WELCOME!
We'd like to welcome you to Neuroscience for Online Learning.
In this workshop, we'll explore the application of neuroscience in education. While there is some controversy, and many neuro-myths abound, we believe neuroscience has the potential to inform teacher practice and create better learning with more engagement and less stress.
Join us as we explore the fascinating new research that both confirms and informs what we do for learners in our classroom and online.
In this Neuroscience workshop you will:
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Be introduced to the simple yet powerful concept of "mindset"
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Explore the "Brain Rules" - 12 things scientists know about how the brain works
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Dig into 6 Brain-based Tips to Support Learning
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Share ideas (and a poster) on the application of brain-based research and strategies to online learning.
What is Neuroscience?
Neuroscience is a biological discipline that tries to understand how the brain controls behaviour, ranging from physiological and emotional responses to stress, hormone secretions, reflexes and other automatic behavioural responses (Clement & Reschke, 2008).
Cognitive neuroscience is a connection between the sciences of the brain and the sciences of the mind. This area of research measures the activity of a person’s brain, usually using brain imaging, while the participants perform cognitive tasks (Periera, 2007).
Cognitive Science is a field that studies cognition, the study of how the human mind processes information, by drawing on several disciplines such as cognitive psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience and cognitive anthropology (Von Eckardt, 1993).
Educational neuroscience is defined by some as “the combinations of cognitive neuroscience and behavioural methods to investigate the development of mental representations” (Szucs & Goswami, 2007, p.114). Looking at it another way, psychiatrist Bruce Perry defines education as "practical neuroscience."
The Story of the Brain (3:16)
Watch a brief and entertaining animated history of neuroscience by BBC2.
The science is based on what we know about how our brain works...
Keep in mind that if you don't know why you do what you do, it's less purposeful and less professional.
It is probably your collected, refined wisdom. Nothing wrong with that, but some "collected, refined wisdom" has led to some bad teaching, too.
Eric Jensen
Controversy and Neuromyths
There seems to be a wide rage of beliefs regarding the practical use of neuroscience in education. Some people believe that it has no place in education, while others believe that it will completely revolutionize it (Szucs & Goswami, 2007).
The field of education and neuroscience analyse the brain at very different levels. Neuroscience is very complicated so, in an attempt to make sense of it, educators tend to overgeneralize concepts creating misconceptions (Szucs & Goswami, 2007).
The implications of these misconceptions are problematic interpretations of the data called neuromyths. One common neuromyth is that we only use 10% of our brain. Somewhere along the way, the translation from the original neuroscience approach got lost (Christodoulou & Gaab, 2009).
Read More:
Neuro Myths: Separating Fact and Fiction in Brain-Based Learning
Take the quiz below to test your knowledge of neuromyths.
Watch this short video, Seven "Facts" About The Brain That Are Not True (1:51).
