Brain Behavior Institute 2009 - Session 2

This afternoon’s session was not nearly as confusing as previous first day’s sessions.  The Game of Life simulation demonstrated that seemingly complex results can come from very simple rules.  It does not however mean that all complexities have come from seemingly simple rules. Complexities in origins of behavior and learning are more complex than simply viewing red and green dots on a computer screen.  As an educator, I must remember that 5 – 4 may cause students to recall more emotional responses than considering basic mathematical computations.  What I view as a simple request “bring back the reading homework” may have complex interferences…the student’s and the parent’s view of education, homework and ect.

Langston’s Ant still bothers me.  Although the rules are very simple, the ant is programmed to do the same thing, after 11,000 steps, the un-hindered ‘ant’ will build a bridge.   Adding the barrier only ‘allows’ the ant to interact with it’s environment.  Yet, the ant in the program continues to follow the same pattern, following the two internal rules.  When people in the natural world interact with their environment, they rarely follow the exact same pattern in response to changes.  The original complex looking pattern is really a simple one that will yield the same results, if un-hindered.  In all of my years of teaching, both academically, and as a Bible school teacher, have I ever had the exact same result to similar lessons.  Because people tend to respond in creative ways, The Langston’s Ant program bothers me… as I am not sure what it is trying to prove.

This afternoon’s session was not nearly as confusing as previous first day’s sessions.  The Game of Life simulation demonstrated that seemingly complex results can come from very simple rules.  It does not however mean that all complexities have come from seemingly simple rules. Complexities in origins of behavior and learning are more complex than simply viewing red and green dots on a computer screen.  As an educator, I must remember that 5 – 4 may cause students to recall more emotional responses than considering basic mathematical computations.  What I view as a simple request “bring back the reading homework” may have complex interferences…the student’s and the parent’s view of education, homework and ect.

Langston’s Ant still bothers me.  Although the rules are very simple, the ant is programmed to do the same thing, after 11,000 steps, the un-hindered ‘ant’ will build a bridge.   Adding the barrier only ‘allows’ the ant to interact with it’s environment.  Yet, the ant in the program continues to follow the same pattern, following the two internal rules.  When people in the natural world interact with their environment, they rarely follow the exact same pattern in response to changes.  The original complex looking pattern is really a simple one that will yield the same results, if un-hindered.  In all of my years of teaching, both academically, and as a Bible school teacher, have I ever had the exact same result to similar lessons.  Because people tend to respond in creative ways, The Langston’s Ant program bothers me… as I am not sure what it is trying to prove.

An important discussion point today, I felt, was the fact that there are infinitely many summaries that can be made about one distinct thing.  Even though we knew the computer-programming for the ant in the example, we all made up distinctly different summaries because our observation points differed: we had different cultures, personalities and creativity levels.  However, just because there was a factual basis for what the ant accomplished, there were infinitely many ways to interpret this factual basis.  This applies to real life diversity and acceptance.  I believe that the ant example helps us appreciate the value of different perspectives, rather than arguing for an ultimate "truth."  I believe that the ant example should emphasize that stories in science are simply using facts to fit a situation, and that the facts only provide character with which a story is created.  This creation of a story is subsequently influenced by our own distinct environmental factors; therefore, there are many interpretations and never one "right" answer.

I'm thinking about the role a set of rules plays in emergence and the use of computers to see things we previously could not observe. The computer simulations had simple rules that were pre-programmed, so as we were watching the simulations, I was considering a conversation that Paul had with my students last year. Paul was explaining a difference between science and math. He pointed out that math is a set of rules created by people--a game, and once you understand the rules you can play this game that includes right and wrong answers. He contrasted that with science that doesn't have right or wrong answers, simply is a process for telling a story and moving the story forward to get it "less wrong."  I admit that recalling that conversation left me slightly distracted as we were watching the simulation because I was distracted by the deterministic programming inherent in the ant simulation. I can see how it is a good simulation for illustrating how the ant and environment are interacting.

I am happy to talk about the importance of considering not only the internal motivations that result in an action but also the effects of the environment. In education one of the fundamental attribution errors is to attribute student behavior and performance solely to student "behavior type" forgetting to assess the situational influences acting on and being acted upon by the student.

If many functions of the brain are the result of simple things interacting in simple ways, then the best way I can introduce to elementary students in a science class is to give them tools to create a simple model. 

I would have them first write down what first thoughts come into their heads after making a model and to journal what scientific thoughts they can think of to extend the process. For example, if each student had the materials to make jello, they could combine the required materials to create a solution. Then, when refrigerated, the solution would go from a liquid to a solid: This is a process where simple steps are taken using simple materials to create an outcome, predictable by summaries of lifelong observations. This is emergence- jello is actually a sophisticated model for movement, matter, solubility, texture and other properties. Yet it is made very simply.

This is my first idea of introducing emergence to students in science class.