Behavioral Economics, Human Behavior & Innovation (Session 1, Week 4)

Hello, parents, grandparents, and family members!

Welcome to the Week 4 Newsletter from the Journey Studio. This week, learners continued researching and reflecting on how the human mind works, with a particular focus on behavioral economics, behavioral experiments, and the factors that influence human decision-making.

Genre: Optimism, Pessimism & Behavioral Economics

This week in Genre, learners began exploring what it means to be optimistic or pessimistic. They considered how these perspectives might influence the way we understand economics and human behavior.

One of the questions they explored was:

Do you believe behavioral economics is more optimistic or pessimistic than traditional economics? Why?

On Friday, learners received critiques on the work they were most proud of from the week. They then used the feedback to revise and improve their work.

Quest: Exploring Behavioral Experiments

For Quest, learners selected three behavioral experiments that interested them and then chose the one they found most compelling. Each experiment was designed to reveal how the human brain can be influenced or “tricked” in different ways.

On Tuesday, learners researched the person who pioneered their chosen experiment. Once they completed their research, they wrote a 200-word biography about their researcher.

Throughout the rest of the week, learners continued researching different behavioral experiments and exploring what these experiments can teach us about human behavior and decision-making.

Civ: The Wheel of Fortune & Innovation

This week in Civ, learners researched James Burke’s Connections and the Wheel of Fortune, considering the different forces that can contribute to invention, innovation, and discovery.

One of the key questions they explored was:

What is most important for invention, innovation, and discovery?

• Scientific research?

• Experimental trial and error?

• Accidental discovery?

• Something else?

This discussion encouraged learners to think critically about where new ideas come from and whether innovation is primarily the result of careful research, experimentation, chance, or a combination of factors.

Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s Journey Studio Newsletter. We look forward to sharing more of the learners’ research, questions, and discoveries next week!

Ready to learn more? Apply to join our learner-driven community.

Located in Closter, NJ, Acton Academy Bergen County offers an immersive, studio-based learning experience.

Learn about our learner-driven approach and how we guide real-world growth through mastery-based education.