Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching: Connecting Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Classroom Practice

As the Common Core State Standards aim to align educational outcomes with college and work expectations in the 21st century, the goal of teaching expands from a basic transmission of facts to the development of cognitive skills that equip students to achieve more of their unique potential. This seminal book focuses on five essential and interrelated concepts from mind, brain, and education research that should underlie key teaching decisions:

1) neuroplasticity, understanding that the structure and function of the brain change in response to learning.

2) potential, the capacity for all students to make learning gains.

3) malleable intelligence, which stands in opposition to traditional views of fixed intellect.

4) the Body-Brain System, the role of movement, physical fitness, healthy nutrition, and positive emotions in facilitating learning.

5) metacognition, explicit instruction on the use of cognitive strategies to guide students to “think about their thinking” with the aim of improving learning.

To support classroom implementation, the authors offer a wealth of vignettes, examples, teaching strategies, reflective questions, and connections between current research on how people learn and classroom practice. The text concludes by unmasking myths and misconceptions that may obscure these core concepts and promoting active participation in formal and informal professional learning communities to hone teaching practice throughout one’s career.

Donna Wilson is lead developer of graduate programs with majors in brain-based teaching with the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education at Nova Southeastern University. Marcus Conyers is cofounder of the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention.