Exploring Science Education and the Brain in a K-12 Setting

Exploring Science Education and the Brain in K-12 Schools:

A Praxis III Study
 
Emily Lovejoy

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Emily Lovejoy, and I am a senior at Bryn Mawr College. Over this past summer, I worked at Bryn Mawr’s Summer Institutes for K-12 teachers. The institutes covered the topics of brain and behavior and inquiry science. I am continuing my own longstanding interests in education and psychology through an independent study that I created that looks at science education and the brain in K-12 schools. Several participants from the institute have agreed to let me observe their classes to further my research. I hope to interact with children in the classroom and get their opinions about lessons and styles of teaching through December 2009.  I will keep an online blog here to record my observations and results. On the blog, I will change all students names to ensure confidentiality.
 
After each visit, I will blog about the day. I will also meet with my mentors and faculty advisors of the independent study, Paul Grobstein and Wil Franklin, in the biology department at Bryn Mawr College. Paul ran the brain and behavior institute this summer, and Wil ran the inquiry science institute.  They will be supervising my work.

 
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or to report any sort of study related problems. Participant participation is voluntary, and teachers and/or students may choose to change his or her mind at any time.  This study will help to benefit teachers by giving them feedback about their style of teaching.

 
Emily Lovejoy
Bryn Mawr College
101 N. Merion Ave
Box c-267
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
 
203.710.0202
elovejoy@brynmawr.edu

 
Schedule:
 
September 16, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade class and in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade class

September 23, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade class
September 30, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher C's  shop class for kindergarteners
October 6, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade
October 7, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade
October 20, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade
October 21, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade
October 28, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade
November 3, 2009:  a local friends school, in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade
November 4, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher A's 5th/6th grade
November 10, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade
November 17, 2009: a local friends school, in Teacher B's 1st/2nd grade
 
In the future, I will be visiting other classrooms of participants in the Inquiry Science Institute and the Brain and Behavior Institute.  If you are interested in having me observe your classroom, please email me: elovejoy@brynmawr.edu!