Fall SAVY 2019: Day 2 – Psychology in Action (Grades 3/4)
Dear parents,
Day two showcased some great ideas! It was full of insightful and intriguing questions that really pushed the students and I to think hard about symbols.
We riled up our researchers with a spirited debate about what qualifies as a symbol. We split up into two teams (led by Mr. Israel and Ms. Tiffany) and pushed back on some of the key questions we discussed in Day 1. Can anything be a symbol? Does someone have to intend for an object to be a symbol? How does one begin to interpret a symbol?
After we calmed down from our debate, we took a field trip to Mr. Israel’s lab in the Department of Psychology and Human Development. Our researchers learned about how Mr. Israel studies the way in which young children understand and use symbols to like pictures, video, and scale models to learn about their environment. Out class also got their first exposure to the scientific method as it is used by developmental psychologists to study symbols by learning about an active experiment.
Once our researchers had a better understanding of psychological research methods, we began designing our own study! Our researchers adapted the study they learned about on their field trip for older children and adults. We practiced our study procedure as a class and worked out all the issues before bringing in the SAVY staff to participate.
Next week, we will complete data collection by having some of the other SAVY classes participate in our class study. Then, we will learn about data analysis techniques and prepare our scientific posters for open house! We look forward to seeing you all there.
Warm regards,
Mr. Israel
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