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The Leadership Team should select the core content each year
for the Learning Teams to study. It is recommended that the
focus of the first year be on How the Brain Learns
(Sousa, 2001). Each team member usually takes one chapter
to read, present, and discuss with the team. It is this team
discussion that oftentimes gives impetus to application in
the classroom.
Three key ideas about Brain-based teaching and learning:
- Brain-based teaching and learning is a powerful paradigm
changer. Traditionally, our culture, our films, and our
history have popularized the teacher hero who individually
creates the classroom miracles that shape students’
lives and single-handedly dedicates him or herself to a
unique teaching style and regimen. As a result, efforts
to improve teaching and learning schoolwide often are rebutted
with an array of statements such as, “that is not
my teaching style”, “this is the way I always
have done it”, “I choose to teach—it is
their choice if they want to learn or not”, “I
have seen this type of thing before, wait around long enough
and it too shall pass”, etc. The focus of all of these
statements is “ME, the teacher, and how I do things”.
The power of brain-based teaching and learning is that it
directs the teacher to discover that teaching is not all
about personal preferences; it is about how the brain
learns—what works for the student. Once this
new paradigm takes hold, collegiality takes on increased
value, which in turn, propels the pursuit of knowledge about
teaching and learning.
- Emerging research from the field of neuroscience and cognition
is revealing new information every year. Some would argue
that it is not the teacher’s place or expertise to
interpret and transfer an emerging field like brain research
into teaching practice. Educational practitioners such as
David Sousa and Pat Wolfe, who study the research coming
out of this field, argue that educators in fact must participate
in discussing and learning about the brain and how this
new research can improve both teaching and learning
- In addition to the excitement and meaning cognitive science
and brain-based research creates for teachers in their own
learning, it also translates into immediate positive changes
in classroom environments, teacher-student interactions,
teacher-parent interactions, and approaches to assessment.
In short, it serves as an energizer and catalyst for teacher
excitement about professional learning, data collection,
and improving student achievement.
Next: 4.
Prioritize Action Research as Core Content
of Professional Learning
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