Santaluces High School hosted the 6th annual Brain Expo on Friday, November 8th. Students from Mr. Gray’s AP Psychology class chose a celebrity or a fictional character that interested them and talked about the different parts of the brain that affect their behavior. This year students chose to showcase R. Kelly, Spongebob, and Venom among many others. Each year the people chosen change based on the students’ decisions.
Students are able to interact with the boards showcased around the room, with presenters often giving a short description of their entire project. Viewers are also able to vote on the boards they believe are the top projects, with Mr. Gray tallying the votes after the expo.
When asked why he chooses to do the expo every year, Mr. Gray stated, “The point of this expo is for students to highlight what they’ve learned about the brain and a chance for them to demonstrate the knowledge they’ve learned.”
In a typical presentation, students are usually placed at the front of the room to display their project to the class. This type of presentation lowers student anxiety, and allows students to perform better while having regular conversations with their peers.
“If you look over the tables, people come up and want to discuss the characters. They actually do several presentations rather than just doing one, they do seven or eight.” said Mr. Gray on the issue of why he sees the expo as an important learning opportunity.
One of the primary benefits Mr. Gray strives for is recall. He states that, “Repetition allows them to remember the brain parts, rather than seeing a formal presentation, you’re actually able to have a conversation with the person who selected the celebrity and actually learn something.”
The psychology brain expo is more than just a presentation, it’s an interactive presentation meant to help the students recall the brain’s functions for their big AP test in May.
