Our 6th Graders Have Brains... on the Brain

The students in Hands-on Scientific Process, our 6th Grade Science course, have been working their way through a mini-unit on the brain. Having them learn about how their brains work, especially at this point in their lives when their brains are rapidly maturing, is important for a multitude of reasons that go beyond answering a Jeopardy question about the cerebellum correctly.

That knowledge can actually help support their academic, social, and personal growth. They're engaging in metacognition—they're thinking about their thinking. Understanding the brain's inner-workings can make them feel more empowered about how they learn.

Hebb's postulate, an important neuropsychological theory from the mid-20th century, more or less boils down to the idea that "neurons that fire together, wire together," which means that If we increase the number of times that we are exposed to information and engage in activities and discussions about it, it becomes easier to retrieve that information in the future. So, teaching kids about their brains, and coming at the topic from a number of different approaches makes them better learners over the long haul.

In the unit, the students research the brain's four major lobes, as well as the brain stem, the cerebellum, and the amygdala. They then discuss what it means to research, how to find good information, and what effective note-taking looks like. The class reviews the research together and creates notes as a group.

They then apply what they've learned to build Brain Hats. The hats, which show which parts of the brain are responsible for given behaviors and bodily functions, take about three class periods to build. The project tests students ability to follow multi-step directions and other important executive function skills such as planning and organization.

Our students continue their focus on metacognition when the class moves on to the unit on electricity. There they are asked to reflect on how they learn. For example, before they take a quiz, they fill out a "method of study" form. Students note how they "think" they are going to do on the quiz, and they explain how they study. After they get back their graded quiz, they fill in the form with the grade they earned. Each student writes a reflection about what worked and what didn't. The aim is to have them start seeing the connection between their habits and how those habits contribute to the outcome, and we continue to do this sort of reflection throughout the year.

Enjoy the gallery below of our 6th graders putting on their thinking caps, so to speak.