Abstract

The book “It’s Not About the Bike – My Journey Back to Life” by Lance Armstrong (Berkley Publishing Group, NY, 2000) was used as the starting point for professional development workshops with K-14 school teachers and grade 7-12 students. Quotes were taken from the book (with publisher’s permission) and used as “interest portals” to motivate students and teachers into learning the details of the biology associated with each quote. Fifty-two different teachers participated by attending one of two workshops held on the campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. The students (N = 117) were engaged by using telecommunication technology to participating schools in 5 different communities in Arkansas. Each group of participants completed an evaluation instrument. The data obtained from the teachers and the students indicate that the sessions were educationally beneficial. The evaluation data from the teachers indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the training session and a strong interest in using the Armstrong cancer story as a new way to teach human biology.