Schools matter, but they don't make a difference

A University of York Science Education Group (UYSEG) and Psychology of Education Research Centre (PERC) joint seminar

Robert Plomin's latest book, "Blueprint: how DNA makes us who we are" confirms the bold, if controversial, vision of the potential impacts of genetic research on education. In doing so, Professor Plomin awakens a debate that pre-dates the history of genetics by about 1 200 years that has significant implications for the way we educate our children.

The presentation will consider the predictive power of polygenic scores and discuss what research in genetics means for schools, their students and parents. The talk attempts to answer the question, How can children be taught genetics so that they can be empowered to live in a genomic world?

Biography

Neil Ingram took a PhD in quantitative genetics in 1982 and has taught biology and psychology in schools for 25 years. Ten years ago Neil became a senior lecturer in science education at the University of Bristol, and is heavily committed to the PGCE teacher training programme. He has, for many years, contributed to Nuffield and Salter's science projects as an author and examiner. He is a member of the Royal Society of Biology's education committee and is active in their project to establish a framework for a biology curriculum for 5-18 years.