Get curious at January's Deep Talks

Pick a scientific phenomenon. It could be a double rainbow, a surging geyser at Yellowstone National Park or even the way sugar disappears into your coffee cup each morning. Choose something familiar — something you have seen for yourself.

Are you thinking of one? Good. Now, explain exactly how it works.

Although we are familiar with some scientific phenomena, when we are forced to explain them in our own words, we encounter gaps in our knowledge. According to Deb Wolf, director of Education and Outreach (E&O) at Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab), that’s exactly how learning should work.

“Traditionally in classrooms, we begin by telling students how things work,” Wolf said. “A more powerful approach is to recognize what we don’t know, acknowledge gaps in our understanding and leverage those gaps to engage student curiosity.”

This is how the E&O team approaches learning when they host field trips, build curriculum units for teachers, give presentations in schools and host professional development for educators.

It’s also the format they will use during their upcoming Deep Talks presentation.

“We want to pull back the curtain on our approach to student learning. We want to demonstrate how we design classroom experiences,” Wolf explained. “It’s a powerful methodology that is now being used by educators across the state of South Dakota.”

Want to learn more about learning itself? Want to challenge what you think you know about scientific phenomena? Join us on Thursday, Jan. 9, from 5- 7:00 p.m. as the E&O team presents “Deep Talks: More than meets the eye” at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center.

Deep Talks is held at the Visitor Center, 160 W. Main Street, in Lead. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a social hour that includes free beer (must be 21 and older to drink) and light snacks. Deep Talks is sponsored by Crow Peak Brewing Company of Spearfish, S.D.