This course is designed for all teachers in grades K to 12 who are interested in learning about the latest research on the human brain and brain based instructional strategies and meets the following professional development criteria, teaching skills and reading comprehension.
Participants will complete a written project, performance assessment and an action plan for implementation.
Participants will be assessed using a multiple choice pre and post assessment. Scores on the post assessment must be at least 80%. In addition a lesson plan or project with action plan is required.
Finally an implementation plan will be completed by participants indicating how new learning will be integrated into their assignments.
Participants will evaluate several lesson plans and classroom activities to determine their alignment to the latest brain research. The participant will judge each lesson or activity to be either in compliance or not in compliance with how the human brain processes information and cite the reasons for their rating. Lessons or activities that are judged to be not compatible will be rewritten to reflect the research that is presented during the class.
Participants in this course will examine the latest brain research and extrapolate implications for preparing and executing lesson plans. At the completion of the course the participants will be aware of the fact that the latest technology has produced an explosion of information about the workings of the human brain and the implications that the findings have for teaching and learning.
Participants will be required to evaluate current acceptable teaching strategies and classroom activities to determine their alignment to the research that is presented.
Participants will explore brain anatomy in order to understand how information is processed and stored in the brain. Learn how neurons communicate and what effect different neurotransmitters have on our brain. Learn what needs to take place for information to be stored in long term memory.
Examine practical classroom designs, curriculum strategies, and review the statistical findings in the book “What Works In Schools” by Robert Marzano.
