#332: Community Convergence Among Science Education Practitioners, Structural Biologists, and Biology Teachers

We present the design of a partnership among science education practitioners, molecular biologists, and high school biology teachers. Using Lave and Wenger’s (1991) construct of legitimate peripheral participation, we demonstrate how the partnership created conditions for meaningful engagement in the specialized epistemic and cultural practices of structural molecular biology. The SHAPE MATTERS project facilitated an iterative professional learning program in which 24 teachers and their students engaged in increasingly sophisticated approximations of modeling practices––from using physical and computational molecular models to presenting molecular stories. The team also developed a continuum of molecular modeling for high school biology. The structural biologists ensured disciplinary authenticity; science educators provided pedagogical knowledge. Our case presents a proof-of-concept for a practical approach that moves beyond generalized enactments of scientific practice by grounding teaching and learning in specific research contexts, supporting teachers and their students to develop experience in nuanced enactments of scientific modeling.