Hi,
My name is Veldamarie and I'm a new member. I teach courses in educational leadership. I'm researching information on neuroscience, teaching learning and the brain. I'm seeking information on how this information can be connected to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
I am glad that you have joined us Veldamarie.
The issue you raise is an important one. There is much discussion in this field concerning training practitioners with new knowledge about the brain. A theoretical framework to logically connect knowledge of the brain with education has been discussed.
Here is an excerpt from a report OECD’s The Third Lifelong Learning Network Meeting that briefly discusses such a framework:
Participants began to link this educational conception of learning as a social endeavor with the neuroscientific conception of learning as molecular events in the brain. Traditional constructivist theories of learning assert that meaning is not passively transmitted to the learner, but actively constructed by the learner. The participatory theory of learning adds that it is constructed within the constraints of a particular sociocultural environment. Working from this framework of educational theory, learning is an active, socio-culturally-mediated process. From a neuroscientific perspective, learning occurs as a cascade of molecular events resulting in structural modification with significance for subsequent learning. Therefore, learning could be described as a series of socio-culturally-mediated adaptations of brain structure with functional consequence.
Within this theoretical framework, a potential curriculum could follow a trans-disciplinary sequence: molecular to cellular to brain systems to individual body systems to social systems.
I am happy to hear that you planning to incorporate knowledge of the brain into your curriculum. From your perspective, do your colleagues seem interested in teaching brain-related information? Do your students seem interested in learning it? Thanks for your input!
~Christina
veldamarie Wrote:Hi,
My name is Veldamarie and I'm a new member. I teach courses in educational leadership. I'm researching information on neuroscience, teaching learning and the brain. I'm seeking information on how this information can be connected to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
Veldamarie,
Welcome to the forum. I am interested in the courses that you teach in educational leadership. What is in these courses and what do you intend for the students to get from them? You asked for information on how neuroscience can be used to enhance the teaching and learning experience. Have you read or heard anything that prompted you to ask this question? Do your students have any introduction to or background in brain science?
The application of brain science to education requires a new paradigm of thinking. In the right situation it can be very effective, however, there are a lot of snake oil salesmen and hand waving experts in the field. I know that it can be effective in teaching situations as I have seen it work. If you email me I believe I can send you an excerpt from a coming book that would be interesting and relevant.
I would like to see you expand the discussion on this forum, however, if you feel that you would rather not say some things in a public forum you may email me. My address is in the members registry.
Best wishes on your research
Karl
July 1, 2005
Hi Veldamarie,
Welcome to the forum. Sounds as if you are interested in attaining more information about organization and leadership with emphasis on the brain. I would like to welcome you and suggust a great new nascent
International Mind, Brain and Education Society that may be of interest to you. Take a look at the societies officers and advisors along with the mission statement etc......A solid team of professionals representing many various learning disciplines is being formed.
http://www.imbes.org/
Best,
Rob
Segarama
By way of introduction may I please draw attention to my latest paper "Achieving Sustainable Development: The Integrative Improvement Institutes Project" which was presented at the Inaugural All China Economics International Conference in Hong Kong on 19 December 2006:-
http://www.jpb.com/creative/ACE_Douglas20070206.pdf
Among other things it outlines a mind science-based process for training in integrative thinking.
Graham