EDU 600 - Improvement of Instruction (3)

Educators are brain changers. Their main job is essentially to change the human brain every day through learning. Every lesson, assignment, and interaction shape our students’ brains. The more educators know about how the brain works and the natural cycle of learning, the more likely they are to be successful in changing it. The goal of educational neuroscience is to reflect on current brain research and its implications for the classroom and instructional practices. This course focuses on brain basics and the brain’s natural cycle of learning: how the brain perceives, processes, acts on and integrates learning in order to make it transferable in new situations. Educators examine the factors that influence students’ attention, motivation, and mindset along with the impact of emotions on learning. The basic principles of differentiation and how content, process, and product are differentiated across the three areas of readiness, interest, and learning profiles is explored and implemented across lessons in light of current brain research. Educators develop brain-friendly learning climates to support the diverse needs of students and develop lessons that flow through the natural cycle of learning, including rich engagements and motivational and instructional strategies aligned with how the brain learns.