Bioethics: brain data and consent
Debate whether brain-scan data should be used to predict behavior, then post a CER.
One-paragraph CER taking a position on whether brain-scan data should be used by courts or schools to predict future behavior.
- 1Do thisDebate whether brain-scan data should be used to predict behavior, then post a CER.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisCER: One-paragraph CER taking a position on whether brain-scan data should be used by courts or schools to predict future behavior.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human Body Systems) › Unit 2.1 Getting Nervous: Nervous system structure, brain anatomy, neurons, signaling, sheep brain or virtual alternative. › CEROpen Schoology
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: Neuroimaging can reveal brain structure and activity, but using that data to predict behavior crosses ethical lines around consent, determinism, and civil liberties.
- 0-5Intro: what neuroimaging can and cannot tell us
- 5-20Independent reading and benefit/danger list
- 20-40John Carroll bioethics debate
- 40-55Draft claim and strongest evidence
- 55-75Write and post CER
- 75-80Class share: strongest civil-liberty vs public-safety arguments
- • This week we study the nervous system: neurons, synapses, brain regions, and the organization of the central and peripheral systems.
- • Before we go inside the brain, here is the question the technology raises. If a brain scan could tell a judge that someone is likely to reoffend, should that be used as evidence?
- • This is not science fiction. Courts have admitted neuroimaging data in sentencing. Today you decide whether that is ethical.
- • Your CER must engage with both the science and the ethics. A weak science claim or a vague ethical argument will cost you points.
- 1Read the prompt: should courts or schools use brain scans to predict how a person will act?
- 2List two possible benefits and two dangers of predicting behavior from brain data.
- 3Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning.
- 4Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and note the strongest counterpoint.
- 5Post a CER response on consent and brain data.
- • You can take a position on predictive use of brain data.
- • You can weigh a benefit against a civil-liberty risk.
- • Neuroimaging modalities include MRI (structure), fMRI (blood flow as a proxy for activity), and EEG (electrical activity). None can reliably predict specific future behavior.
- • Using brain data without informed consent violates the same principles as using any other medical data without patient permission.
- • The tension between social utility (public safety benefit) and individual autonomy (right to privacy of thought) is a core bioethical conflict in neuroscience.
Your PLTW work today
Unit 2.1 Getting Nervous: Nervous system structure, brain anatomy, neurons, signaling, sheep brain or virtual alternative. · Bioethics: brain data and consent
Day 1 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Lesson 2.1 Getting Nervous in myPLTW and complete the introductory task; use a fact about brain-scan technology in your brain-data-and-consent CER.
Mark the introductory task complete after posting your CER.
You finished Lesson 1.3 rehab content; this begins Lesson 2.1, and the introductory task should be checked off today.
myPLTW completion status plus CER screenshot.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 2.1 Getting Nervous: Nervous system structure, brain anatomy, neurons, signaling, sheep brain or virtual alternative. · Bioethics: brain data and consent
Open Lesson 2.1 Getting Nervous in myPLTW and complete the introductory task; use a fact about brain-scan technology in your brain-data-and-consent CER.
You finished Lesson 1.3 rehab content; this begins Lesson 2.1, and the introductory task should be checked off today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Debate whether brain-scan data should be used to predict behavior, then post a CER.
- Read the prompt: should courts or schools use brain scans to predict how a person will act?
- List two possible benefits and two dangers of predicting behavior from brain data.
- Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning.
- Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and note the strongest counterpoint.
- Post a CER response on consent and brain data.
CER: One-paragraph CER taking a position on whether brain-scan data should be used by courts or schools to predict future behavior.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the prompt: should courts or schools use brain scans to predict how a person will act? | _______ |
| List two possible benefits and two dangers of predicting behavior from brain data. | _______ |
| Choose a side and write a one-sentence claim with your reasoning. | _______ |
| Debate in your John Carroll bioethics group and note the strongest counterpoint. | _______ |
| Post a CER response on consent and brain data. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You can take a position on predictive use of brain data.
- You can weigh a benefit against a civil-liberty risk.
Resources & readings
Vetted readings and references for this unit. Use them to prepare, to catch up if you were absent, or to go deeper on today's target.
Lab & supplies
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
Read the linked overview on the brain, then post a written CER on whether brain-scan data should predict behavior, citing one fact from the resource.
MedlinePlus: Brain diseasesThen submit your CER on Schoology.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Khan Academy: Nervous System- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Tue, Oct 6, 2026 · Bioethics: brain data and consent here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
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