An activity to get you thinking

These are some of the questions that Grade 10 students Sofia Glader and Jeemin Hwang are setting out to explore through a new Psychology and Neuroscience Club at SIS.

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system – from the billions of neurons that make up the brain and spinal cord to the complex networks that influence how we think, feel, remember and move. It also looks at how our brains develop, adapt and change through experience, as well as what happens when things go wrong.

For Sofia and Jeemin, however, the subject is not simply about memorising facts about the brain. They are particularly interested in the individual: what shapes our personalities, behaviours and responses, and why we are all wired to experience the world in different ways.

“We’re interested in individual behaviours rather than social psychology,” explains Sofia. “We want to explore the drivers and influences on our personality.”

The club will be a place to think, question and debate. Rather than conducting their own experiments, Sofia and Jeemin plan to lead presentations and discussion groups, exploring a new idea or area of neuroscience each week and building their knowledge together.

They also have ambitions to take their learning beyond the classroom. They have already received valuable input from an SIS parent and hope to connect with professional neuroscientists in the future, potentially gaining first-hand experience of laboratory techniques and methods such as dissections.

The project is an example of student-led learning in action. Sofia and Jeemin have set their own goals, developed the idea and taken responsibility for making it happen, with encouragement from staff members, Ms Pongo and Ms Saha.

“We hope that by the end, we will not only have learned about neuroscience,” says Jeemin, “but also learned how to work independently, lead, mentor younger students, and manage a club.”

And they are already thinking beyond Grade 10. Students in Grades 8 and 9 have expressed interest, and the founders hope to create something that future students can take forward.

The Psychology and Neuroscience Club meets every Thursday at 10:30 in Room 411. Come along – and prepare to have your mind changed.