Professor helps lead the charge in civic science

University of Iowa psychology professor John Spencer has been studying cognitive neuroscience and development in children for more than a decade.

But it wasn’t until a he struck up a conversation with another parent a couple years ago that he began to understand what the real-life experiences and expertise of others could bring to his research.

“So often, we as scientists try to isolate our work against what is happening around us,” Spencer said. “But what I’ve realized is that the stuff we’ve discovered is directly relevant to the things happening in this parent’s life.”

The interaction led Spencer to consider a new way of approaching his studies, civic science, that encourages community member involvement throughout the research process.

Spencer also serves as director of the Delta Center at UI, a multi-disciplinary research organization focused on development and learning from theory to application.

In his current research on early childhood development and school readiness, Spencer plans to include more parents, teachers, school superintendents and other community members who have first-hand experience working with young kids.

“When we’re looking at how changes and thinking in the brain apply to school readiness, the knowledge and wisdom in the community can come to bear on the issue,” Spencer said. “So we want to ask community members, ‘What barriers do you see?’”

The idea of civic science is catching on locally at UI and nationally through the American Commonwealth Partnership.

Last week, Spencer participated in a daylong kickoff event for the ACP hosted by the White House in Washington, D.C.

Locally, Spencer and the Delta Center will partner with the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at UI to host a seminar and workshops this summer to bring together early childhood educators.

“What’s exciting about John’s approach is that it’s designed in collaboration with early childhood educators who know what the issues and challenges are for children in school,” said Teresa Mangum, director of the Obermann Center. “We’re so thrilled to be working with him because he is a smart, receptive, open-minded researcher and wonderfully inspiring person to work with.”

Another goal of the ACP is to engage people in civic life and promote higher education as a force for public good.

“We have a long tradition in this country of becoming an effective citizenship,” Spencer said. “But becoming an effective citizen takes skills. There’s a role in higher education for teaching those skills and providing a civic education where people learn how to sit down, talk to each other and work through differences of opinion.”

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