Teaching the Genome Generation

“I really felt like I was able to bring "real world science" into the classroom. I have been teaching the basics of biology for a long time, and this felt so much more relevant in terms of what students might see when they go to college next year!”

Teaching the Genome Generation

“I thought that this was by far the most rewarding PD I have ever participated in. I truly appreciated the three strands of content and feel that they provided a more well-rounded experience.”

Teaching the Genome Generation

“This is a great program to get all students engaged in personal genetics and biotechnology. It allows students of varying abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds access to high quality science lab experiences.”

Teaching the Genome Generation

“This program has given me more confidence in teaching genomics in my Biotechnology course.”

Teaching the Genome Generation ™ is a platform for individual teachers and schools to enhance their genetics and genomics instruction through partnership with The Jackson Laboratory's Genomic Education department and the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA).

Over 30 teachers from around New England attended a one-week professional development short course at Bowdoin College in June 2018. Course faculty included James Lupski (seated), a pioneer in human genomics research, and professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

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Share a personal story from your own TtGG experience that highlights the importance of teaching genomics to the next generation.

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About the Program

Professional development in Genetics and Genomics and Bioethics

Teaching the Genome Generation (TtGG) is designed to provide high school teachers the content knowledge, teaching strategies, and resources needed to enhance student learning in genetics, genomics, and personalized medicine. In TtGG™, students conduct classroom experiments, collect and analyze real data, and discuss of the ethical complexities at the intersection of human genomics, research and medicine.

The TtGG curriculum is divided into three major themes, which should be taught in an integrated fashion, rather than isolated units. These include:

the laboratory methods involved in isolating, amplifying and detecting human DNA,
the computational methods utilized in analyzing DNA, RNA or amino acid sequences, and
the ethics involved in DNA testing (both in the classroom and in the community).

There are two professional development options for teachers: an in-person short course (currently only available to teachers in New England states) and an online course that is self-paced. Regardless of course pursued, teachers will have the opportunity to develop lessons designed for their unique school environment and resources. The TtGG™ curriculum is highly adaptive- teachers can introduce modern genetics lessons in introductory biology, Honors, electives, and AP courses. TtGG™ favors interdisciplinary modes of teaching including connections to computer science, social sciences, and health.

Upon completion of the course, TtGG™ support is provided by Genomics Educators at JAX as well as a community of alumni of the course and other experts who can provide guidance and mentoring.

Short Course

TtGG staff offer a one-week, residential, free short course to teachers living and teaching in New England states. The hands-on course allows teachers the opportunity to perform molecular biology and bioinformatics experiments in the teaching laboratory. Lively discussions of social, ethical, and legal topics in personal genetics are woven into all aspects of the course. Teachers are provided training in NGSS-aligned, inquiry-based lessons that can be implemented (in whole or in part) in their biology classroom. Access to all lesson plans and curricular materials is made freely available to all participants for use in their classes.

Note: The TtGG short course is typically held at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine at the end of June each year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions our in-person short course is currently on hold. Please check back for further updates.

Online Professional Development

Teachers working outside of New England or who wish to participate in professional development on their own schedule can enroll in our free ACE and Winning the Race online professional development course. In this self-paced course, teachers receive instruction in all elements of the NGSS- aligned curriculum: molecular genetics, the use of bioinformatic tools, and discussion of the ethics of genetics research and genetic testing. The course is broken down into modules and includes instructional content in both written and video formats, interactive tutorials, and knowledge check quizzes to help teachers assess their level of understanding of the material. Teachers also complete planning assignments that provide the opportunity to think and write about how to use the lessons in their own classes. As with the in-person course, access to all lesson plans and curricular materials is made freely available to all course participants for use in their classes.

Genetics and Genomics Learning Resources

Want to peruse TtGG lessons and content on your own? Visit our Genetics and Genomics Learning Resources page that includes our TtGG lessons as well as additional genetics and genomics-related lessons and activities developed by our JAX Genomic Education team.

Mobile Lab Kit Program

Through our grant funding from the NIH’s Science Education Partnership Award, JAX is able to provide loaner lab kits to teachers in Maine and Connecticut who participate in our TtGG professional development program. These kits include all lab equipment, consumable lab materials, such as pipet tips and sample tubes, and reagents (enzymes, buffers, primers, etc.) required to complete the laboratory portion of the TtGG curriculum with your students. Contact us at ttgg@jax.org to learn more!

Program Funding

This project is supported by the NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences under Award Number R25GM129169. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. TtGG is also supported by The Petit Family Foundation and an anonymous gift. Prior support for TtGG has also come from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, Jane’s Trust and New England Biolabs.

Questions? The TtGG staff is always happy to talk to anyone interested in our program. Contact program staff at ttgg@jax.org.

Virtual Open House

The Jackson Laboratory welcomes high school students, teachers, and families to visit our campuses virtually. Our mission at JAX is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in our shared quest to improve human health.

Maine High School Open House

The Maine High School Open House provides students an opportunity to learn about JAX research and careers in biomedicine.

Connecticut High School Open House

The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX-GM) welcomes high school teachers, students, and their families to our campus for an evening of engaging research presentations and career exploration.