Resource from the ENGAGE project, which won 'best open educational resource (2017)' 1.2 million EU citizens have signed a petition for the complete ban of animal testing. Their argument being it is both unethical and not useful. In this activity students are asked to decide whether they agree. They apply their knowledge about how asthma affects the gas exchange system to examine evidence and decide if animal testing is essential to developing new asthma drugs. They also learn about how to use ethical thinking to make difficult decisions and study different ethical viewpoints.? Learning objective Breathing: show how asthma affects the structure of the gas exchange system Examine consequences: Select the choice which maximises the benefits and minimises the harm. List relevant ‘we should, or should not’ rules that everyone should follow Blueprint curriculum link Lesson 1 Unit: Tissues & organs Concept: Gas exchange: In gas exchange, oxygen and carbon dioxide move between alveoli in the lungs and the blood Learning stage: Apply Lesson 2 Skills: Decisions: Consider ethical implications and social, environmental and financial consequences Learning stage: Analyse Activity contents Teachers guide Two powerpoint presentations (lesson 1 and 2) These lessons are delivered as a zip file. After you checkout, you will be sent an email with the link to download them. Weblinks The European's commission's response Their response to the petition (the 'Stop Vivisection' European Citizens' Initiative) Stop Vivisection Arguments against the use of animal testing Understanding animal research Arguments for the use of animal testing Animal testing in asthma research This article outlines research that may lead to a new asthma drug which was developed using animal testing Understanding asthma A short video clip about the experience of having asthma and how animal research has contributed to treating asthma.
