Amazing STEMName: Ashley Rose
Bio: Ashley Rose teaches Chemistry and Neuroscience at Lane Tech College Prep in Chicago. She has a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in Neuroscience based Psychology and a Masters in Science Education from Northwestern University. She has a passion for teaching in new, creative ways using inquiry and authentic investigations. Narrative of Amazing Teaching Moment: In my Neuroscience classes, I begin my unit on the visual system by having students create pinhole cameras. We use two paper towel rolls, one which is smaller and fits inside the larger one. A piece of aluminum foil with a tiny pinhole in the center is stretched and taped over one end of the larger paper towel roll. On one end of the smaller roll, a piece of wax paper is stretched and taped, which acts as a projection screen for the light coming in through the pinhole in the aluminum foil. The smaller roll is placed into the larger one and can be moved in and out to focus the light coming in through the pinhole. After the cameras are constructed, the class goes outside with their cameras and see how light information actually projects onto our eyes by looking at the light displayed on the wax paper. The visual world is displayed upside down and horizontally reflected! This sparks interest into how light interacts with the world and the amazing power of the brain to manipulate how information is consciously perceived. So many new questions are raised as a result of this exploration and students become invested to figure out how exactly the brain processes visual information. The pinhole camera lesson is intriguing and leaves the students wanting to know more about this incredibly fascinating topic. Later we make models of the visual system to explore the pathways where light information is relayed through the brain and we dissect a cow eye to learn about the parts of the eye. We also read fascinating case studies by Oliver Sacks about visual perception and stories involving people with visual impairments: blindness, achromatopsia, akinetopsia, prosopagnosia, etc. These case studies allow us to piece together just how information is coded and processed in the brain and the general brain regions involved in those computations. Hashtags: #neuroscience , #vision , #optics, #pinholecamera, #light, #highschool, #science, #handson #realworldapplication, #wonder, #visualperception, #brain, #physics, #oliversacks, #cognition, # |
Big 5 Themes of an amazing STEM lesson:
1. Hands-on
Abstract ideas and concepts are made concrete through the use of manipulative tools constructed from everyday items. Students learn by creating an authentic product.
2. Higher-order thinking
The problem solving challenge is open-ended so that students are left with new questions at the end of the lesson. These questions lead to new opportunities for investigation.
3. Models
Students gain understanding through building and refining conceptual or physical models. Models are explanations of the natural world and allow for further predictions or questions.
4. Student-centered
Lessons draw on student interests and experiences. Students are placed in an exploratory role to discover STEM ideas, leading them to an “aha” moment.
5. Cross-curricular
STEM lessons allow for connections with other disciplines or fields. Students can apply their learning into different contents.
1. Hands-on
Abstract ideas and concepts are made concrete through the use of manipulative tools constructed from everyday items. Students learn by creating an authentic product.
2. Higher-order thinking
The problem solving challenge is open-ended so that students are left with new questions at the end of the lesson. These questions lead to new opportunities for investigation.
3. Models
Students gain understanding through building and refining conceptual or physical models. Models are explanations of the natural world and allow for further predictions or questions.
4. Student-centered
Lessons draw on student interests and experiences. Students are placed in an exploratory role to discover STEM ideas, leading them to an “aha” moment.
5. Cross-curricular
STEM lessons allow for connections with other disciplines or fields. Students can apply their learning into different contents.