{"310151":{"#nid":"310151","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hands-on theatrical experience takes students to the molecular level","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s not immediately obvious to many people how running, singing and passing erasers as directed by an audio recording \u2014 sort of a high-tech version of \u201cSimon Says\u201d \u2014 can help high school students learn scientific concepts such as molecule alignment and assembly. But Georgia Tech\u2019s Center for Chemical Evolution and Out of Hand Theater are showing how the arts can help students tackle complex scientific studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn June 27, high school students and teachers from the Georgia Intern Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) program gathered in the courtyard outside Georgia Tech\u2019s Instructional Center for a 20-minute hands-on exercise called \u201cGroup Intelligence.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMartha Grover, a faculty member in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, serves as a science advisor for \u201cGroup Intelligence,\u201d which was developed by Out of Hand Theater and is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur goal is to suggest analogies between groups of molecules and groups of people,\u201d Grover said. \u201cThe participants experience the assembly and draw their own conclusions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe and Ariel Fristoe, co-artistic director of Out of Hand Theater, observed as the group followed the instructions given by a woman\u2019s voice on the recording:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOrganize yourselves by eye color. Run in haphazard directions until you all start to run in the same pattern. Sing whatever song comes to mind and mingle until everyone is singing the same song (this group ended up with \u201cThe Wheels on the Bus\u201d). Form two lines and pass erasers down the lines without dropping them or moving your feet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBehind the activities are lessons about the importance of diversity, collaboration, leadership and competition in molecular formations and the development and functioning of living things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELindsay Whiteman, a chemistry and biology teacher at Sprayberry High School in Marietta and a GIFT recipient, was participating in a \u201cGroup Intelligence\u201d for the first time and gauging whether it would be an effective tool for her classrooms this fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe \u2018Group Intelligence\u2019 activity seemed like a great way for students to understand conceptually how molecules behave when they cannot see or fathom what is going on at the molecular level,\u201d Whiteman said. \u201cHigh school students struggle with abstract thought and spatial understanding, so this forces them to see how the molecules assemble and understand that they are working toward a common goal and that these natural forces create this act of group intelligence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe students really seemed to enjoy the activity itself and made many connections during our group discussion afterward about what each step represented. I will definitely be using this in my class.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about the activity or to order it for a classroom experience, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.outofhandtheater.com\/2014\/03\/25\/group-intelligence-educational-version\/%20\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eclick here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhoto captions:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E PHOTO 1:\u003C\/strong\u003E Participants in \u201cGroup Intelligence\u201d self-assemble into groups of three to form equilateral triangles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 2:\u003C\/strong\u003E Martha Grover (left), ChBE professor and part of the Center for Chemical Evolution, and Ariel Fristoe, co-artistic director at Out of Hand Theater, watch the \u201cGroup Intelligence\u201d activity under way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 3:\u003C\/strong\u003E Participants form a human DNA chain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 4:\u003C\/strong\u003E \u201cGroup Intelligence\u201d participants get into the competitive spirit of the eraser-passing activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPHOTO 5:\u003C\/strong\u003E Group members march and clap after converting cacophony into a unison rendition of \u201cThe Wheels on the Bus.\u201d \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Group Intelligence\u0022 uses activities such as running and singing to help students understand complex scientific concepts about molecular alignment and assembly.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0022Group Intelligence\u0022 uses activities such as running and singing to help students understand complex scientific concepts about molecular alignment and assembly."}],"uid":"28045","created_gmt":"2014-07-22 16:34:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:48","author":"Amy Schneider","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"310161":{"id":"310161","type":"image","title":"Group Intelligence photo 1","body":null,"created":"1449244726","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:46","changed":"1475895020","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:20","alt":"Group Intelligence photo 1","file":{"fid":"199836","name":"img_5556.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5556_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5556_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4666625,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_5556_0.jpg?itok=BUe80bPs"}},"310171":{"id":"310171","type":"image","title":"Group Intelligence photo 2","body":null,"created":"1449244726","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:46","changed":"1475895020","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:20","alt":"Group Intelligence photo 2","file":{"fid":"199837","name":"img_5575.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5575_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5575_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4215873,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_5575_0.jpg?itok=lHCMR2BE"}},"310191":{"id":"310191","type":"image","title":"Group Intelligence photo 3","body":null,"created":"1449244726","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:46","changed":"1475895020","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:20","alt":"Group Intelligence photo 3","file":{"fid":"199838","name":"img_5591.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5591_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5591_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4833859,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_5591_0.jpg?itok=H9FZHiEp"}},"310211":{"id":"310211","type":"image","title":"Group Intelligence photo 4","body":null,"created":"1449244726","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:46","changed":"1475895020","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:20","alt":"Group Intelligence photo 4","file":{"fid":"199840","name":"img_5603.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5603_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5603_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3629557,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_5603_0.jpg?itok=LblbVQWM"}},"310221":{"id":"310221","type":"image","title":"Group Intelligence photo 5","body":null,"created":"1449244726","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:46","changed":"1475895020","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:20","alt":"Group Intelligence photo 5","file":{"fid":"199841","name":"img_5616.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5616_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_5616_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4046082,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_5616_0.jpg?itok=cgWg0sGq"}}},"media_ids":["310161","310171","310191","310211","310221"],"groups":[{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAmy Schneider\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-2299\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:news@chbe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Enews@chbe.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}