For Parents & Teachers
The Buzz is a project-based, mixed media, online learning platform, created to enliven the inherent drabness of video conference learning. Formatted with aspects of entertainment television, kids who sign up become part of our cast. Each eight-episode season of The Buzz focuses on subject matter our audience is already learning in school- our intent is to keep minds sharp and active during a time when opportunities for learning have been sharply curtailed. Geared to Next Generation Science Standards for middle school and early high school, we blend the familiarity of a physical classroom with the animation, spontaneity and production value of Saturday morning cartoons.
Who We Are
A core component of every episode of The Buzz is a recognition of current events in science that shape our lives, and remote, hands-on, frugal science projects that bolster kids’ resourcefulness and independence. Descriptions of these projects are available from www.thebuzzscience.com, repeatable at home and scalable based on availability of resources. Some of our activities are challenging; we help boost confidence by reminding our cast that, just like success, failure is also a key part of learning and also yields valuable information.
HEY KIDS, TRY THIS AT HOME!
At The Buzz, we recognize that there are LOTS of people looking for something to do this summer. Therefore, we put tremendous effort into what we call ‘Layered Learning’, our process for stacking information streams of varied sophistication into every show. This allows for a broad range of ages to benefit from joining our cast. As teaching is perhaps the ultimate form of learning, older kids take on more responsibility, and co-instruct their youngest peers. This gives us unprecedented opportunity to explore STEM fields, against a backdrop of everyday life and normal human problems that make science real.
Layered Learning
Though we’re proud of our innovations, The Buzz also relies on proven teaching methods. Our projects draw inspiration the 5E Instructional Model and frequently adapt components of the Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures, that emphasize how the success of one group member can be beneficial to an entire team.
SHAKING THINGS UP...CAREFULLY
