The Cognitive Classroom: Using Brain and Cognitive Science to Optimize Student Success

The Cognitive Classroom describes how cutting-edge and classic research findings from the fields of brain science and cognitive psychology may be applied to classroom teaching. Using the perspective and expertise of an educational researcher originally trained as a neuroscientist, research findings and theories are translated into practical strategies. The jargon so often found in research journals and technical reports is discarded here, as studies are presented in an engaging manner that any educated individual can easily follow. Specifically, the book describes how research on perception, attention, learning, memory, language, reasoning, and problem solving may be used to achieve the type of “deep” learning sought after by teachers. What's more, this book discusses recent findings showing how the brains and cognitive processes of today’s students have been impacted by technology and proposes actions that educators can take to optimize teaching in a digital world.

Jerome L. Rekart, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education and Psychology and is the Director of the Behavioral Science Laboratory at Rivier University. Trained as a learning researcher, his current research examines 1) how emotions influence information storage in humans, 2) how cognitive psychological and brain research findings can be implemented in classroom settings, and 3) ways to increase involvement of educators in researching their own practice.