Cancer is caused by miscommunications in cells brought upon by mutations in a patient's DNA. Recently students in the fifth cohort of the explored this concept using candy and Lego blocks.
A few weeks ago, the students met with a professor of developmental biology at Swarthmore College. Davidson, along with a student intern and members of the , will be working with the Karabots students to design a Mütter Museum exhibit on cancer biology. In order to provide a basic insight into how cancer behaves, Davidson devised an interactive activity. Longtime followers of the blog will recall interactive and game-based activities are not unusual here at the Center for Education. Past lessons have taught the scientific method , students , and we have done , quiz games. However, we've never integrated taste into our lessons, until now.
Dr. Davidson instructed the students to break into pairs. One student handled different flavors of candy and the other had a handful of Legos. Each candy corresponded with a different type of block. The pair had to attempt to build a wall out of blocks, using only taste to communicate. The student with the snacks fed specific candies to the student with the blocks; this was to illustrate how cell genes send signals to produce certain kinds of cells. Once they completed this activity, Davidson prepared new instructions to illustrate the way cancer interrupts this communication. The second phase of this activity had the student with the candy send conflicting messages, resulting in irregular or misshapen block walls in fashion similar to the way miscommunications between cells whose DNA is altered by cancer create cancer cells.
Overall, Davidson's innovative activity successfully conveyed the message and gave our students a useful framework for when they begin to develop their exhibit.