Education Innovation

Education researchers, neuroscientists, and authors spoke at Chicago Ideas Week about the future of education and alternatives to traditional teaching. Topics included replacing traditional classrooms with hands-on education, and helping underprivileged students prepare for college. Greg Gage in his presentation used live cockroaches, and chose two audience member volunteer to demonstrate the relation between hip hop music and brain functions. Former Marine Ramona Pierson, who survived a severe car accident, talked about the Declara technology platform she founded that uses algorithms to develop specific paths of learning. She said her company was inspired in part by the fact that many of the new body parts she received to help her recover from her accident were invented by school dropouts. close