Brain Education Conference: Transforming Education Based on Brain Science

The first two keynote speakers of the Brain Education Conference this morning engaged their audience with the science and history of how people learn. They used interesting demonstrations and facts to illustrate how we learn best. Kenneth Wesson, Ph.D., a speaker on the neuroscience of learning, made a compelling argument of how the current system of education does not support optimal and holistic learning. For example, he said that our brains do not automatically record every detail of what our eyes and ears take in. In fact, they pick out information that seems relevant based on the current situation and past experiences. He also explained how different parts of the brain work together to form a memory and therefore why different methods of learning would better tap into that process. For example, more neural networks are created by having physical involvement, emotional engagement, time allowed for internal dialogue, interactive discourse, and a non-threatening environment open to idea exchange, than from lectures and textbooks. He advocated cooperative, experiential, "hands-on" learning. As one support for his views, he told the audience that most of the neurons in the sensory and motor cortexes of the brain are devoted to the hands. He also advocated movement as important for learning. One reason was because it signals the liver to produce more glucose, the brain's only source of fuel. The major emphasis for learning was having the supportive interpersonal interactions we need not just for remembering information, but for developing our greatest potential.

Warrington Parker, Jr., Ph.D. addressed the history of education and how it was a reflection of a society's needs and focus during a period of time. In earlier times, children learned a lot from their parents and went to school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now in a society that has become more global and connected, but that has lost its sense of purpose, this kind of purely cognitive learning is not enough. This is especially true when less support or opportunities for non-cognitive development comes from home. Children spend most of their time in schools. Also, because of many factors in their home life, they may not receive everything they need to develop optimally from home. So schools need a different approach. Dr. Parker talked about how Brain Education has been giving schools a tool to empower children to make their own choices, to solve problems, to manage their emotions, to be more connected to their bodies, and to cooperate with each other.