We Explain in Ed Week Why Brain Plasticity Should Be Taught More in the Classroom

Donna and I had the opportunity to stress the importance of teaching students about brain plasticity in responding to Education Week as a part of the popular Classroom Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo.

The question for this blog post was: "What is an instructional strategy and/or teaching concept that you think is under-used/under-appreciated in the classroom that you think should be practiced more widely?"

As we emphasized in our response, teaching students about how their brains change during learning can have a positively transformative impact in the classroom. This is something that is not traditionally taught in schools, but certainly deserves to be. When kids realize they can become smarter through study and practice, it often helps improve their dedication to the learning process.

In our response, we identified several ways that teachers can inspire students with basic knowledge about their brains and how they learn. Among the strategies we suggested in the article:

• Teach students about the basic structural elements in the brain, such as what dendrites, axons, and neurons are, and how connections in the brain create learning.
• Share evidence that brain scientists have uncovered regarding how learning affects the brain.
• Remind students that they are in charge of their learning, and teach them valuable learning tools.

To learn more about the importance of teaching brain plasticity, we invite you to read the entire post at the Education Week blog.