Learning and the Brain

Largely, information about how the brain is involved in learning absent from preparation of educators’ programs. Certainly, teachers and principals cannot (and need not) know everything about the brain. However, basic understanding of how the brain is involved in learning can inform their work and provide a foundation for very successful schooling. Without such knowledge even the noblest intentions, the finest standards, and the most reliable and valid assessments cannot succeed. The purpose of this course is to provide insight into some of the current research from cognitive science and neuroscience about how the brain learns and opportunities to consider how to use this information at school to improve students’ academic achievement and personal well-being. The greatest benefit of this course is that, instead of providing simple answers, “tricks,” or teacher-proof lesson plans, it treats participants as a professional capable of finding own answers to the specific teaching challenges in the particular circumstances. The course focuses on how learners learn and invites to consider how teachers teach. As a result, participants will become more skilled at inventing teaching strategies to improve students’ learning.