Educators, are you looking to deepen your understanding of the connection between neuroscience and conceptual thinking? Look no further. Connections to Neuroscience: Supporting Student Learning through their Well-Being explores the key topics that shape this fascinating connection. Discover how emotional engagement impacts learning.
Module Videos
Dive into the world of neural plasticity, where you'll uncover the brain's remarkable ability to adapt and rewire itself. Explore synaptic pruning, neurotransmitters, emotional engagement, and the brain hemispheres' distinctive roles in conceptual thinking. (~6 minutes)
Explore these four articles from Edutopia then complete the reflection questions:
"Over the past several years, knowledge about executive functioning (EF) and executive function skill training has become a forefront topic in education. Why? Sound executive function skills are essential for any student to excel in both the academic and social-emotional arenas." — Everyday Executive Function Strategies, p. 4
Executive Function and Metacognition (~4 minutes)
Strategies that Support Executive Function (~9 minutes)
Learn about the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Framework. (~5 minutes)
Want to learn more about each of the CASEL 5 — self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making?
Fisher, Frey, and Smith view "social-emotional learning as a contextualized system of habits, dispositions, knowledge, skills, procedures, and policies that inform the way we work and learn together." — The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook, p. 3
Learn about emotional regulation and strategies to support it. (~5 minutes)
Explore these resources that support emotional regulation:
Resources & Next Steps
- The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook — Nancy Frey, Douglas Fischer, Dominique Smith (free chapter resources)
- What is the CASEL Framework — CASEL
- Accelerating Learning for All: Equity in Action — Rebecca McKinney and Colleen Urlik
- Everyday Executive Function Strategies — Valerie Saxton Sharpe and Roberta Strosnider (free Chapter 1, Chapters 2–4 resources)