Why incorporate neuroscience at your school?
Neuroscience is one of the most rapidly growing STEM fields, with increasing presence in public media and potentially important implications to everyday life (e.g. education, medicine and law). However, brain science is not typically incorporated into K-12 science education, and students’ basic knowledge about the brain remains fragmentary.
What are the benefits of incorporating neuroscience into my school?
A larger presence of neuroscience content and access to the scientific process in the high school curriculum can have a number of positive effects on students’ academic life. For example, it will enable students to critically evaluate (neuro)scientific research as covered by public media. Moreover, informing students about the neurological consequences of lifestyle choices such as the negative effects of drug abuse and positive effects of physical exercise can encourage them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Further, neuroscience can be very easily related to students’ everyday life (how do we learn? How can we improve our memory? How does music affect our brains?). Thus, neuroscience research can provide a gateway into engaging young minds in science via their interest in themselves and their peers.
What makes the BrainWaves program unique?
BrainWaves is an NGSS-aligned and student-centered curriculum designed to engage students in learning about neuroscience. Students complete authentic research in unit two of the curriculum. This experience is traditionally only offered as a extracurricular. Integrating authentic research into the classroom allows for greater access and can help students strengthen their science skills and interest.
How long is the BrainWaves program?
The BrainWaves program was implemented as a one semester elective but can also be integrated into another course. The full curriculum is divided into two units, each is about 5 weeks long.
How much will the BrainWaves program cost?
The BrainWaves program requires schools to purchase lab materials and portal EEG devices. The materials section of our website has a detailed outline of what materials are needed throughout the curriculum as well as links to purchase them. Schools can choose to find alternative lessons or online simulations if the cost of materials is too high.
