Asking Questions and Finding Answers: An Introduction to Biotech in a Box™

While some might argue that lessons such as this cater towards nonformal education, teachers should not be deterred from integrating these lessons into their formal classrooms. Nonformal lesson plans--including their structures and techniques--can and should be integrated into formal classroom settings. Many nonformal activities are easy to integrate into broader unit activities and can even act as the expanded, real-world application to many of the more abstract STEM concepts. Additionally, nonformal activities often include ready-to-use, hands-on components that might otherwise be left out of some formal curriculum. Educators should consider connecting with their land grant universities to determine if their outreach programs might offer the material resources necessary for these activities; for example, Virginia Tech offers access to the Bio-Rad Vertical Electrophoresis System™ free of charge for Virginia teachers.