Questions often heard echoing through classrooms are: 'Why do I need to know this?' and 'When will I use this in real life?'. Working with the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), the authors chose a curriculum segment that aligned with some of their own research -- microorganisms: how they can harm us, help us and how we can use…

This article describes dance/STEAM-based educational workshops for 3rd and 4th graders at a local science museum led by the artistic director and members of a professional dance company and supported by a large university research community. The overarching pedagogical goal was to use dance to learn about science and science to learn about dance.…

Microorganisms (microbes) play essential roles in our lives, although the general media usually focuses on their negative or pathological aspects. Here we describe a collaborative approach between teachers and academics to teach primary school students about microbes in an engaging and diverse way. We introduced microbes, such as bacteria and…

This study aims for students to comprehend the beneficial functions of bacteria with the traditional home yogurt leavening activity. Also, it aims to identify alternative concepts related to leavening and contribute to students' home yogurt consumption habits. The study is a case study. The study was conducted with 29 fifth-grade students studying…

Microorganisms are diverse, minute, simple life-forms that generally cannot be seen by the naked eye and require the use of a microscope to be visualized. They have a great impact on all other life-forms. Their tiny size conceals them from us, engendering misunderstanding and fear due to the diseases caused by only a tiny minority of them. We…

The recent more-than-human turn has increased interest in writing about relations between humans and other animals. In addition, scholars have called for a need to complement the animal turn with a turn to microbes. Microbes entangle all life in relations and participate in processes of living and dying, but thus far, they have been largely absent…

The More Than Human (MTH; Bang and Marin 2015) world is often considered passive and neutral, not implicated in meaning-making in science classrooms. Through this framing, learning spaces are considered the backdrop upon which learning occurs, where the goal of science teaching is to explain why or predict how science phenomena-assumed as static…

Microbes (by definition) are tiny living things that are only visible through a microscope and include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protoctists (mainly single-celled life forms such as amoebae and algae). Although people are familiar with the effects of microbes, such as infectious disease and food spoilage, because of their lack of visibility,…

A series of events was developed to engage audiences in discussion around the importance of microorganisms in the production of fermented foods, particularly through tasting. The events were designed to attract different audiences: families attending a science museum; families in their community space; and adults in different informal eating…

Food is perfectly positioned to link students' lives to the deep and broad historical forces around them. Like everybody else, students procure and consume food on a daily basis, use it to mark special occasions, share it with friends, enjoy or dispute it with families, all perhaps without ever considering its potential for historical analysis.…

Learners are more disconnected from the natural environment than ever before. Science education occurs predominantly in classrooms and laboratories, settings that rationalize and deconstruct the natural world in a Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm. This often negates humans' relationality and interdependence with other life phenomena and furthermore…

Recent scientific studies are providing increasing evidence for how microbes living in and on us are essential to our good health. However, many students still think of microbes only as germs that harm us. The classroom activities presented here are designed to shift student thinking on this topic. In these guided inquiry activities, students…

Volatile-mediated impacts of microbes on plants have aroused interest among scientists in the life science field. This study describes an inquiry-based laboratory module named "Microbial Talk", which related to microbial volatile-mediated communication, including the process of design, implementation, and assessment. First-year biology…

Introduction: e-Bug is an international educational resource for young people covering microbes, hygiene and antibiotics. e-Bug supports NICE guidance on changing public behaviour around antibiotic use. This study aimed to determine educators' views of the e-Bug teacher resources to inform further development and dissemination of e-Bug. Methods:…

Abstract Microbiome study requires both molecular techniques and bioinformatics skills, which are challenging for biologists to participate in this growing field. To introduce microbiome concepts and skills to students, a 6-week wet-lab and bioinformatics course for undergraduates was implemented through the project-based learning (PBL) approach.…