Judy S. Harrington

Goodrich Program

Learning and the Brain Conference: Using Brain Research to Enhance Cognitive Abilities and Achievement

This Learning and the Brain conference was the 18th in a series of such conferences that create an opportunity for researchers, clinicians, and educators to explore new research findings and their potential for applicability in both classroom and clinical practice. All concurrent sessions were labeled “R” (primarily brain research findings), “RP”(brain research and practical strategies and interventions) and “P” (primarily brain-based strategies and interventions) as an aid for conference participants.

There were 8 keynote addresses in addition to the concurrent sessions. Standouts included Waber’s “The Developing brain: How poverty shapes cognition and school function” and Fischer’s “Connecting Cognitive Science to Education: Potential and Pitfalls in Inferring Executive Processes.” The best session, however, was a 3 ½ hr. preconference workshop presented by M. Immordino-Yang on “A Conceptual Introduction to the Brain” which combined abstract, often complex, material with concrete examples and provided opportunities for active learning and critical thinking. Suggestions were given to assist in evaluating brain research.

While active learning and promoting critical thinking were the UCAT themes most relevant to the conference, there were few presentations that dealt directly with those themes. One, “Cultivating the Critical and Creative Mind”did demonstrate a number of specific strategies to help engage the learner and provided continual reinforcement for the power of active learning.

Conference outcomes include utilizing actual content and implementing process. Recent brain research findings will provide content for my human development classes. Additionally, the process of critical evaluation of current brain research will be an integral part of my class. Brain-based learning risks being discussed in simplistic terms. Nevertheless, opportunities abound for both educators and students to understand the learning process better through critical evaluation of brain research studies.

Back