8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Sheraton Needham
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You will explore important issues related to integrating the latest research (including neuroscience and the science of learning) in your teaching practice for the classroom and to to improve school policy. We will focus on cultivating the skills and perspectives to evaluate which potential classroom strategies are based on appropriate evidence from those that are not, in addition to developing a more active and productive role for educators in the learning process. While evidence-based strategies are desirable in the classroom, often little attention is given to what evidence and what level of analysis is optimal for this endeavor to be successful or to the role of behavioral and classroom research to maximize learning impact. Even less attention is given to how to effectively integrate research findings in a real classroom context. You will explore the evidence supporting some popular theories, elevate promising principles and unpack some common misconceptions with a focus on developing useable knowledge for actual classroom practice.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At this seminar, you will learn information about:

• What role neuroscience and other fields can/should/shouldn't yet have in classroom teaching
• Cautions associated with the packaging of pedagogical strategies in the guise of "brain-based" and "evidence-based"
• Some important questions that need to be directly addressed before adopting a curriculum or strategy based upon "evidence"
• The importance of understanding how strategies interact, and perhaps compete, with other classroom activities
• The need to prioritize the integrity and fidelity of the proposed intervention to maximize positive impact
• The importance of attending to the full spectrum of possible outcomes when evaluating and implementing curricular innovations
• What generally accepted findings are good candidates for classroom use

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This seminar is designed to challenge and inform classroom teachers, educators, administrators, policy makers, teacher educators
and researchers on issues associated with developing strategies and curricula based upon scientific data.

WORKSHOP LEADER

David B. Daniel, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology at James Madison University. His research areas include cognitive-developmental psychology, pedagogy, and Mind, Brain and Education with a strong focus on teaching and learning in context. Dr. Daniel seeks to build translational foundations between science and practice across multiple levels-of-analysis. He is also the managing editor of the journal Mind, Brain, and Education, incoming President of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) and Former Chair of the Teaching Committee of the Society for Research in Child Development.