In school, there is always a set schedule, a set way to act, and, above all, there are always set rules. But a special program offered in Grover Middle School in the West Windsor- Plainsboro School District is PRISM.
In PRISM, kids learn to do things on their own, and they learn how to accomplish things without the constant crutch of an adult. COGNETICS gives kids an outlet for their own creativity- without their parents constantly breathing down their backs. This program helps to get kids self- motivated and self- directed. The “teacher-” and I put quotes around that because she is more like an advisor than an actual teacher- Dr. Ruddiman, advises us on what to do, but she doesn’t actually do any of our work for us. One of the activities that we participate in is COGNETICS. This activity is sponsored by the Educational Information & Resource Center National Talent Network which you can learn more about at their website www.eirc.org/ntn.
In the beginning of COGNETICS, you are presented with six problems, which have nothing to do with each other, but which are all equally difficult. You are required to pick one to solve in the form of a skit and, when it comes time, your group performs it at the Expo, in May, in front of judges to get scored. Based on a rubric, which you are supplied with when you start, you receive points based on how well you complete each criterion. These points are totaled up, and the total amount determines whether you get a red, blue, bronze, or silver award. Getting a silver or bronze award, allows you to participate in COGNETICS Gold Satori Award next year, if you wish. Of course, every individual and group wants to get a bronze or silver award once they hear that.
During the 2007-2008 school years, I participated in COGNETICS, working on the American Handstand problem. My team was required to create a skit that took place on the show American Bandstand that was hosted by Dick Clark, and to create a song with original lyrics that we would perform in our “airing” of the show.
In order to get the best possible score, the skit must have elaboration and detail. You have to be able to incorporate every part of the problem, but you also must go beyond what is expected and add your own creativity into it. This is where the research comes in. A COGNETICS skit is pointless without research. You must make the skit as realistic or as fanaticized as possible, depending on your problem. You must know what is important for solving the problem. In terms of my problem, I had to know what American Bandstand was, who Dick Clark was, what time period this took place in, what songs were popular and much more. You also must incorporate the five senses into the skit. But how do you that? That is where creativity comes in. For example in American Bandstand, how would you incorporate taste? My group thought of what food/drink was popular back then. We instantaneously thought of the classic coke bottles, which are made of glass. After researching it, we found that many people did enjoy those in their free time and so we used that as our taste requirement. The challenge is to put that into the skit. Well, in our problem, since our skit started out as two girls coming home from school, we just added in that they got two Cokes before they sat down to watch TV.
Even with the best elaboration, the basic requirements are equally important. One requirement is that you have to write a validation speech, which one team member has to present at the end of your skit. This speech tells the judges how you actually solved your problem. It tells them what challenges you ran into, how you decided things, and even how you came up with the name of the skit. This speech is very important because it pulls the performance together. Along with that, a script and a poster are required. The poster introduces your entire problem and your script is the basis of the performance. It’s important to have it written ahead of time, so that everyone can practice their lines and memorize them so the performance will be fluid.
Completing the problem was challenging and although it was difficult at times, my group was able to move on and create an inventive and original skit. We worked hard over the course of five months and when we were pressed for time we even worked outside of school at other peoples’ houses and afterschool. Although it was tough for us to basically rewrite a song we made our song catchy and fun. In the end, all the hard work paid off. We had a wonderful time performing at the Expo and we received a silver award.
The accomplishment I made last year was amazing for me. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, participating in COGNETICS made me a much more independent worker. I learned to work by myself and put in my effort for something I really wanted to do. Not only was COGNETICS a fun way to solve a problem, it was a process of learning a work ethic, and being an independent worker and learner. Every child should be able to have an experience like this and everyone should take the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson from it. There is nothing more amazing than to have accomplished something and to be able to say that you did it yourself.
COGNETICS is a wonderful program for all students who want to challenge themselves. Although it requires more work and dedication, and although it may seem pointless at them time, it pays off in the end, when you look back at what you have done.
