Brain Research Culture

Details:

Everyone agrees that what we do in schools should be based on what we know about how the brain learns. Until recently, however, we have had few clues to unlock the secrets of the brain. Now, research from the neurosciences has greatly improved our understanding of the learning process, and we have a much more solid foundation on which to base educational decisions.

In this course we will clarify how we can effectively match teaching practice with brain functioning. We will examine brain development from birth through adolescence and identify the impact of exercise, sleep, nutrition, and technology on the brain.

This course begins with brain anatomy and physiology, bringing the biology of the brain into context with teaching and learning. You will learn how the brain encodes, manipulates, and stores information, and implications that recent research has for practice—why meaning is essential for attention, how emotion can enhance or impede learning, and how different types of rehearsal are necessary for different types of learning.

This course will examine practical classroom applications and brain-compatible teaching strategies that take advantage of simulations, projects, problem-based learning, graphic organizers, music, active engagement, and mnemonics. These strategies are accompanied by actual classroom scenarios—spanning the content areas and grade levels from lower elementary to high school—that help teachers connect theory with practice.

Objectives:

1. Understand the Anatomy of the Brain
2. Connect Brain Function to Teaching Strategies

Syllabus:

1. Anatomy of the Brain 
2. Neurons and Subcortical Structures
3. The Cortex
4. How Neurons Communicate
5. Getting Information into the Brain
6. The Conscious Processing of Information
7. Making Curriculum Meaningful Through Problems Projects and Simulations
8. Using the Visual and Auditory Senses to Enhance Learning
9. A Toolkit of Brain Compatible Strategies

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.