Why is it important for children to learn about DNA?
Working with DNA is of huge importance in the modern world. It enables us to identify why people get ill, develop gene targeted drugs, eradicate diseases like malaria, ensure babies are born without cancer-causing genes, create crops to feed the world, answer questions about the past, catch criminals, bring back lost species and learn more about life on earth than has ever been previously possible.
It is a huge advantage for children to learn about DNA. If children have a solid understanding of the basic concepts of a topic it provides a fantastic platform which through progressive learning can be built on. As their cognitive faculties develop it makes it simpler for children to understand more complicated extensions later on. A child who has learned the basics of DNA at primary school is likely to find it easier to understand topics like transcription and translation at secondary school.
Learning about DNA enables children to make sense of topics such as ‘Evolution and Inheritance’. How can you understand evolution if you don’t know about the vehicle driving it? How can you understand variation if you don’t know the cause? Teaching children about evolution without reference to DNA could inadvertently support the development of potential misconceptions which are hard to correct.
The purpose of this article is to give teachers a tool kit of simple props and activities to help children learn about DNA in a fun, engaging and memorable way which they can understand.
What is DNA?
Teaching children about DNA builds on their previous knowledge of living things and parts of the body. A successful approach is to put simple ideas in place first in an order that is logical to children before more complicated concepts are introduced. The first thing children want to know is ‘What is DNA?’