Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1
Year:
2015
Type of Events Held:
- Lecture/ Briefing
- School Program
Target Audiences:
- Elementary school students(1-5)
- Professionals
- University students
Approximate Number of People Reached:
325
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Teacher education interns (15) designed and implemented lessons about the brain with approximately 275 K-3rd grade students in 4 Knoxville area elementary schools. They then presented them on March 30 at a BAW celebration attended by faculty and students. Undergraduates from the Neuroscience Club and Psychology graduate students who are studying neuroscience assisted in developing and implementing the lessons. These events followed the interns’ study of basic brain structure, function, and development, and the relevance of neuroscience to education. An additional presentation by a Psychology faculty member occurred at Science Night at a different elementary school and involved a comparison of whole animal brains. The goals of having teacher-licensure interns become familiar with basic information about the brain and learning to communicate it with their students, as well as involving some area elementary schools were met.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Posters/Flyers
- Website
Resources
Of the Dana Foundation publications/resources distributed at your event(s), if any, please indicate the three most popular. Please choose up to three. If "other," please indicate below:
- It’s Mindboggling!
- More Mindbogglers!
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
Our BAW event provides one of the few opportunities our teacher-licensure interns have to become familiar with basic information about the brain and communicate it to their elementary-aged students. In addition it fosters interaction between education students and neuroscience researchers and students and provides the latter with experiences in seeing how neuroscience can be conveyed to very young children.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
No
Quotable comments which capture successful aspects of your event(s):
The most common comment from the teacher-licensure interns is that the children are fascinated by the brain and are highly engaged while participating in the lessons.
