Summer SAVY, Session 4 Day 5, “The Science of Senses” (3rd-4th)
We had two BIG projects today! For our in-class project, students considered the myth of King Midas and were challenged to invent a way to keep him from turning his food and daughter into gold. This was an extension of our previous lesson on touch that incorporates the Design Thinking Process. We guided the students step-by-step in this process. First, they must empathize with the concerns of King Midas and generate questions to understand his situation. How old is his daughter? Is touch limited to the hands, or all of his skin? Then, the students move on to defining the Problem by writing a statement that describes the problem of King Midas in detail and what he wants solved. The most fun part of this process was ideating or brainstorming about what could be made to solve the problem.
Later in the afternoon, we set out on our field trip to Vanderbilt Medical Center. We were hosted by the Audiology Department and Mr. Haiping Huang (a researcher and PhD candidate), who gave us a fantastic presentation that included a model of a GIGANTIC EAR! Our SAVY students remembered everything we learned about ear anatomy from Tuesday and impressed our host! They also asked 45 minutes’ worth of excellent ear/hearing-related questions. They wondered about deafness, hearing loss, where hearing is processed in the brain, why we get dizzy, how do air pods affect our hearing, etc. Their questioning skills were remarkable! We also learned the clinical term for “earwax” (ask your student to see if they remember!).
After this excursion, we returned to our Midas Project, and the students prepared their presentations. Interestingly, all groups had similar ideas of creating flexible gold suits to create a barrier between the skin and the environment but with wildly different executions. One group designed entirely gold utensils and dishes so King Midas could eat!
As promised, we finished the day with another video on Animal Hearing and spent time together having a bit of fun.
To extend their learning, I’ve sent several suggestions in past blog posts. I do have a few observations and suggestions as well. The majority of students loved the optical illusions and were extremely interested in the senses of other species. I was impressed with their ability and eagerness to quickly grasp the anatomy and physiology aspects of senses, and I believe the majority of students are prepared to go into greater depth in those areas.
Thank you for allowing me to teach your children! They are a joy, and I hope to see them at SAVY again in the future! Enjoy your summer!
