interact with me?	Health and the Human Microbiome web page (under development) Gut Bugs for Medicine: Could changing Our Microbes Improve Our Health? Links to podcasts and clips Teacher PowerPoint slides
Demonstrate understanding of the human gut microbiome as an important interface between us and our environment.	Explore ways to alter the human gut microbiome. Explore evidence related to gut microbiome and antibiotic use, pre and probiotic foods.	‘Feed the good guys challenge’ (under development) Students critique a recipe or diet, in terms of what it does to or for the gut microbe population In this Science Learning Hub activity, students learn more about the role that bacteria play in gut fermentation processes Rapid research inquiry

Engage with contextual and conceptual knowledge:

3. Gut Microbiome Transfer (GMT)

Learning Objective

Possible Learning Experiences

Supporting Activities and Resources

Demonstrate understanding of GMT as a possible treatment for obesity.

Students are introduced to the concept of GMT and explore current knowledge and past history of FMT.

Students develop and discuss their own questions related to human microbiome and GMT.

Health and the Human Microbiome web page (under development)

"The Good Sh*t" documentary

You will need an eTV account to access these clips.

Gut Bugs for Medicine: Could Changing Our Microbes Improve Our Health?

A Gutsful of Germs: Health and the Human Microbiome

Teacher PowerPoint slides

Rapid research inquiry

Engage with and explore scientific processes and Nature of Science:

4. Gut Bugs - Trial Processes

Prior learning: Students should be familiar with the basic process of the scientific method and will have conducted and designed simple verification-type experiments.

Learning Objective

Possible Learning Experiences

Supporting Activities and Resources

Demonstrate understanding of the processes of science.

Discuss and explain how knowledge is developed in the process of trialing a new medical treatment.

Discuss and explain the complexities involved in a human clinical trial.

Students draw and discuss a flowchart of the ‘fair testing’ scientific method.

Discuss: Is science really as simple as this? Like a linear flowchart? What might happen to interrupt the steps? What other ways of finding out are there? (modelling, fair testing, researching, pattern seeking, identifying and classifying).

Use the Gut Bugs trial to augment or change your ideas about how science really works.

Use the Gut Bugs trial to explore and learn about what happens in a human clinical trial.

Understanding the Gut Bugs trial: Case study

Hypotheses, theories and models: Teacher information

Types of investigation: Teacher information on TKI

"The Good Sh*t" documentary

You will need an eTV account to access these clips.

Students discuss the Gut Bugs trial using this ‘How Science Works’ interactive. Here is a link to the flowchart PDF and Understanding Science website

Students use their knowledge of the Gut Bugs trial to add to or change their flowchart to show complexity - what is science like in the real world of medical research? What issues/challenges did scientists solve? What initial questions did they ask?

Illustrate the difference between association and causation in scientific studies.

Plan or evaluate a trial that shows whether the scientific evidence generated in the trial is valid.

Students are introduced to and explore the concepts of correlation, causation and association.

Introduce the concept of validity - can we trust the outcome of an experiment?Use resources and activities to discuss the question: How do we know if the evidence we generate is valid?

Model the process of randomised, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial.

Writing a scientific abstract

The gold standard activity

Engage with and explore scientific processes and Nature of Science:

5. Gut Bugs - Social Processes
Learning Objective	Possible Learning Experiences	Supporting Activities and Resources
Demonstrate understanding of science as a social, and collaborative process. Give examples of ways in which scientific research involves problem-solving, risk-taking, failures, uncertainties and surprises. Give examples of ways in which scientific research is a team effort requiring different expertise in different areas.	Explore the Gut Bugs Trial to understand the human aspect of scientific research and clinical trials.	Understanding the Gut Bugs trial: Case study Gut Bugs Scientists Stories: Wayne Cutfield Justin O'Sullivan Thilini N. Jayasinghe Karen Leong
"The Good Sh*t" documentary You will need an eTV account to access these clips.Demonstrate understanding of ethical implications of scientific research and clinical trials.	Students are introduced to and discuss ethical principles trust, risk, informed consent, and harm. Students learn about and discuss the Gut Bugs participant recruitment process. Students write a letter to participants.	Teacher PowerPoint slides Science Learning Hub: Ethics thinking tool kit

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