For Young Learners
This page explores Present Your PhD’s presentations given to audiences in 4th grade or younger. If you are interested in presentations for other audiences, please explore our Collaborators Home Page and select the option that best fits your group.
We at PyPhD understand that working with younger learners requires some modifications to our normal presentations. If you are an educator of learners 4th grade or younger, we encourage you to explore this page and learn how we strive to reach the imaginations of our younger audience members.
If you are an educator of learners 5th grade and beyond, we encourage you to explore our other pages to learn more about the specialties and expertise of our current cohort of Presenters. You can reach those pages and learn more about how PyPhD establishes new partnerships with educators by exploring our Collaborator page.
In the video you’ll see an example of one of our members going through the “Research” portion of our “What is a Scientist?” presentation. You will also find download-able links to all our materials below. We believe in full transparency and in starting from the strongest position possible when we begin our collaborations. We want to help make this connection as effective as possible, which means working with you and securing your involvement from the start.
We emphasize engagement
Our Presentation
The “What is a Scientist” presentation has two main goals: (1) engage young learners with the process of science — specifically that they can do research right now. They don’t have to wait to get older and go to college. We feel that this empowers students to follow their curiosity and ask questions about the world around them. (2) We have heard time and time again “I like science, but I don’t want to be a doctor, so I shouldn’t study science.” There seems to be a pervasive myth that you have to go into medicine if you have an interest in science. We hope to debunk that by having students interact with scientists in a variety of fields with a variety of interests.
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Everyone can be a scientist
Our Activity
Science communicators and educators face mountainous challenges to debunk myths that have spread in the media and through social challenges. We have heard the heartbreaking beliefs that “I could never be a scientist; I’m not smart enough,” or – even worse- “Science/math/etc. isn’t for girls.” We refuse to believe these archetypes and actively work to overcome these mindsets, and we do this by supporting a diverse group of presenters. We advocate for minorities in STEM and aim to give platforms to those who may not always have one.
Our “Draw a scientist” / “Draw yourself as a scientist” activity is not new. It’s been around since 1983 and it’s been covered in outlets ranging from The New York Times to The Atlantic to The Washington Post to academic journals. We use it because it works and because it aligns with our mission.
Transparency is key
Lesson Plan
Communicating science is a process of education and, as we’ve grown, we have learned some of the best and most innovative pedagogy being published. We provide our lesson plan to reflect our dedication to good teaching and to provide as much information as possible to our collaborators. We are here to work with you and we believe that starts with being an open book.
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