Winter 2008
Winter 2007

Connecting the Mind, Brain and Education June 29–July 3, 2009
Research in neuroscience, genetics, and cognitive science has intensified in recent years. With the availability of so much new and promising information comes an unprecedented opportunity to gain new insight into human behavior and its relationship to educational practice. The Connecting the Mind, Brain, and Education institute provides an invaluable chance to understand current research findings, consider their implications for your work as an educator, and assess their usefulness in your ongoing teaching and research activities. The institute brings together educators and researchers to explore promising developments, new insights, and emerging connections in the fields of cognitive science, neuroscience and educational practice. Through a combination of face-to-face learning at Harvard and both pre- and post-institute interaction, participants better understand the powerful links between these disciplines and how contemporary research can inform their own teaching and research agendas. From Theory to Action Throughout the institute, you will apply current research to challenges in your own teaching, research and curriculum development. Through a combination of lectures, interactive discussions, and pre- and post-institute online learning, you will: Explore emerging interdisciplinary knowledge about learning Review and assess models of human development Evaluate the relevance of brain and cognitive science for education research, policy, and practice Develop skills to incorporate emerging knowledge about the mind, brain and education into tangible educational policies and practices   Benefits of Attending During this highly-interactive institute you will: • Consider the most current research on the mind, brain, and education from leading experts • Understand more deeply connections between the mind, brain, and education • Rethink your teaching and research activities in ways that incorporate the latest research •Share ideas and perspectives on important topics with interested and engaged colleagues   Access the Most Recent Research Faculty experts from Harvard University and other leading institutions will discuss their most recent research and explore several pressing questions:   • What bridges exist between cognitive science, neuroscience, and education? • Which discoveries in cognitive science, neuroscience, and human development are most significant and hold the greatest potential for educators? • What does emerging research in the biological sciences indicate about the nature of learning disabilities? • How should cognitive science influence curriculum design? • How should lessons from the neurosciences inform pedagogy in a world of new teaching and learning technology? • How have advances in neuroscience influenced cognitive science? • How can dynamic modeling identify meaningful links among cognitive science, neuroscience, and education? • What are the key questions to consider as we seek to integrate the disciplines of mind, brain, and education? Who should attend The institute places a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary dialogue and focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice in education and beyond. To facilitate achieving this goal, the program is accessible to and valuable for both the K–12 and higher education sectors. University faculty who are associated with teacher education programs, teaching cognitive and developmental psychology, and/or are interested in the latest research will find the institute of value. In addition, educational administrators (at both the higher education and K-12 levels) responsible for curriculum development, teacher education programs, and developing programs for diverse learners will also find the program beneficial. Curriculum Overview Hands-on, Interactive Learning Through a variety of teaching methods—large group presentations, small group discussions, and online learning—you will gain a firm understanding of the links between cognitive science, neuroscience and educational practice. Large-group sessions Practitioners from the fields of neuroscience, cognitive science, and education will present up-to-date research, theoretical frameworks, and practical applications. Facilitated small-group discussions Discussions summarize and clarify ideas from readings, consider educational implications, reassess frameworks for understanding human development and explore related questions for practitioners. Affinity group sessions Participants meet in teams to discuss areas of shared professional interest. In an interactive and engaging way, affinity group discussions enable participants to apply key institute concepts to the practical realities and challenges faced in their own teaching and educational settings. Online learning Participants have two opportunities for online learning. Prior to the institute, participants develop background knowledge via self-paced electronic lectures and readings. After the institute, participants access valuable follow-up information and resources presented during the institute. Informal and optional sessions Optional discussion sessions on topics of particular interest to institute faculty are convened during the program to enable more in-depth exploration of current research findings and their implications for educational practice and future research. Faculty Kurt Fischer (Institute Co-chair) is Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education Program and Charles Bigelow Professor of Education and Human Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research analyzes cognition, emotion and learning and their relation to biological development and educational assessment. Leading an international movement to connect biology and cognitive science to education, he is founding president of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and founding editor of Mind, Brain and Education. L. Todd Rose (Institute Co-chair) is a research scientist with CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) and adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he teaches a course on Educational Neuroscience. His work focuses on the way perception, attention, and working memory interact to shape learning, and on the study of learning disabilities from a dynamic systems framework. He lectures internationally on learning disabilities, working memory in the classroom, and the role of neuroscience in education. Sharron Griffin is Professor of Education and Psychology at Clark University. She specializes in child development and mathematics education and studies how playing games involving numbers helps children structure and understand the world. She has conducted research on the development of math competence in the early school years and has used this theoretical work as the basis to create the Number Worlds curriculum.  Tina Grotzer is an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a faculty member at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, and a Principal Investigator at Harvard Project Zero, where she directs the NSF-funded Understandings of Consequence project. She is a cognitive scientist who studies how people reason about causal complexity. Her work considers how causal reasoning impacts understanding in K–12 science as well as how to best frame scientific research for public understanding given the causal default assumptions that people make. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is an Assistant Professor of Education at the Rossier School of Education and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California. She is a cognitive neuroscientist and educational psychologist who studies the brain bases of emotion, social interaction and culture and their implications for development and schools. She is also the Associate Editor for North America for the Mind, Brain and Education journal, and the inaugural recipient of the Award for Transforming Education through Neuroscience, co-sponsored by the International Mind, Brain and Education Society (IMBES) and the Learning and the Brain Conference. She lectures nationally and abroad on the implications of brain and cognitive science research for curriculum and pedagogy. David Rose is a Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Founding Director and Chief Scientist, Cognition & Learning, CAST. Rose specializes in developmental neuropsychology and the universal design of learning technologies. Marc Shwartz is Professor of Mind, Brain and Education at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). He also serves as the Vice President for the International Mind, Brain and Education Society and is an Associate Researcher in the Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Schwartz's current focus at UTA is to create a new Center for MBE where researchers, policy makers and educational practitioners can collaborate and focus on the cognitive and emotional changes and political challenges that emerge and evolve for students, teachers and administrators as learning contexts change. General Information Schedule The institute begins with registration mid-day on Monday, June 29 and concludes in the early afternoon on Friday, July 3. The institute will be held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The online component of the program will begin about one month prior to the institute. Environment While at Harvard, participants will have access to the academic, cultural, social, and athletic resources of the University, including libraries, museums, and theaters. Harvard Square offers a variety of bookstores, shops, coffee houses, and restaurants. Registration and Program Fee The comprehensive program fee of $2,625 includes tuition, all program and instructional materials, refreshment breaks, an opening reception, social event, and certificate of completion. Registration is accepted on a first come, first served basis. Please wait for registration confirmation before making travel plans. For further information, please call 1-800-545-1849 or email ppe@gse.harvard.edu Payment or purchase order is due within 30 days of institute registration.  Group Registrations You will be asked to identify your group name during registration. In order to help us best serve your group, please try to use the same identifier as your teammates, e.g. “Cambridge High School Group,” or “Essex County Group,” or “John Harvard’s Cambridge Team.” Please note that we are unable to offer group discounts. We ask that changes to group participant lists take place at least two weeks prior to the start date of the program.  If individual or team replacements are made within 14 days of the program start date, PPE may not be able to incorporate these changes into some or all of the program materials.  We will make our best effort to incorporate requested changes where possible. Cancellation Policy Cancellations must be submitted via fax or email. Full refunds will be given up to 30 days prior to the start of the program. Due to program demand and pre-institute preparations, cancellations received 29–14 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of 10% of the program tuition. Cancellations received within 13 days prior to the start of the program and no-shows are subject to the full program tuition. Please note: Cancellation fees are based upon the date the written request is received. Accommodations Hotel accommodations are made available to participants at a reduced rate. Travel and hotel accommodations are the responsibility of the individual participant. Currier House Dormitory This Harvard dormitory is a 15 minute walk from class. Each participant is assigned a single room, and shares a bathroom. While housing facilities are comfortable, they are also quite spartan. Linens are provided. The cost for room and breakfast is $115 per night. Sheraton Commander Hotel $169.00 (single/double) Reservations:888-627-7121 Deadline: June 7, 2009 Reference:HGSE, Mind, Brain, and Education www.sheraton.com/commander Further Information 800-545-1849 • ppe@gse.harvard.edu The Harvard Graduate School of Education affirms the right of all individuals to equal treatment in education without regard to age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, national origin, or any other factors that are extraneous to effective performance. The Harvard Graduate School of Education will accommodate anyone with disabilities.