26
What’s included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hoursClass Experience
Fingerprints are the most common type of evidence collected at crime scenes. In this one hour introduction, students will learn how to classify prints, and will be able to distinguish between loops, whorls, and arches. We will cover fingerprint collection techniques, from the simple powder and brush method to highly advanced atomic force microscope procedures. We will discuss patterns that are seen in different geographic areas, and the factors that might influence the types of prints each of us has. We all have different prints, but does that include identical twins? How about relatives having similar prints? What activities or jobs might change our prints, and what might it mean when a man shows up at the airport with absolutely no fingerprints (taken from a true story)? I will share stories from famous cases, and let the kids try their hand at figuring out what the fingerprint results indicated. Finally, I will share a story where a single fingerprint meant more than one hundred million dollars to a very lucky art collector.
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
Juris Doctor from University of Michigan
I have been teaching for over 25 years, and focusing on forensic science classes and programs for middle school through college-age students since 2005. For the past ten years, I have also been teaching a variety of online courses, including space science, climate change, writing, introduction to law, constitutional law, history, unsolved crimes, U.S. elections, U.S. government, and geography. I have a J.D. (Law) from the University of Michigan, as well as B.A. and M.A. degrees in history, and extensive graduate education in geography and forensic science. I spent 11 years as an attorney focusing on evidence, immigration for world leaders in medicine and science, and asylum for refugees. I have also taught at the college level since 2000, in subjects including atmospheric science, physical geography, human geography, U.S. history, Humanities, criminal justice, forensic science, law and ideology, and unsolved crimes. My most recent college teaching was at SUNY Empire State College (now University) in a variety of forensic science courses and Unsolved Crimes. I have written a course manual for forensic science which is used by high school and college students, and has been picked up by a college in Europe.
My teaching style can best be described as a Socratic quest for thought. By this, I mean that the most important thing to me is to get my students thinking. It is much more important for a student to develop their critical and analytical thinking skills than to recite a list of facts. The greatest comment I ever got on a student evaluation was a college student who wrote that I was the first teacher who really wanted him to think. I recognize the differences in abilities, interests, and backgrounds in my students, and tailor my questions and challenges to maximize each student's experience.
I'd like to share a few more details about me to explain more of who I am. I am a writer, and I have 7 volumes of a kids' fantasy series called the Guardians of Elestra. Homeschooled kids who are interested get the first two chapters of a new book before it is published to give me feedback, and they learn about the revising and editing processes. I'm also a homeschooling parent (since 2002) and I lead groups focused on homeschooling with chronic illness. Our family has had to deal with long-term health issues, and I want to help others who are just getting their feet wet in this area as well. Finally, I have training in voice acting, which is another area of teaching in which my course offerings are expanding.
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