What do we care what happened in the 50�s? Why does it even matter? Who wants to learn about it anyway? That was the way I used to be, before I stepped out of the crowd and joined the COGNETICS program by the National Talent Network branch of EIRC last year.
COGNETICS is a program that enables students to step out side of the box and learn about certain topics. Last year, I participated in this program and the topic that I chose was 50’s music, particularly a show called American Bandstand. Have any of you heard of it? I know I didn’t until I did my share of research on the show. American Bandstand was like the American Idol of the 50’s. It had a combination of music, dance and was a main source of entertainment for teens.
The challenge in the COGNETICS program is that you do your research and in the end you make a skit based on the topic you chose from the list of topic they give you. For my topic, I had to recreate the American Bandstand show. That meant not only dancing to 50’s music, but also recreating the whole feel of the show. I thought it would just be like a school report, doing my basic research and presenting. This was something entirely different.
COGNETICS goes beyond a research paper. COGNETICS lets you live the history and it allows you to create that same feel for others too. As I immersed myself into the 50’s I learned not just about 50’s music, I had to learn about the whole environment of the 50’s. Without learning about the environment, how was I to make a skit about it, and elucidate to others what American Bandstand was like? I did months and months of research as did the rest of the group members. Then we had to combine it into remaking the skit.
However, that wasn’t all. The COGNETICS program is a creative problem-solving program and that means that there are more than ample amounts of criteria that must be met for the skit. We scored well and I learned more than I ever thought was possible from just a skit.
COGNETICS was a life changing experience that really changed the way I think of history. Why does that matter? Who cares what some kid did in a project? It matters, with all the major money deficits and the major cut downs, programs like these will reduce.
That means that student like me that realized their life long fervor for subject like history may not get their moment. They may not realize that they loved history so much; I know I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for COGNETICS.
