B.R.A.I.N
A Teacher's Passion
Created by a former special education teacher who traded in her badge for a backpack and is now pursuing her continued education fueled by the inspiring discipline of educational neuroscience.
A WEBSITE WITH A MISSION
To provide teachers, students, families, and community members direct access to research and resources in a calm, supportive, thought-provoking environment on a user friendly platform.
As with any society we go through trends and fads whether that be related to fashion, lifestyles, or even professions and honestly the field of education is no different our fads just tend to be labelled “curriculum,” “programs,” “interventions,” “standards,” “assessment,” and “teaching philosophies”. The field of education, just like our society, fluctuates as to what is “in” and what is not, or to put it differently what is considered “current” and “outdated”. “Educational neuroscience” and “brain-based learning” have become hot topics in today’s debate but they are often mislabelled and misrepresented. Educational neuroscience is not a program or a curriculum it is a discipline, a framework in which we can use to understand our teaching, our schools, our communities, our students, and most importantly each other. Brain-based learning is not a scripted intervention or a philosophy of teaching, it merely labels the way in which we utilize the scientific findings of educational neuroscience in our teaching practices and experiences with students. In a day of “fake news” I fear that this incredibly important discipline is getting lost in the shuffle, hence the creation of B.R.A.I.N. This website was created to give teachers, students, families, and members of our community direct access to the research and the strategies that make this discipline vital to the field of education and beyond.
- Courtney Boyle, creator of B.R.A.I.N.
WHAT'S NEW...
Most recently B.R.A.I.N. has delved deeper into the connection between the brain and special education, which perhaps could be thought of as brain exceptionalities. The focus here is on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. A page devoted to each disorder include a brief overview of the relationship between the disorder and the brain, strategies for use in the classroom and beyond, and additional resources to learn more. Think of these pages as a resource within a resource. In addition, new research has been added on the topic of trauma and new strategies have been added including brain intervals, focused attention practices and two student created videos.
COMING SOON...
Just as the human brain can continue to grow and develop through an incredible process known as neuroplasticity B.R.A.I.N will also evolve and transform as the study of educational neuroscience continues.
The next step for B.R.A.I.N. is to begin a series of blogs focused on the everyday real world applications of educational neuroscience written from the perspective of a teacher, a student, and a parent. As brain research shows we learn through experiences and what a better way to learn and understand this discipline than through real-life stories from the field.
Please check back often to see new content and updated blog postings!