Exercising My Brain the Kaplan WayUSING THE KAPLAN MODEL OF DEPTH AND COMPLEXITY

These are icons. Icons are pictures used to stand for an idea.

These icons were created by Dr. Sandra Kaplan to think more deeply about topics.

When you make new connections, your brain actually grows new dendrites.

Dr. Kaplan believes you can learn a lot more about a topic using icons as a guide. Let’s take a topic everyone knows something about… Bicycles!

Preassessment

List three things you know about bicycles:

1.

2.

3.

While watching this short video about bicycles, think about the language of the discipline and details.

Language of the Discipline Details

A little history of bicycles…

Patterns

Trends

Over Time

A little history of bicycles…

Who do bikes matter to?

Multiple Perspectives

Unanswered Questions

What questions about bikes arestill unanswered?

Why would a city plan for transportation this way?

Ethics

What IS a bike?What makes a bike work?What rules apply to bikers?What is something that is

almost always true about bicycles?

Rules

What are the big idea about bicycles?

Big Idea

How would we study bicycles in science, social studies, math, music, art, health, and language arts?

Across Disciplines

Dr. Kaplan recently created some new icons. All her icons she calls “thinking prompts.”

What motivates people to ride bikes?What is the impact of biking?

Motive Impact

What processes are involved in bicycling? What is the proof?

Process

Proof

“Bikes do have negativeenvironmental impacts, particularly those associated with their production and disposal.Making frames and other components burns energy, typically non-renewable fossil fuels and produces both greenhouse gas, emissions and toxins. While some bike components can be recycled, others end up in landfills.”

-NationalGeographic.com

What does this mean?Do where and when matter?

“Given a typical vehicle’s carbon emissions you would have to ride your bike instead of driving for around 400 miles to cover the bikes initial carbon footprint.”

-Green Lantern Magazine

TranslateContext

Why hasn’t this bike seat caught on?

Original

Judgment

Post Assessment

How many new ideas about bicycles can you share in one minute?