I read Promoting Brain-Science Literature in the K-12 Classroom. It is a natural fit to consider incorporating brain or neuroscience into K-12 education. I related it to the research-based teaching technique of developing and sharing learning strategies. For example, if a student is given the rubric, or is involved in the creation of the rubric and personal learning objectives then, not only is the content of the assignment clear but the expectations of how to complete it are clear as well. Learning should not be a mystery and how a student is going to be assessed should be known to the student at the onset of a task. Then, the assessment provides focus for the assignment completion, driving the quality of the task toward the overall goal. In this way, students learn to know how to know or they learn metacognition skills. I think this relates to integrating neuroscience into the classroom. Understanding neuroscience provides an enhanced understanding of ways we learn and why we do the things we do. It enhances a student’s opportunity for further self-assessment, increasing metacognition.
The article also details the benefits of understanding the brain better including that it can, “improve study skills, promote improvements in neurological health, and encourage brain-based teaching strategies while at the same time boosting general science literacy.” However, there are challenges to this task, especially at the K-12 level. For example, it is difficult to relate educational standards to neuroscience specifically. In addition, the content may be intimidating to teachers because many did not have the subject incorporated into their own education. Last, teachers may not believe they have adequate resources for proper instruction of brain education.
I enjoyed reading about the creative ideas of how to incorporate neuroscience into the K-12 curriculum. Some ideas the article presented were integrating neuroscience in lessons about the five senses, recall or memory tasks, art, literature, science, and physical education. I keyed into applying neuroscience to memory tasks for students in the classroom and increasing my personal knowledge. The fact there is a strong connection between memory and the five senses corresponds with applying varied teaching strategies that engage students with different learning preferences. For example, presenting a learning assignment through a written task, a visual/audio experience, and a role-playing assignment helps to meet the individual learning needs of the students. Explicitly including for the students the purpose of presenting the assignment at these multi-sensory levels with how our brain functions integrates neuroscience into the classroom. Using the internet as part of the visual/audio experience of the learning task also incorporates technology into the lesson plan for instance.
I believe educating myself on neuroscience will improve my chances of being an effective teacher as well, especially with regard to memory. I can add learning techniques to my instruction by having a greater understanding of how the brain organizes information. The article explains, “Chunking aids in memory because our brains organize items into networks for more efficient storage and retrieval.” Therefore, teaching children to break large amounts of information into smaller chunks will increase their chance of accurate recall.
Neuroscience and education are so critically linked that it makes sense for educators to increase the opportunity for integrating the two. An exciting prospect of succeeding is exposing students K-12 to neuroscience in this way may produce future neuroscientists. I personally think advances in this field will allow the human race to evolve. I hope I teach the student that contributes to our evolution. I know it is a bit profound, but then, so is the brain!
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