Single Session Workshops

inequities and bringing ethics into the classroom.

Dr. Jacob M. Appel is a physician, bioethicist, attorney, author, and poet. He is currently the Director of Ethics Education in Psychiatry and teaches at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. His publications include pieces on reproductive ethics, neuroethics, organ donation, and euthanasia. His novel, The Man Who Wouldn’t Stand Up, won the Dundee International Book Prize in 2012. Dr. Appel is also the subject of the 2019 documentary “Jacob,” by director Jon Stahl. He has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.D. from Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons.

Deame Hua is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

How to Create a Brain: Neurodevelopment and Stem Cells

Facilitator: Thiago Arzua, Ph.D.

WEDNESDAY, MAR 22 MƒA  SCIENCE

It’s difficult to say precisely how many cells the human brain has, but scientists estimate between 80 to 100 million, all originating from a single stem cell. During the nine months of gestation, over three thousand cells are created every second, migrate to the right location, and form connections to neighboring cells. Join us to learn more about the amazing and intricate process of human brain formation. We’ll begin by examining the most recent research in neurodevelopment, including the many unfortunate ways things can go wrong. Then, we’ll explore how stem cells have been used in the past decade to study brain development, with an emphasis on human brain organoids, 3D models that can mimic the structure and function of a human fetal brain. We will conclude by discussing the scientific, societal, and philosophical questions that arise from studying these complex models made from human tissue. This course is best suited for middle and high school life science teachers.

Dr. Thiago Arzua is a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. He studies the neurodevelopmental aspects of how traumatic experiences get passed down through multiple generations. He completed his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he used human stem-cell derived brain organoids as models for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Outside of the lab, Dr. Arzua fights for diversity and equity within science as a co-founder of Black In Neuro, as well as a policy ambassador for the Society for Neuroscience. In his rare free time, he trains for triathlons, recently completing the 2021 Ironman Wisconsin.

A Hundred Ways to Differentiate: Work Smarter, Not Harder With the UDL Framework p

Facilitator: MƒA Early Career Teacher Stephen Kos

WEDNESDAY, FEB 8

MƒA

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

In this workshop, teachers will learn how to use the Universal Design for Learning Framework (UDL) as a guide for differentiation. We’ll begin with a brief overview of the neuroscience research backing this powerful tool, then gain familiarity with the three tenets of UDL. This work will help us reduce reteaching, improve assessment accuracy, and ultimately help ALL students thrive and enjoy school. Finally, we’ll explore and use GoalBookApp’s free UDL-Aligned Strategies to update our own lessons. This course is suited for all teachers striving to increase student success and enthusiasm.

Stephen Kos is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School in Manhattan.

I’m a Teacher and I Want to Belong Too!

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Yishan Li and Cathy Xiong

WEDNESDAY, FEB 15 ONLINE

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

What does it look like to work in a welcoming and supportive environment that provides a safe space for us to be honest about our victories and our struggles?

In this workshop, we will explore creative ways to foster connection between staff and collaborate to design relationship-building activities tailored to the needs and constraints of our schools. This workshop is open to all courageous teachers seeking to no longer feel isolated and to belong in their school communities.

Yishan Lee is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at P.S. 219 Paul Klapper in Queens.

Cathy Xiong is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology in Queens.

An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics: What Happens When Objects Are Very Small?

Facilitator: Klejda Bega, Ph.D.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 MƒA  SCIENCE

Quantum Mechanics, one of the most successful scientific theories, has made possible many of the technological wonders we now take for granted. Yet, the theory’s implications for how nature works at its most elementary level are often beyond the grasp of a typical introductory physics student. In this workshop, we will explore the double-slit experiment to learn how to make the following questions accessible and engaging for any student: (1) what occurs when pellets, water waves, and electrons pass through a wall with two-slits?, (2) what is the wavefunction and what is the role of probability in quantum mechanics?, (3) what is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and how does it fundamentally limit the precision of concurrent measurements of position, momentum, and speed of an object?, and (4) what happens to a particle when a measurement is undertaken on its entangled partner, and what does this tell us about the usual notion of locality? All physics teachers are welcome.

Dr. Klejda Bega has a Ph.D. in particle physics from Caltech and is currently a Lecturer in Discipline at Columbia University, where she teaches Frontiers of Science, a required interdisciplinary science course, part of the Columbia Core Curriculum.