Many large-city school systems have uniform curricula and most local schools have some restrictions in altering the curricula. After identifying and contacting the Director, you will need to determine if the school system would be interested in scheduling your presentation with the local schools. Usually they will be extremely interested in the idea of scientists visiting their classrooms. The Director of Science Education can also provide you with information regarding the kinds of topics the students study at each grade level, provide you with feedback regarding your ideas for your presentation, identify schools that have teachers who may be more willing than others to have you talk to their classes, make initial contacts with representatives from the schools, and provide you with their names and telephone numbers. Grade level Several factors will enter into your decision regarding the grade level.
Any grade level can benefit from a neuroscience presentation.
The important point is to gear your presentation to the attention spans, abilities, and interests of the students. Middle school or junior high students have longer attention spans, and from our experience are sophisticated enough to handle the basic concepts of neuroscience. Because we wanted to talk to students before attitudes about science may have already been formed, we targeted our program for students in grades 6-8. We have found that the students have understood the material and have interacted well with the presenters. The choice of the exact grade level may also depend on the students' curriculum.