Weird Science: Let Me Cook!
In this one-time class, students will learn about the human evolutionary path as influenced by a remarkable innovation - cooking!
John PhD
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(263)
Popular
Rising Star
What's included
1 live meeting
25 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Science can be beautiful, miraculous, and sometimes downright weird! Do you know why we cook food? I’m not sure about you, but a cooked hamburger sounds far more appealing to me than raw meat… There is more to cooking, however, than just the appeal of non-raw-stuff. Many studies claim that cooking may have been one of humans most important adaptations throughout our development. Cooking may have provided the opportunity for larger brains, more innovative tool use and design, perhaps even our development of language! Come discuss the concept of cooking from a scientific perspective and what it meant for our evolution! If you enjoy science, nature, math, or just understanding more about the world around you, come enjoy our time together learning about some Weird Science! *The Weird Science series consists one-time classes that focus on unique, strange, or rarely discussed aspects of science. Classes may lean toward biology, chemistry, physics, math, geology, astronomy, psychology, or any other scientific discipline. Learners are not required to have attended any previous Weird Science classes, as each lesson is standalone, though feel free to check out the rest of the series if you are interested in the strange!
Learning Goals
Young scientists will learn about what cooking may have done to change our evolutionary path, and how it has helped us live the lives we do today!
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
This class is based on a hypothesis put forth by Dr. Richard Wrangham, a Harvard professor of Biological Anthropology. The class also uses analyses of this research conducted by other evolutionary biologists.
Select References:
Wrangham (2010). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Profile Books/Basic Books.
Wrangham et al (1999). The Raw and the Stolen. Current Anthropology.
Driver (2010). What Made Us Human. Lambda Alpha Journal.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Science from Saint Mary's University
Hello, Outschoolers!
My name is John and I have been a scientist and educator for over 15 years. I hold a Bachelor of Science (Honors in Biology), Master of Applied Sciences, and a Ph.D. in biology. Over my BSc, MSc and PhD I have designed and delivered courses for students aged 3 to 63 for class sizes ranging from one-on-one lessons to classrooms of over 300 students.
I have professionally taught subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, and Math, as well as more focused lessons such as courses in Public Speaking, Time Management, and Conversation Skills. I have worked as a scientific mentor and instructor to students in elementary school all the way to university. I hold certificates for 150-hour Teaching English as a Foreign Language and 250-hour Intensive Teaching certificates, and have participated in seminars for Grading and Giving Feedback to students. I have given scientific conference presentations to audiences of more than 700 people, and have published a number of peer-reviewed scientific articles. I also have experience coaching a variety of sports including hockey, basketball, and volleyball. I have been teaching courses online for 5 years to more than 1200 students.
I am a lifelong student and love to learn new things each day. My teaching philosophy revolves around this idea, that every student has a lot of their own to offer and I always try to relate any topic to a student's interest. You may find classes of mine that take popular culture and relate these hobbies and interests with academic concepts to help students relate to the material. My classes are often heavy in discussion (though no student is forced to speak if they do not want to) and we expand on the material in each lesson based on what students are most interested in. This often results in courses that interest me in particular and that I think can offer students a lot of value and critical thinking skills. I teach high-level academic courses, as well as conversation-based community development to foster interest in sharing things students enjoy.
Private, personalized tutoring is also available. Send me a message if interested.
I hope to see you all in class soon!
JohnReviews
Live One-Time Class
$21
per classMeets once
25 min
Completed by 9 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
2-10 learners per class
