Education Commons^™

Neuroscience Workshops For Fifth-Grade School Children By Undergraduate Students: A University–School Partnership, Judith G. Foy, Marissa Feldman, Edward Lin, Margaret Mahoney, Chelsea Sjoblom

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The National Science Education Standards recommend that science be taught using inquiry-based approaches. Inspired by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, we examined whether undergraduate students could learn how to conduct field research by teaching elementary school children basic neuroscience concepts in interactive workshops. In an inquiry-based learning experience of their own, undergraduate psychology students working under the close supervision of their instructor designed and provided free, interactive, hour-long workshops focusing on brain structure and function, brain damage and disorders, perception and illusions, and drugs and hormones to fifth-graders from diverse backgrounds, and we assessed the effectiveness of the workshops …