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The Brain Apprentice programme wasdesigned on the premise that neurosciencegraduate interns be in the position to shareneuroscience knowledge that they had acquiredfromtheacademicneurosciencemembersattheUniversiti Sains Malaysia. With this model in

Editorial Neuroscience 101 for School Pupils: ‘The Brain Apprentice’ Project

See Ching Mey1,2, Jafri Malin AbdullAh3,4, Muzaimi MustAphA3,4, Tee Jong huAt4, Nurul Iman Wan IsMAIl4, Khalilah hArIs4, Nanthini JAyAbAlAn4, Muhammad Hanif Che lAh4

1 Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Divison of Industry and Community Network, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

2 School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia

3 Center for Neurosciences Service and Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia

4 Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia

1Malays J Med Sci. Sept-Oct 2014; 21(5): 1-7

Abstract Community engagement efforts in brains and neurosciences projects involving highereducationinstitutionsarecurrentlysporadicinMalaysiaandlikelytocontributetheapparentlackofneuroscienceawarenessinthesociety.Inthispaper,wehighlight‘TheBrainApprentice’projectasaknowledgetransferefforttoraiseneuroscienceawarenessusingschool-centredneuroscienceclubs. These groups promote the appreciation of neuroscience beyond conventional classroomapproachesandthetrainingofneurosciencegraduateinternsasstudentfacilitatorsintheteachingandlearningofneuroscience. The Brain Apprentice was delivered through the establishment of two school-basedneuroscienceclubs,SekolahKebangsaanKubangKerian3(primarylevel)andSekolahMenengahSainsTengkuMuhammadFarisPetra(secondarylevel).Theteachingandlearningofneurosciencewasdeliveredthroughpracticalsessionsandcompetitions. Questionnaires were collected from the students based on the following four domains:generalsatisfaction,impactofknowledgetransfer,satisfactionwithgraduateinterns,andknowledgeandpracticalrelevanceofneuroscience. The National Brain Bee championship has resulted in the first Malaysia representativecompeting at the International Brain Bee 2012. Students,who had participated as neuroscienceclubmemberswereexposedtothebasicprinciplesofneuroscience,whichboostedtheirinterestinscienceandneuroscience.Thegraduateinternshadalsobeenprovidedwithopportunitiestohoneintheirsoftskillsandbeinvolvedincommunity-engagementefforts. Thisprojectofferedasuitablemodelofcommunity-engagementinraisingawarenessaboutandtheprofileofneurosciencebothintermsofknowledgeexposureandfromtheperspectiveofcareeroptionsinthefield.

Keywords: neuroscience, clubs, primary schools, secondary schools education, psychology

Submitted:2May2014Accepted:24May2014

mind,theinternswerethenexpectedtointeractwith the selected school community throughvarious means of teaching and learning aboutneuroscience. This project aims to promote theappreciation of neuroscience in specific andscienceingeneralbeyondconventionalclassroom

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approaches, featuring training neurosciencegraduateinternsasfacilitatorsintheteachingandlearningofneuroscience.

Community Partners

Lettersqueryingforinterestintheprogramweredeliveredtotwohigh-performingschoolsinand around the local district within the logisticreachoftheDepartmentofNeurosciences,Schoolof Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia.Each school at the primary and secondary levelthat was approached had agreed to take partin the programme by adopting a dedicated co-curriculumslotonregularbasis.Fortheprimaryschool,theclubrecruitedfromgrades4to6,whilethesecondaryschoolrecruited4to5students.

Graduate Internships

Five graduate interns, all who werecurrentlypursuingaMasterofSciencedegreeinNeurosciences at the Universiti Sains Malaysia,wereinvolvedintheproject.Theirkeyroleswereto assist in executing the planned activities aswellasdesigningadditionaltasksfortheproject.Many of these involved sharing neuroscienceknowledgewith the neuroscience clubmembersatregularschoolvisitsthroughacombinationoftheory classes, practical sessions and the clubs’co-curricularactivities.Manyoftheneuroscienceresources are pooled from the ‘Brain Facts6th edition’ textbook (http://www.brainfacts.org), which was published by the Society ofNeuroscience(SfN).

Neuroscience Club activities

A variety of the brain activities wereconducted with individual schools and jointventuresofbothprimaryandsecondaryschools.The project was delivered in two phases. Phase 1 – School-led Activities are science-relatedactivities and are not necessarily neuroscience-related; these are mainly driven by the schoolteacher and studentswithminimal involvementofgraduateinterns(GIs).Schoolswereprovidedwith the materials required for the activity ofthat day. Phase 2 – Neuroscience-led activities are neuroscience-related activities that activelyinvolve GIs as the prime movers. Phase 2activities were designed by emphasising boththetheoreticaltransferandhands-onexperienceof students in learning science. The model ofneuroscience-led activities includes Anatomyof theBrainandFunctions,MyBrain Invention

Challenge, National Brain Bee Competition andMiniBrainBeeCompetition.

Introduction to the Brain Anatomy: Theory and Practical Thiswasajointventureactivitythatinvolvedstudentsfrombothschools.Theobjectiveofthisactivitywastoprovidestudentswithanoverviewofthebrain’sanatomyandfunctionsofeachpartofthebrain.Studentsweretaughtaboutthegeneralanatomy of the normal brain prior to hands-ondissection of goat brains (Figure 1). The braindissectionwasconductedbyhealthprofessionalsandwas assisted byGIs. Then, group activities,suchasbrainanatomicalpresentationsbyschoolstudents,wereconducted(Figure2).

My Brain Invention (MBI) Challenge “Recycle Melody” The MBI challenge was an activity thatincorporated the use of arts in neuroscience byintegrating the culture of thinking, planning,and team-work to innovate creative outputs.Students were given a timeframe of threemonths to invent “new” musical instrumentsusingrecycledmaterials,andtheycreatedatuneusingtheinstrumentstheyinvented.Eachgroupwas required to sketch their invention idea onaprovided form (Figure3)prior to creating theinstrument.GIsoccasionallyperformedinformalprogressscreening.Thetopfive inventionswereshortlisted based on the votes cast by otherschoolpupilsnotcountingtheneuroscienceclubmembers for the final competition, which washeld in Universiti Sains Malaysia. During thefinal competition, all inventions were displayedfor public viewing (Figure 4) and students withshortlistedinventionsperformedonstage(Figure5).

Figure1:Graduate internexplainingabout thepartsofthebrain.

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Figure 2: Student group presentation ontheirobservationofthebraintotheaudiences.

Figure3:Students’ideasketchingforMyBrainInvention–RecycleMelody.

Figure4:Displayofstudents’inventedmusicalinstrument–Recyclemelody.

Figure 5: Students perform their melody onstageusingtheirmusicalinstrumentsinvented.

National Brain Bee (NBB) Competition The NBB Competition was held as a highschool(secondarylevel)neurosciencecompetition,which was designed for the International BrainBee (IBB). This competition aimed to createa healthy competitive spirit among studentsand indirectly encouraged them to learn aboutthe human brain and inspire them to pursue aneurosciencecareer.Studentsunderwentseveraltiers of tough assessment, from the screeningphase until the final stage, which encompassedgeneral knowledge of both fundamental andclinicalneurosciencetopics.Studentsweregiventhe“BrainFacts”bookandsummarizedsyllabusas their references for self-study miscellaneousbrain relatedmaterials. Thewinner of theNBBCompetition (Figure 6) represented MalaysiaattheInternationalBrainBee(IBB)Competition,which was held in Cape Town, South Africalastyear.

Mini Brain Bee (MBB) Competition Like the National Brain Bee, theMBBwasdesigned for the primary school pupils. TheMBB was aimed to provide an early approachto neuroscience knowledge in primary schools.It was much more challenging for the GIs toshare neuroscience basics at a level that wassuitableforthisagegrouptounderstand.GIshadincorporated inquiry-based learning concepts indeliveringtheirteachingusingaslightlymodifiedversion of THIRTEEN (http://www.thirteen.org/).Thesyllabuswassimplifiedfromthebookof“BrainFacts”availableonlineat(http://www.medic.usm.my/neurosciences/). The winner ofthe MBB competition was determined throughseveral rounds of written quizzes (Figure 7)and cumulative marks were given during clubactivities(Figure8).

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Introduction to Brain Anatomy: Theory & Practice

TheNeuroscienceClubmembersweregivenfirst-hand insight into the field of neuroscience.Thestudentswereintroducedtotheanatomyofthemammalianbrain(i.e.,thecow’sandgoat’sbrains)andtheirimportantpartsandfunctions.WiththeguidanceofGraduateInterns, thestudentswerealsogivenfirst-handexperiencefordissectingthemammalian brain. Simple quizzes and students’presentationsonthebraincomponentsandtheirfunctionsafterthepracticalsessionfacilitatedthesharingofknowledgebetweentheclubmembers.Additionally,thissessionincreasedthestudents’interest in neuroscience as well as gave thestudents the opportunity to explore and explaintheir own potential and abilities. In return, theGIs could increase their existing knowledge ofbrain anatomy prior to sharing their knowledgewiththestudents.

My Brain Invention Challenge

Neuroscience Club members successfullyintegrated the use of art into the world ofneuroscience.Throughdiscussionandteamwork,thestudentsutilisedtheircreativityandinnovationto create their musical instruments. Soft skillsandconfidencelevelswerenurturedduringtheirpresentations of their musical instruments andthescientificrationalebehindtheircreations.

International Brain Bee

Through a series of knockouts andcompetitions, we succeeded in choosing thechampion of our first National Brain Bee 2012to become the first Malaysian, and Asian,representative to participate in the annualInternational Brain Bee Championship. Thiscompetition increased secondary students’knowledge of Neuroscience, fostering theirinterest in science in general and Neuroscienceinparticular.Additionally,allstudentshadsomedegree of improvement in their examinationresults,specificallyinBiology.TheNationalBrainBeeachievementswerealsoreportedinthelocalnewspaper(http://thestar.com.my/).

Mini Brain Bee

This series of competitions betweenthe Neuroscience Club members of SekolahKebangsaanKubangKerian 3 had disseminatedthe fundamental knowledge of brain science to

Figure 6: International Brain Bee contestantfrom 13 countries. (2nd row and2nd from the left – Ammar AhmadMokhtar,Malaysian’srepresentative).

Figure7:Top10Primaryschoolstudentswerebrief about Final Mini Brain BeeCompetition.

Figure8:NeuroscienceClubactivityatprimaryschoolduringschool-ledactivity.

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primaryschoolstudents.Throughouttheteachingsessions and competitions, the primary schoolstudentshadagreatdealofinterestandevidencefor the use of neuroscience knowledge throughtheirfullengagementintheassignedactivities.

Assessment of the Learning Experience and Satisfaction by the Community Partners

Both the primary and secondary schoolstudents and their teachers anonymouslyresponded to the standard questionnaires. Insummary,thestudentsandteachersenjoyedourprograms and activities, and they felt that theprograms were a valuable learning experience.Most felt that these activities increased thestudents’interestinScience,whichwasapparentin theirMalaysian Primary School AchievementTest (UPSR) and Malaysian Certificate ofEducation (SPM) results. These activities alsoincreased the students’ appreciation for andinterest in science subjects in general, andneuroscienceinparticular,throughtheirone-yearinteractionwiththegraduateinterns.

Sekolah Kebangsaan Kubang Kerian 3

Theresults fromthequestionnaires(Figure9) revealed a significant general satisfactionwith The Brain Apprentice program (80.88%satisfaction) and satisfaction with the graduateinterns’ performance (91.18%). The majorityof the participants (77.65%) reported that theobjectivesofthisprogramofsharingneuroscienceknowledgewiththeprimaryschoolstudentswereachieved,while 75% agreedwith the knowledgeand practical relevance of this program. With

respect to their examination results, of the 24NeuroscienceClubMemberswhotooktheUPSRin2011,22ofthemscored5As(topscores),whileanother2studentsscored4As1B.AllmembersoftheNeuroscienceClubscoredanAinScience.

Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra (SMSTMFP)

Theresults fromthequestionnaires(Figure10) showed significant general satisfaction withthe program and satisfaction with the graduateinterns’ performance among teachers andstudentsofSMSTMFP,with80.39%and94.12%satisfaction, respectively. The majority of theparticipants(76.86%)agreedwiththesuccessofknowledge sharing achieved with this program,while 79.41% participants agreed with theknowledgeandpracticalrelevance.

Assessment of the Learning Experience for Graduate Interns

Ingeneral,thisprogramnurturedleadershipand communication skills among the graduateinterns as well as provided graduate studentswith teaching experience while they sharedneuroscience knowledge with laypeople.Additionally, graduate interns succeeded ingainingexperienceandscienceknowledgebeyondtheirownresearchdegreestudies. Inthisarticle,wedemonstratedthatamodelof a university-school partnership program,“The Brain Apprentice”, could effectivelyprovide schoolchildren and graduate internswith meaningful and engaging science learningexperiences. Graduate interns, together withacademic instructors, successfully developed

Figure 9: Assessment of learning experienceand satisfaction among studentsandteachersofSekolahKebangsaanKubangKerian3.

Figure 10: Assessment of learning experienceand satisfaction among studentsand teachersofSekolahMenengahSains Tengku Muhammad FarisPetra.

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a series of interactive activities that effectivelytransferred neuroscience knowledge to schoolchildren. In Malaysia, although the clearadvocacy for science in schools according tothe National Education policy is limited by thefocusonexamination-basedoutputs,thisprojectincorporated natural science with students’extra-curricular activities as an alternative totheseadvocacyefforts.Introducingneuroscienceto the school program suggested an option forovercomingtheeducationalgapproblembetweenthe university and surrounding communityin Malaysia. This effort successfully became aframeworkthatotherfieldscouldutilise. Throughout the engagement of schoolchildren in neuroscience-related activities,teachers rated the club members’ interest inscience based on their routine performance intheclass,andtheirachievementwasconsiderablyhigher than that of non-members. Braindissection activity provides hand-on experiencefor students as they learn about human brainanatomy.Thisiscrucialbecauselearningsciencewith slides and verbal explanation withouthands-on experience is generally considered anincomplete approach. Hands-on in science isnecessary at this stage of education especiallyat theamateur levelbecausehands-onactivitiesprovide direct practical applications that buildon theoretical class activities, automaticallyimproving understanding as well as developingstudent’spassiontowardsscience.Fredembachetal. summarised that the senseof touchprovidesa better connection between vision and hearingand,therefore,enhancesthelearningprocess(1). The My Brain Invention Challenge hassuccessfully demonstrated the fusion of scienceand arts in producing creative innovation. Thisactivityencouragesstudentstousetheircreativeinputtoimaginesomethingpossiblefromnothing.AlbertEinsteinstatedthat“Imaginationismoreimportant than knowledge.” Einstein’s strengthcamefromhisimagination,creativityandpassioninscience(2). The Selection of National representative toInternational Brain Bee Championship allowedstudentstocompeteamongthemselvesandgavethewinnertheopportunitytomeetinternationalchallengers. Research by Henry and Gordon(2003) showed that competition improvedthe educational outcomes among students (3).Burguillo further concluded that competition-based learning significantly motivates studentsandincreasestheirlearningperformance(4).Positivefeedbackfrombothteachersandstudentsdemonstrated that this engagement program

effectively fostered the involvement of studentscientists and health professionals in increasingknowledgetransferandneuroscienceliteracy.Theprogramalsoprovidesauniqueandchallengingopportunity to expose graduate interns toneurosciencebeyondtheirownfieldsofstudysothat they can study the selected topics in depthbeforeteachinganddiscovermethodsforsharingtheirexperienceandinterestinneurosciencewiththeschoolchildren. We conclude that this ‘Brain ApprenticeProject’ is a suitable model of community-engagement for increasing the awareness andprofileofneurosciencebothintermsofknowledgeexposure and from the perspective of careeroptionsinthefield.

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge The Knowledge TransferProgramwithgrantnumber203/PPSP/6750019formakingthefirstphaseoftheprojectasuccess.

Conflict of Interest

None.

Funds

Knowledge Transfer Program (KTP) GrantScheme203/PPSP/6750019.

Correspondence

ProfessorDrJafriMalinAbdullahMD,PhD,FRCS(Ed),FACS,DSCN(Belgium)EditorMalaysianJournalofMedicalSciencesUniversitiSainsMalaysiaHealthCampus16150KubangKerianKelantan,MalaysiaTel:+609-7676300Fax:+609-7653370Email:brainsciences@gmail.com

References

1. FredembachB,deBoisferonAH,GentazE.LearningofArbitraryAssociationbetweenVisualandAuditoryNovelStimuli inAdult:The“BondEffect”ofHapticExploration. PloS One. 2009;4(3):e4844.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004844.

2. Kilham L. Thinking Out of the Box: The ProjectedMind [Internet]. [Place of publication unknown]:American Management Association; 2013 [cited2013 Jul 7]. Available from: http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Thinking-Out-of-the-Box-The-Projected-Mind.aspx2013.

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3. Henry GT, Gordon CS. Can Competition ImproveEducational Outcomes? [Internet]. [Place ofpublication unknown]: National Institute for EarlyEducation Research; 2003 [cited 2013 Jul 5].Available from: https://www.dana.org/news/brainhealth/detail.aspx?id=10050.

4. Burguillo JC. Using game theory and Competition-basedLearning to stimulate studentmotivationandperformance.Comp Educ.2010;55:566-575.doi:10.1013/j.compedu.2010.02.018.