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Brain, Science, and Inquiry Based Education 2010: Mini-Project Assignment

Paul Grobstein's picture
Submitted by Paul Grobstein on Wed, 07/07/2010 - 3:33pm

Brain, Science, and Inquiry-Based Education
K-12 Summer Institute 2010

  

 

  Mini-Project Assignment

Within the broad area of brain, science, and inquiry-based education, think of some more specific and focused topic that interests you, and that you suspect you know less about that you might.  Using the web and conversations with colleagues and friends, construct for yourself a new understanding of that subject.  Write a short web papers for a general audience that communicates your new understanding and what produced it, and outlines new questions that results from your new understanding.  The objective of the paper is not to persuade others that your new understanding is correct but rather to share with others both your new understanding and the processes that gave rise to it, and so to both contribute to and encourage the development of new understandings by others.

During the institute, you should write at least two web papers on two different topics.  A third web paper may be on an additional topic or be a reworking, with additional resources, of one of your first two topics.  Papers should be made available to others by creating a group post.  

"more specific and focused topic"

something where observations/experiences of others can supplement your own and hence contribute to new understandings

"construct for yourself a new understanding" 

don't look for things that will confirm an understanding you started with; look for things that surprise you; let your new understanding emerge from the process of inquiry

don't summarize what you have read, use it, as well as your own observations/experiences, to construct a new understanding of your own

"for a general audience"

colleagues not at this institute

"share with others both your new understanding and the processes that gave rise to it"

write about your new understanding, not about any particular question that initiated your inquiry, and what brought you to that new understanding

"encourage the development of new understandings by others"

provide links to relevant resources so that others can use your work to further their own inquiries; include new questions that come to your mind given your new understanding

 

Some samples ...

Some possible, arbitrary starting places from New York Times, Scientific American, New Scientist, Neuroanthropology

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Comments

Kim Fuller's picture

Are parents realy wanted in all schools? Draft

Submitted by Kim Fuller on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 4:06pm.

Parent involvement is the piece that so many school are missing and it is the lest cultivated. In order to cause our student to  completely succeed you must have parent involvement.
Parents do not cometo the schools  because some of them feel so intimidated by the staff in the school. we must open up to the parents. so how do we do this with out compromising the schools agenda and the worth of the parent?

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