Presenter Mark Plotkin seemed to enjoy being back in his native New Orleans earlier today as he talked about native cultures, Western science, and finding ways to use one to enhance the other. He encouraged attendees to make evolution relevant to their students by talking about the “cool Darwin.” Instead of the common photo of an aged, bearded Darwin, Plotkin shared an image of the man from his youth. He noted kids could identify with Darwin, who rebelled against his father’s wish that he become a doctor to sail on the HMS Beagle. Encouraging student interest in science is particularly important, Plotkin maintained, since science will be instrumental in solving most (if not all) the problems we face. As he said, “We need more science and we need it now.”
Plotkin’s presentation focused on his work with native peoples in the Amazon. He has worked with shamen (and women). Using maps created by tribal members on Goggle Earth, Plotkin showed his audience how their presence helps preserve the forest from illegal loggers, drug traffickers, and other threats. He says native peoples are “the best hope for turning conservation dreams into reality.” It was a fascinating look at how people anywhere can benefit from and contribute to scientific knowledge, and how that knowledge can make a real and immediate impact.

When I saw that the Planetary Society was sponsoring a session with Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson, I assumed that each would take the podium for a while. But those of us in the audience were treated to these two as dynamic copresenters! Their sense of humor did not detract form the importance of their message: Why We Need to Study Earth from Space. Both of these scientists are strong advocates for quality science education that will “change the world” – an important message since the future scientists in America are in our classrooms right now. After their discussion (about which several in the audience wondered if a recording would be available), they took questions from the audience. They also wondered how many science teachers we could remember who made a diffference in our lives. Some could recall 4 or 5. How many can you name?

Understanding how a student’s brain works is vital to teaching and learning, says Kenneth Wesson, a neuroscience education consultant and vice president, international and western divisions, for Delta Education/School Specialty Science, during his featured presentation on how people learn and how their brains work. Students’ developing brains need a safe, supportive learning environment, he explains, because fear draws blood away from the brain, making it difficult to remember what has been taught.

Touch is also important in learning because humans’ “skin is literally the other half of the brain,” so hands-on activities should be part of lessons. And never underestimate the power of your smile for your students: “When kids feel you know their name, they’re ready to learn,” he contends.

I spoke with chemistry teacher Seema Ahuja from Houston, Texas, who attended this session. “I think it’s an excellent, excellent workshop. I really got some good ideas [on] how the brain actually works and how it helps to help my students in understanding how the brain actually considers learning. I learned, for example, how patterns are so important because the brain looks for patterns. So that’s what I’m planning to use in my classroom.”

The audience was surprised to learn from Dr. Wesson that larger brains have been proven to be less efficient than smaller-sized brains.