Beau Lotto + Amy O'Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included

TL;DR

In this TED Talk, Beau Lotto discusses the importance of perception and how play and asking questions can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in science.

Transcript

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast Beau Lotto: So, this game is very simple. All you have to do is read what you see. Right? So, I'm going to count to you, so we don't all do it together. Okay, one, two, three.Audience: Can you read this? BL: Amazing. What about this one? One, two, three.Audience: You are not reading this. BL: All right.... Read More

Key Insights

• 👁️ Perception is grounded in our experience, and our brain takes meaningless information and makes meaning out of it based on past experiences.
• 🎭 Uncertainty, which is created by asking questions, is seen as a bad thing, yet it is necessary for innovation and new discoveries.
• 🔬 Science is a way of being and experimenting is a form of play, which allows for adaptability, possibility, social bonding, and intrinsic motivation.
• 🐝 Children can make significant contributions to science and can come up with questions that are significant to expert scientists.
• 📝 The process of science involves asking questions, designing experiments, making observations, and sharing findings.
• 👥 The Blackawton Bees Project, led by children, became the basis for the youngest published scientists in the world and received widespread recognition and acclaim.
• 🌍 Science offers the possibility of seeing the world in a new way, and true science education should give people a voice and enable them to express that voice.
• 💡 Anyone has the potential to discover something new and changing the way we think about science can be easy with the right opportunities and mindset.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is it difficult to read the words in the video?

It is difficult to read the words in the video because they are intentionally designed to be unreadable. The video demonstrates that perception is grounded in our experience, so when we see words that are jumbled or missing letters, our brain tries to make sense of it based on our past experiences.

Q: What is the problem with asking questions?

Asking questions creates uncertainty, which can be unsettling for us. Uncertainty is evolutionarily seen as a bad thing because it can be dangerous. However, the irony is that in order to do something new, we have to step into that space of uncertainty and ask questions that challenge our existing beliefs.

Q: What does the video suggest is evolution's answer to uncertainty?

According to the video, evolution's answer to uncertainty is play. Play is not just a process, but a way of being that celebrates uncertainty. Play is adaptable to change, opens up possibilities, fosters social bonding, and is intrinsically motivated. It provides a framework for addressing difficult questions and finding new perspectives.

Q: What did the Blackawton Bees Project aim to achieve?

The Blackawton Bees Project aimed to challenge the notion that young children couldn't make a useful contribution to science. The project involved a group of 8- to 10-year-old children designing and conducting an experiment to test if bees could adapt to new situations using previously learned rules and conditions. The project sought to empower the children and change their perception of themselves through the process of science.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Perception is grounded in our past experiences and shapes how we interpret the world around us

• Uncertainty is necessary for new discoveries, and play helps us embrace uncertainty and think creatively

• Anyone has the potential to make significant contributions to science and discover something new