During the past decade the cognitive and neurological sciences have produced a vast frontier of knowledge on how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information. Educators have increasingly recognized a role as consumers of this emerging knowledge. Participants in the course will review this research, examining how it intersects with the correlates of a model of research-based effective teaching including the teaching of the arts across content areas. Topics of study will include the brain’s memory systems, the impact of emotions on learning, the processes involved in higher order thinking and learning, and issues related to child development. Participants will apply course studies to the creation of learning units that emphasize application of knowledge and the integration of the arts.

This introductory course surveys theoretical and empirical work in the study of cognitive development. A variety of methodological approaches are addressed, with a focus on cognitive processes related to learning. The course proceeds from behaviorist, cognitivist, and sociocultural perspectives of the early and mid- 20th century to recent and ongoing research in the neuro- and cognitive sciences. Topics include the development of language, motivation, and intelligence, as well as the acquisition of skills and concepts related to mathematics, reading, writing, and problem-solving. Implications for education are considered.

This course is intended to prepare educators with information about how differences and disabilities in brain development impact the abilities of school aged children and adolescents to participate in instructional activities. Particular attention is given to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disabilities (SLD), attention deficit disorder and attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD and ADHD), and psychiatric disorders that are found in the constellation of disabling conditions identified as emotional disturbance (ED). The course will include case studies of students with each disabling condition, with a focus on how the disability affects learning, the current status of imaging technologies, and the current uses of medications for assisting students in school settings. Students taking this course will review research and link information from lecture to the creation of an instructional unit demonstrating knowledge of how a disabling condition can be accommodated in school.

This course is designed to offer students an opportunity to study, discuss and explore aspects of brain function that influences learning, remembering, and utilizing textual and numeric concepts. The inter-relationship of developmental factors, prior knowledge, instructional design and implementation, and assessment mandates will be investigated and discussed. Current research, differentiated strategies, technologies and the impact of disabilities will be included.

Emotion, Memory, and Attention- This capstone course addresses specific topics in brain research and encourages the participants to apply research to inform instructional practices.