| Course Number: | EDU 5515 C22 |
| Instructor: | Dr. Ric Reardon |
| Location: | Online |
|
Dates and Times: |
August 4 - October 31, 2020 |
| Credits: | 3 graduate credits |
| Tuition: | $975 |
Note: Course payment or purchase order of $975, payable to Castleton University, is due at the time of registration. A purchase order number can be entered into the online registration form and the purchase order can be uploaded to the registration form. If paying by check, please mail the check to: Financial & Registration Services, Castleton University, 62 Alumni Drive, Castleton, VT 05753. To help us ensure that your payment is applied to the correct course, PLEASE WRITE “CFS” IN THE CHECK MEMO LINE. Thank you.
The aims of the course “Brain Research and Learning: Mind, Brain, and Education” are to provide an introduction into neuro-educational research and to learn to reflect critically on how neuroscientific research can be translated to the educational practice.
MBE science combines perspectives from neuroscience, psychology and pedagogy that contribute to a better understanding of how our students learn, and consequently, how we should teach. MBE is a paradigm shift in our understanding of the teaching profession. Brain Research and Learning: Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) Science is designed for PK-12 teachers seeking to explore how research from the learning sciences has the potential to inform the field of education. The course will promote integration of diverse disciplines that investigate human learning and development. The course content builds upon basic and applied research from the fields of cognitive science, psychology and brain science, neurology, neuroscience, and education. It will provide educators with knowledge of cognitive development and how emerging research in the brain sciences can inform educational practices and policies. Advances in biology and neuroscience are showing us how a child's brain and cognitive development are shaped by his or her learning experiences and environment. Instead of debating nature versus nurture, we now know that "nature" is much more fluid and complex than we ever imagined. Learning, in turn, affects the brain and its capacities. In this course, you will learn how the latest findings in cognitive science bear on fundamental questions of education, such as how your students learn and what you can do to improve learning.
This course will combine four (4) 90-minute Zoom sessions over 4 afternoons with asynchronous work and aligned assignments to allow the participants to examine and “live” brain research. There will be videos to watch and reflect on, specifically on how the content shared in the videos can be readily applied to the work you are doing in your own classrooms. There will also be plenty of opportunities to apply the content that will be shared directly to your current role in your school or district. Finally, there will be an opportunity to complete an individualized action research project that will embellish the good work you are already doing in your classroom, school, or district.
Required texts are not included in the course tuition.
“Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from Neuroscience and the Classroom- 2nd Edition (Willis and Willis, 2020)
Dr. Ric Reardon
(802) 468-1234
Bethany Sprague
(802) 468-1325