|
Mind, Brain and Education
Significance. The intersection of biology and cognitive science with pedagogy is becoming a new focus in higher education and
public policy as well. Recent developments include a Mind, Brain and Education (MBE) Conference held at the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences in the Vatican in November 2003, new MBE programs forming at graduate schools and the creation of a new MBE journal and
society.
Neuroscience and genetics have provided fascinating glimpses into the brain's development and function. Recent technological advances
have enabled neuroscientists and geneticists to discover more about the brain than ever before. The remarkable progress in basic brain
research over the last ten years has created high hopes for applying this knowledge to education. Advances in our emerging knowledge
of the brain hold promise for improving the education of children. The challenge is fostering the collaboration of biologists,
cognitive scientists and educational researchers in order to meet the newly increased demand for thoughtful application of scientific
findings to educational practice.
In the current Age of Biology, society is looking to neuroscience, genetics and cognitive science to
inform and improve education. Scientists and scholars need to take responsibility for building strong connections of mind, brain and
education to provide usable research-based knowledge for education. To create better research and practice, we must build a reciprocal
relationship between educational practice and research on learning and development, analogous to the relationship between biology and
medicine. In this relationship, research informs practice, and concurrently practice informs research.
Insights from this initiative will aid policymakers and practitioners as they seek to apply findings from cognitive neuroscience to
classroom practice in a concrete and ethical way.
|
|
| |
|
Research Questions |
|
|
How can basic research relating biology and cognitive science to learning and emotional development contribute to teaching practice?
How can educational practice and assessment inform research agendas and test applicability of scientific findings?
What is the potential role that basic sciences can play in this domain of education?
How can current findings benefit educational practice?
What are the areas of educational achievement that cognitive and brain sciences cannot help with?
|
|
