Developing an empowering school curriculum: A renewed focus on action research

Wright, Pete

doi:10.14324/lre.18.3.01

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, in the debate over how neuroscience should influence education, teachers often take a secondary role. While teachers’ desires to learn neuroscience have been documented and acknowledged ( Pickering and Howard-Jones, 2007 ; Hook and Farah, 2013 ), teachers participate as subjects in the research endeavors or do small scale action-research on their own ( Churches et al, 2020 ; Wright, 2020 ) but are rarely granted agency in conducting research ( Juuti et al, 2021 ) or in determining how neuroscience could, should, or does influence education ( Dubinsky et al, 2013 ; Tan and Amiel, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Teachers learn from the trial and error process of their own teaching year after year. Evaluating such personal experiences and classroom data within professional learning communities can produce insights supporting evidence-based decision making, a process termed action-research ( Little, 2007 ; Wright, 2020 ). These endeavors emphasize teacher agency in applying their broad background knowledge of students, best practices, and current policies to instructional practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neuroscience Concepts Changed Teachers’ Views of Pedagogy and Students

et al. 2021

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Advances in neuroscience reveal how individual brains change as learning occurs. Translating this neuroscience into practice has largely been unidirectional, from researchers to teachers. However, how teachers view and incorporate neuroscience ideas in their classroom practices remains relatively unexplored. Previously fourteen non-science teachers participated in a 3-week three credit graduate course focusing on foundational ideas in neuroscience. The current work was undertaken to gain insight into if and how individual teachers choose to later apply the proposed set of educational neuroscience concepts (ENCs) in their classrooms. This qualitative follow-up study examined commonalities in how teachers of diverse ages and subjects utilized their new neuroscience understandings. To this end, a year after the course, all participants assessed their perceived usefulness of the ENCs in a survey. Six of those teachers permitted classroom observations and participated in interviews that focused on how the ENCs may have influenced their lesson planning and teaching. The survey revealed that irrespective of subject areas or grade levels taught, teachers found the ENCs useful as organizing principles for their pedagogy now and in the future. Overall teachers estimated that the ENCs’ influence on lesson design had increased from 51% prior to the course to an estimated 90% for future lessons. A cross-case analysis of classroom observations and interviews revealed how teachers used ENCs to inform their pedagogical decisions, organize actions in their classroom, influence their understanding of students, and respond to individual contexts. Teachers recognized the importance of student agency for engaging them in the learning process. The ENCs also offered teachers explanations that affirmed known practices or helped justify exploring untried techniques. The foundational neuroscience concepts offered a small group of teachers a lens to reconsider, re-envision and re-design their lessons. Some teachers applied these ideas more broadly or frequently than others. This case study provided insights into how teachers can directly apply neuroscience knowledge to their practice and views of students.

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