Franklin Institute

This grant supports an update of the Franklin Institute’s Neuroscience and Society high school curriculum. The curriculum offers an in-depth focus on neuroscience through the lens of societal issues relevant to older teenagers. 

Through interactive classroom activities and discussions, projects supporting inquiry-based learning, and opportunities to analyze real case studies and relevant interpretations of neuroscience in popular culture, the curriculum teaches students about neuroanatomy and neurotransmission, drugs and addiction, education and development, law and criminology, and well-being. The curriculum has been fully evaluated and tested in schools with demonstrated positive outcomes on students. 

The goal of the update is to create a refreshed, functional, and flexible guide for teachers and students to engage with and find relevance in current issues in neuroscience and society. The update converts the curriculum to a fully online format, provides more robust resources and background content for educators, and incorporates emerging topics in neuroscience and neurotechnology such as brain organoids, cognitive enhancement, and brain-machine interfaces. Any new or newly adapted activities are tested with second-year high school students, and the design, structure, and updated content of the curriculum are reviewed by a Teacher Advisory Board. 

The Franklin Institute is disseminating the curriculum through a variety of networks with an emphasis on reaching diverse and underrepresented communities of educators and students. The curriculum is, and will remain, a free resource on the Franklin Institute’s website available to all interested teachers and students. 

This grant supports the Dana Education objective to engage K-12 students in learning about neuroscience through structured education opportunities (formal and non-formal) that integrate relevant, real-world topics and issues to capture their interest and inspire continued study.