Brain, Science, and Inquiry Based Education 2010: Home Page

Miles Harvey in The Island of Lost Maps said, "[He] understood that to truly conquer a wilderness, you must not only survive in it yourself but make sense of it for others."

I would change the quote to read:

To truly understand a body of information, a teacher must not only excel in the body of information but help others to make sense of it for themselves. Susan

Can creativity be taught or is creating a classroom where there is co-constructive conversation an opportunity for every student to be creative? I found this article to be another perspective on the failures of classroom in our country. 

In this important Newsweek cover story, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman report that while Americans’ average I.Q.s has been rising 10 points each generation (the so-called Flynn effect), creativity has been falling since 1990, with the steepest declines among children from kindergarten to grade 6. Part of the problem, say the authors, is that we assume creativity is a gift that can’t be taught. “While our creativity scores decline unchecked,” they say, “the current national strategy for creativity consists of little more than praying for a Greek muse to drop by our houses. The problems we face now, and in the future, simply demand that we do more than just hope for inspiration to strike.”

Newsweek article on Creativity in the Classroom - this hyperlink is not working, so here is the complete article

 How do we know creativity is declining? From a massive study using the well-regarded Torrance assessment, which asks people to generate ways of using everyday objects differently and/or improving them. And why is it declining? Researchers aren’t sure yet, but one likely suspect is the amount of time young people are mesmerized by television and video games. Another is that schools have devoted less time to creative activities in recent years – unlike many other countries, which are making a concerted effort to develop creativity in schools.

            But isn’t creativity innate – either you have it or you don’t? And shouldn’t schools be sticking to basics to prepare students for the 21^st century and let “gifted” students develop creativity in the art room? Wrong, wrong, and wrong, say Bronson and Merryman. Creativity is “part of normal brain function” and can be developed, they contend, and it’s important in all subject areas from music to engineering. “The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false tradeoff,” they say. “Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process.” Students can, in fact, meet and go beyond today’s curriculum standards through more creativity-based instructional approaches.

            Bronson and Merryman also puncture the notion that creativity is exclusively a “right-brain” activity. Here’s the sequence of mental activity that occurs when a person solves a problem:

-   Focusing on obvious facts and familiar solutions to see if the answer lies there;

-   If not, scanning and evaluating remote memories for unseen patterns and alternative meanings;

-   Zeroing in on a promising idea – the “aha!” moment;

-   Evaluating that idea – is it worth pursuing?

“Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas,” say Bronson and Merryman.

            Yes, some people are innately better at divergent thinking than others, they say, but creativity training that aligns with the new insights from brain science can be remarkably effective. “Creativity can be taught,” says California State University/San Bernardino professor James Kaufman. The key is alternating between intense divergent thinking and intense convergent thinking several times. “Real improvement doesn’t happen in a weekend workshop,” say Bronson and Merryman. “But when applied to the everyday process of work or school, brain function improves.”

            What would this look like in a school? Here’s a problem posed to fifth graders last year at the National Inventors Hall of Fame School in Akron, Ohio – a school that devotes three-quarters of each day to project-based learning: Reduce the noise in the library, whose windows face a busy public space. Working in small teams, students had four weeks to come up with proposals. Here’s how they proceeded (with plenty of support and guidance along the way):

-   Fact-finding – How does sound travel through materials? What materials reduce noise the most?

-   Idea-finding – Generating as many ideas as possible – drapes, plants, large kites hung from the ceiling to baffle sound, masking the outside noise with a gentle waterfall, double-paned glass, filing the space between panes of glass with water, an aquarium with fish as the barrier, etc.

-   Solution-finding – Which ideas are the most effective, most affordable, and most aesthetically pleasing? Safest?

-   A plan of action – Building scale models, choosing fabric samples, figuring out who would take care of plants and fish over vacations, etc.

-   Problem-finding – Anticipating all potential problems so their designs are more likely to work;

-   Presenting the plan – The audience was teachers, parents, and an outside expert.

In the process, students had fun, came up with great ideas to solve a real-world problem, and mastered large chunks of Ohio’s required fifth-grade curriculum, including understanding sound waves, per-unit cost calculations, and persuasive writing. The school’s state test scores soared this year. “You never see our kids saying, ‘I’ll never use this so I don’t need to learn it,’” says school administrator Maryann Wolowiec. “Instead, kids ask, ‘Do we have to leave school now?’”

         Here are some of the other activities at different age levels that have successfully developed creativity:

-   Preschool – Role-playing and acting out characters helps children see things from a different perspective.

-   Middle childhood – Creating paracosms, or fantasies of entire alternative worlds.

-   Fourth grade on – As the curriculum becomes more content-rich, it’s helpful if teachers are willing to entertain unconventional answers and “detours of curiosity.”

It’s a myth that creative people are depressed, anxious, and neurotic, say Bronson and Merryman. The reason creative students sometimes drop out is that they become discouraged and bored in creativity-stifling schools. In fact, a gloomy mindset shuts down creativity. People who score high on creativity assessments tend to be more confident about the future, have stronger relationships, and deal better with setbacks. It’s uncreative people who are at risk.

         In a sidebar at the end of the article, Bronson and Merryman sum up specific advice for educators and parents:

         • Forget brainstorming. Research at Yale University in 1958 showed that brainstorming actually reduces a team’s creative output; the same people, working individually, can come up with more and better ideas.

         • Imagination exercises don’t work. It’s a myth that all you have to do is let your natural creativity run wild. There’s much more to being creative than that.

         • Don’t tell someone to be creative. “Such an instruction may just cause people to freeze up,” say Bronson and Merryman. Here’s a better approach from University of Georgia professor Mark Runco: “Do something only you would come up with – that none of your friends or family would think of.” Using this approach, he’s doubled people’s creative output.

         • Reduce screen time. For every hour spent watching TV, says University of Texas professor Elizabeth Vandewater, overall time on creative activities like fantasy play and art projects drops as much as 11 percent.

         • Exercise. “Almost every dimension of cognition improves from 30 minutes of aerobic exercise,” say Bronson and Merryman. “The type of exercise doesn’t matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward.” But this works only for people who are physically fit. For those who aren’t, fatigue counteracts the benefits.

         • Get immersed in a passion. “Kids do best when they are allowed to develop deep passions and pursue them wholeheartedly – at the expense of well-roundedness,” say Bronson and Merryman. American Psychological Association researcher Rena Subotnik has found that children who dive into one area and become expert in it have better self-discipline and handle setbacks more effectively.

         • Forget the suggestion box. Formalized suggestion boxes and e-mail surveys actually stifle innovation, says ESCP Europe Business School Isaac Getz, because employees often feel that their ideas will be lost in the bureaucracy. Toyota’s plant in Georgetown, KY has been highly successful because it implements up to 99 percent of employees’ suggestions.

         • Take a break. Multitasking has been shown to undermine focus and productivity, but it’s a good idea to shift from one creative project to another.

         • Explore other cultures. Living abroad, being exposed to people from other countries, or even watching a slide show about another culture helps people be more adaptable and flexible.

“The Creativity Crisis” by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman in Newsweek, July 19, 2010 (p. 44-50), http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

The new film, Inception, is an action packed, well acted, special effects extravaganza that I found exceptionally well suited to the discussion of the relationship between the conscious and unconscious brain. In an attempt not to spoil it for potential viewers, I will avoid a discussion of the details in this post, but hope that others in our Brain, Science, and Inquiry Based Education Institute will have the opportunity to see this movie.

 This is a great book that I read (and reviewed for a class) and I thought might have some relevance for the Institute. 

www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Excerpt-from-The-Boy-Who-Was-Raised-as-a-Dog

On Wednesday we talked a great deal about what is Normal and What is not? Or what is the Identifiable feature that identifies one as being Normal or a man or woman? Is it possible to be normal in a world that is full of abnormalities. if you believe that just because there are things that cause abnormality's in this world, that now the world is some how not normal.   should we now scrutinize the world being suspicious of every one that comes our way? Do you think that no one is what they my appear to be?  there are Normal people that were born with the right genitalia for the sex that they are. There are abnormal people that was born or after birth developed some sort of abnormality that prevents them form being are acting the way Norma people act. Now what determines what is normal about a persons behavior?  It could be how you live, where you live, who you live among, and what you do for a living,  Some people live double lives. Are they Normal? Are you Normal?

Thought this article might be of use.  Not sure if the link will be active.  Let me know, I can try to print it up if anyone is interested.  Thought this would be of particular use to Ashley.

HOW SHOULD MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LD APPROACH ONLINE NOTE TAKING? A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1053638091&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=77774&RQT=309&VName=PQD

NYTimes article on Gravity

A Framework for Science Education - Preliminary Public Draft

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Homepage.html

The following is a sample of the Physical Science Progression K-12

Physical Science (PS) Core Idea 1: Macroscopic states and characteristic properties of matter depend on the type, arrangement and motion of particles at the molecular and atomic scales. [Structure and Properties of Matter]
7‐40
Public Comment Draft – July 12‐August 2, 2010
PS1.A: Atomic Structure of Matter
Sub-question: What makes up everything around us?
All substances are made up of atoms that are in constant motion. These particles are too small to be seen even with a light microscope. Atoms
themselves have substructure which determines how they combine, arrange and interact to form all of the substances around us.
Grades K – 2

What kind of parts are objects made of? (macroscopic)

• Objects are generally made of different parts. The parts can be made of different
• materials.
• Materials can be natural or manufactured from natural resources.
• The identity, characteristics and function of an object depend on the
• materials/building blocks used to make it, and the way they fit together.
• The same materials can exist as a solid or a liquid depending on the temperature.
• Solids have a definite shape while liquids flow to the lowest level in the container.

Grades 3 – 5

How do the parts of an object affect its structure and function? (macroscopic)

• All substances are considered matter. Matter can exist as solid, liquid, or gas.
• In all forms it can be felt and weighed.
• It is possible to break materials apart into pieces too tiny to see. However, the
• material still exists and continues to have weight even though we can’t see it.
• You can make a great variety of objects with just a few types of components.
• The structure, properties and uses of the objects depend on the nature of the components and they ways they attach to one-another, but can be quite different from those of the components.
• Knowing about the characteristics of materials helps design uses of them.
• Many substances can exist as solid, liquid or gas depending on the temperature. Solids have definite shape and volume, liquids also occupy definite volume, but not shape, gases are made of particles too small to see that move around throughout the full volume of any container.

Grades 6 – 8

How do the building blocks of matter help explain the diversity of materials that exist in the world? (sub-microscopic)

• Substances can exist in different states: solid, liquid and gas, depending on the temperature and pressure. Regardless of the state, all matter has mass, and the mass does not change when matter goes from one state to another.
• Models of matter consisting of extremely tiny particles that are constantly in motion, with interactions between the particles, can explain states of matter and changes of matter with temperature (in these models particles are non-specific).
• The particles that make up matter are so small that they cannot be observed through a light microscope, but can be detected and manipulated by modern tools.
• Despite the immense variation and number of substances, all are made from a limited number of types of atoms, called elements. Each type of atom has distinct mass and chemical properties.
• The Periodic Table organizes the elements by their mass and chemical properties and provides a useful reference for predicting how they will combine. (Link to PS1.B)
• Molecules form due to interactions between atoms; molecules range in size from two to hundreds of atoms.
• Atoms may interact to form distinct molecules or arrange in extended patterns with no defined endpoint (e.g. crystals, metals).
• The chemical composition, the arrangement of atoms, and the way they interact and move determines the state and properties of a substance. The thermal motion of the atoms increases with temperature

Grades 9 – 12
In what ways do the building blocks (atoms) combine to create all of the substances and structures in the universe?

• There is a hierarchy of structure within matter. Atoms may interact to form individual molecules or arrange in extended patterns with no defined endpoint. Atoms and molecules combine to form larger, more complex structures, natural or manufactured, with an extensive range of properties. (link to ET1.A)
• Structures made of atoms and molecules exist over a huge range of scales—from diatomic molecules in a gas to stars.
• Substances can exist in different states: solid, liquid, gas or plasma depending on the temperature and pressure. However,many substances are not easily classified into these categories (e.g., gels, colloids).
• In a plasma state, a substance is gaseous but a large proportion of the particles are ionized, which affords very different properties than a neutral gas. (e.g., conducts electricity).
• Atoms themselves have substructure. The patterns of the periodic table can be related to the patterns of the outermost electrons in the atom, which are those that are involved in chemical bonding. (A few basic types of interactions, or bonds: metal•non-metal (ionic); non-metal•non-metal (covalent); metal•metal (metallic)).
• Models of electrical attractions and repulsions involving electrons and atomic nuclei help explain the structure and many properties of substances. (link to PS2.A)

We think of education, students and schools as formal institutions that are both chaotic and staid. But we see inquiry in science as an ongoing conversation that is transitional. Education is an institution that is like a huge concrete building full of holes and crumbling- maybe even about to topple. But that doesn't mean it will change after it falls down. But there are opportunities to elicit changes to "the building." We have opportunties to elicit change by seeking out conversations among colleagues and others who seek change. By inquiring, we can look at other perspectives and find new ways of thinking and conversing, which is essentially the scientific process that molds inquiry-based education.

Greetings,

My name is Alice Lesnick and I serve as director of the Education Program at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.  I am looking forward to joining you in a session next week, and meanwhile to participating in the online discussion.  

As the Summer Institute gets underway I thought to pass along thoughts from my 10-year-old daughter, June, shared spontaneously during a walk in the park yesterday.  We went to the pond to see ducklings growing there and she was wondering if they, like grown ducks,  have feathers that repel water.  This led into a discussion of science, in which June said something close to this (threaded through a dialogue):

"I don't like science and math.  I like fantasy.  Because I don't like things where there is already an answer.  I mean, I can be logical but I like to use logic in ways that relate to words. I liked science in preschool when it was about mixing chemicals together and seeing what would happen.  Now they call it "hands-on science," but that just means you get to hold a rock and look at it, then write down facts about it."

So, I write to affirm that what you are doing these three weeks is really important!  And to appreciate your doing it and being there to do it, in June's name.

Alice