Many of us in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience are (or have been) volunteers for an organization called Brain Reach, which pairs graduate student presenters to elementary and high school classes for a series of neuroscience workshops. Here the NeuroBlog editor Anastasia Sares interviewed Max Wolpert, looking back on his experience as a Brain Reach educator. For those who are just starting this year, or considering it next year, here is what to expect!
What were your expectations when you first started volunteering?
I initially had reservations about working with the age group for Brain Reach Elementary. I had previously worked with younger children and high school students, but 10-year-olds were a new and scary beast. I worried that the students’ questions would be more advanced than the material, but they would still not have the background to understand the content at a higher level. My fears turned out to be groundless, and it turned out that students were engaged, had great questions, and understood things very well.
What was your experience when you first walked into a classroom?
I showed up before my lesson while the students were still at recess. This gave me time to meet the teacher and set up my materials. All of the students were polite and welcoming, asking me what I had come to do and where I was from. The teacher introduced me to the class and I asked the students to introduce and tell me an interesting fact about themselves.
What surprised you the most about your classroom experience?
I was surprised about some perspectives I had taken for granted as common understanding. For instance, in one of my lectures I talked about how we learn a lot about humans from animal research because humans are animals. The class immediately went crazy. There were lots of oooooohs and whats and several students became visibly upset. Fortunately, the students managed to calm down reasonably quickly and no one seemed permanently traumatized. For me, this demonstrated that, even at the elementary level, Brain Reach can challenge students by introducing them to perspectives they haven’t heard before. This can prepare them to be thoughtful learners later in life, even in the face of disagreement. I doubt my students will remember me clearly five years from now, but I think some specific concepts and ideas they heard may stick and influence their thoughts and beliefs about science in the future.
“What is a scientist” by one of BrainReach Elementary students (photo courtesy of A. Glushko)
How does BR fit in with and compliment your research life?
The most exciting thing is hearing and trying to answer the students’ questions. Everyone is naively curious about the brain, and this forces you to consider topics from various angles that you may never have considered interacting with adults at the university. I also think that teaching neuroscience to children has direct, positive effects on my professional communication skills in research environments.
What is the best question you’ve gotten from a student?
The most creative question I got was on the day when I brought in the preserved cow brain for students to touch. We had mentioned briefly during lecture about brain development, and one of the students wanted to know more about embryology and brain formation. However, it quickly turned out the 10-year-old student was actually trying to ask where babies come from. I told him he should wait to learn that on a different day at school.
How do you think this generation’s kids engage with science differently than past generations?
There are definitely a lot more resources to learn about science independently, interactively, and for free with computers, the Internet, and smart phones. I think this change is wonderful, but there is still an important role for educators in the classroom to guide, direct, and encourage this learning.
Bio: Max Wolpert
I’m a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill. I’m interested in how learning a second language affects our native language (i.e., language attrition). At McGill, I study first language attrition using electroencephalography.