Brains R Us: The Science of Educating
This morning, just like any other day in America, more than a quarter of the population of this nation is in classrooms of some kind, going about the business of educating. The business, perhaps – but is there yet a science of educating?
Brains R Us brings together researchers, educators, policymakers, parents, and students in a town hall forum to discuss the state of the science of educating, from the synapse to schoolroom, from neurons to neighborhoods. Come discover why timing is everything.
-
Highlights Video
March 3, 2008
-
Brains
March 3, 2008
Run Time: 1 hours 42 minutes -
Schools
March 3, 2008
Run Time: 1 hours 17 minutes -
Children
March 3, 2008
Run Time: 1 hours 51 minutes -
Teachers
March 3, 2008
Run Time: 57 minutes -
Transformation
March 3, 2008
Run Time: 1 hours 08 minutes
PARTICIPANTS
Roger Bingham is a scientist in the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute and the Institute for Neural Computation, UC San Diego. He is the co-author of The Origin of Minds: Evolution, Uniqueness, and the New Science of the Self, and the creator and host of Emmy award-winning PBS science programs on evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience, including the critically acclaimed series “The Human Quest.” He is the Cofounder and Director of The Science Network.
David Boulton, co-producer and creator of the Children of the Code, is a learning ecologist, activist and technologist. His articles on learning have appeared in many journals and his K-12 education orientation and vision has been presented or referenced at gatherings all over the world. Boulton has founded five companies and been awarded four patents. He has been an advisor to the Chair of the California Senate Education Committee and a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Gateway Project.
- Connecting with…David Boulton, Producer, Children of the Code
- Stewarding the Health of Our Children’s Learning
- Children of the Code: The Code and The Challenge of Learning to Read It
Andrea Chiba is an Associate Professor in the Cognitive Science Department and in the Program for Neuroscience at UC San Diego. She is Science Director for the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center and leader of the Center’s Interacting Memory Systems Network. Her laboratory is focused on gaining an understanding of the neural systems and principles underlying aspects of learning and memory. Her work utilizes a variety of neurobiological, computational, and behavioral techniques.
John Corcoran has been a passionate advocate for literacy for over ten years. Author of the autobiography, The Teacher Who Couldn't Read, he was appointed to the National Institute for Literacy by President George Bush and subsequently served on the Board of the Institute under President Bush and President Clinton. He is currently president of The John Corcoran Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate the eradication and prevention of adult illiteracy in America.
- The John Corcoran Foundation
- Bridging the “Literacy Gap” Will Close the “Achievement Gap”
- Overview for BRIDGE TO LITERACY: No Child – Or Adult – Left Behind
Garrison W. Cottrell is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego. He is the Director of the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. Professor Cottrell's main interest is Cognitive Science, in particular, building working models of cognitive processes and using them to explain psychological or neurological processes. In recent years, he has focused upon face processing, including face recognition, face identification, and facial expression recognition.
C. Michael Dabney is Director of News Media Relations and Public Relations for UC San Diego’s Student Educational Advancement Division, where he promotes and communicates the university’s efforts to prepare K-12 students, community college transfer students, and UC San Diego undergraduates for majors and careers in the sciences and engineering. He is co-author of the book Learning Smarter, Super Scientists (a bioscience learning guide for children) and is currently writing a book on how to enhance creativity among minority students (Corwin Press).
- BioBridge Progam Helps UCSD Bring the Excitement of Biological Discovery Into Area High School Classrooms (link arriving shortly)
- Learning Smarter: The New Science of Teaching (link arriving shortly)
Adele Diamond is a founder of the field of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and one of the world’s foremost experts on the development of cognitive control functions dependent on the prefrontal cortex. She holds the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 Professorship in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and is in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Colombia (UBC) and the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver.
Barbara Edwards is the coordinator of teacher professional development for UCSD CREATE. She began her career as a high school teacher. In the past 17 years, she has designed and led programs for teachers in mathematics, science, history, humanities, and leadership training. Her research, also related to the work of teachers in urban schools, includes topics of teacher retention and workplace interactions.
Nancy Farnan is Director of the School of Teacher Education at San Diego State University. She has taught credential and graduate courses in literacy as well as qualitative and quantitative research procedures at the graduate level. She has also been Graduate Programs Coordinator and Co-Director of a nationally recognized credential program that infused educational technology into the world of middle and secondary education. She is the author of numerous books on literacy, including writing instruction and content area reading.
- A California State University Initiative to Improve Adolescent Reading in All Content Areas
- When Is a Verb? Using Functional Grammar to Teach Writing
Kurt Fischer is Director of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) and Bigelow Professor at Harvard. In his research, he analyzes cognition, emotion, and learning in relation to assessment and biological development. He has discovered a scale for learning and development in all domains. His most recent book is Mind, Brain, and Education in Reading Disorders. Leading an international movement to connect biology, cognitive science, and education, he founded the International MBE Society and the award-winning journal Mind, Brain, and Education.
Fred Gage is Adler Professor in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Prior to joining Salk, Dr. Gage was a Professor of Neuroscience at UC San Diego. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Gage served as President of the Society for Neuroscience in 2002. He has also been on the Board of Directors for the ISSRC, as well as the American Society for Gene Therapy.
Jay Giedd is a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist and chief of Brain Imaging in the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). His primary research interests have focused on the biological basis of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Giedd has authored over 100 scientific publications and has been a frequent lecturer at national and international professional meetings. He has received numerous honors, including the National Institute of Health Fellows Award for Research Excellence.
- Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Adolescent Brain
- Brain development in children and adolescents: Insights from anatomical magnetic resonance imaging
Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek is the Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University, where she serves as Director of the Infant Language Laboratory. One of her recent books with Roberta Golinkoff, Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less, won the prestigious Books for Better Life Award in 2003. She has published 9 books and over 100 professional articles, is a Fellow of the Ameri
Paul D. Houston has served as executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) since 1994. He has established himself as one of the leading spokespersons for American public education through his extensive U.S. and international speaking engagements, published articles, and media interviews. Prior to joining AASA, he was superintendent of schools in three uniquely different public education systems. In 2001, the Horace Mann League presented Houston with the 2001 Outstanding Educator Award.
Jennifer Husbands is the Director of Teacher Credentialing & Support for High Tech High in San Diego, California, where she directs the first Charter School-based teacher certification program in the state. Husbands received her Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University’s School of Education. She co-authored A Review of Selected High School Reform Strategies and contributed a chapter to Leadership for Building Instructional Quality: The Story of San Diego's Systemic School Reform.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang studies the neuroscience of emotion, social interaction and culture and their implications for development at the Brain and Creativity Institute/Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. A former junior high school teacher, she earned her doctorate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and now lectures nationally and abroad on the implications of brain and cognitive science research for curriculum and pedagogy. She is the North American editor for the journal Mind, Brain and Education.
- A Tale of Two Cases: Lessons for Education From the Study of Two Boys Living With Half Their Brains
- Beginning to Learn: A New View on Brain Research & Teaching
- We Feel, Therefore We Learn: The Relevance of Effective and Social
Eric Jensen co-founded Jensen Learning Corporation in San Diego, California, an international professional training organization that synthesizes brain research and its applications for educators. A former teacher at all levels, Jensen is a member of the International Society for Neuroscience and the New York Academy of Science, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Human Development. Jensen has authored over 20 books, including Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Different Brains, Different Learners, and Enriching the Brain.
Terry L. Jernigan is Professor of Psychiatry and Radiology at UC San Diego. Trained as a clinical and experimental psychologist, she has conducted brain imaging research since the 1970’s. Her current projects involve neurobehavioral effects of HIV-infection and substance abuse, and effects on brain maturation of genes, experience, and exposure to drugs and alcohol. She serves as Imaging Section Editor for the journal Neurobiology of Aging, and on the editorial boards of 4 other journals.
Leon Lederman is Director Emeritus of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois and Professor of Science at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He founded the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois in 1986, and has served in the capacity of Resident Scholar since 1998. He has also served as President and Chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is a member of the National Academy of Science, and has received numerous awards including the Nobel Prize in Physics (1988).
Kathleen Leos is the President and CEO of the newly created non-profit corporation The International Institute for Language and Literacy Development (ILD) and the for-profit corporation the Global Institute for Language and Literacy Development (GILD). Prior to this, she served as Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) in the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Leos also served as the Deputy of Policy and principal advisor to Secretaries of Education, Dr. Rod Paige and Margaret Spellings, on all issues related to the No Child Left Behind Act, Title III, that President Bush signed into law January 8, 2001.
David Lightfoot is Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), heading the Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences directorate (SBE). He has authored 11 books and several dozen scholarly papers on the acquisition, development and historical evolution of language. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, has received fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies, and several research grants from NSF and elsewhere.
Soo-Siang Lim is Program Director for the Science of Learning Centers (SLC) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Chair of the SLC-Coordinating Committee. Prior to joining the SLC Program, Dr. Lim was the Cluster Leader for the neuroscience programs in the Biological Science Directorate and active in other cross-disciplinary programs including NSF activities such as the Engineering Research Centers Program, Nanoscience and Engineering Initiative, and the Research Coordination Networks Program (RCN).
Peggy McCardle is the Chief of the Child Development & Behavior (CDB) Branch of the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD). She directs the Language, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Development and Disorders Program and the Reading, Writing and Related Learning Disabilities research programs. Dr. McCardle was the NICHD liaison to the National Reading Panel, currently serves as liaison to the National Institute for Literacy, and leads or serves on various inter-agency working groups. She co-edited The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research and Childhood Bilingualism: Research on Infancy to School Age.
Michael M. Merzenich is Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology in the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco. He is a scientist and educator, and founder of Scientific Learning Corporation and Neuroscience Solutions Corporation, companies that develop therapeutic programs for the neurologically and psychiatrically impaired. Merzenich is an expert on "brain plasticity" underlying the development of skills and abilities through experience and learning. Among his awards are the international Ipsen and Zülch Prizes, honoring his work in brain plasticity.
Mike Moses currently serves as the senior educational advisor for Raise Your Hand Texas and the Center for Reform of School Systems. He has previously served as the superintendent in four Texas school districts, Commissioner of Education for the State of Texas, and Deputy Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. He was selected “Superintendent of the Year” in two Texas education service center regions. Moses holds two degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate from Texas A&M University at Commerce.
Javier Movellan is a Project Scientist at the Institute for Neural Computation (INC) and Director of the Machine Perception Laboratory (MPLab) at UC San Diego. He founded the MPLab in 1997 with the goal of developing machine perception systems that combine multiple sources of information and interact naturally with people, reading lips, recognizing facial expressions, and making inferences about cognitive and affective states. Movellan is also a Co-Principal Investigator for the Social Interaction Network at the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center (TDLC).
Jim Nelson is the Executive Director of the AVID Center. He is the former superintendent of the Richardson Independent School District (ISD) in Texas. He served as a board member and officer for Ector County ISD in Odessa, Texas from 1984 through 1995, twice serving as board president. During that time, he also served as a board member and in several officer positions for the Texas Association of School Boards, including state president in 1993-1994. In 1996, he was appointed to the newly-created State Board for Educator Certification by then-Governor George W. Bush, where he served as chairman until 1999, when he was appointed as the Texas Commissioner of Education.
- AVID Center
- Giving students the skills they need for college requires more than opening the doors to college-prep classes
- American Educator – Albert Shanker
Kathleen Paliokas is Director of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and the Center for Improving Teacher Quality (CTQ) at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Through both projects, CCSSO is working with 41 states to improve the preparation, licensing, and ongoing professional development of teachers through standards-based reform. CTQ is a national center that is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education.
Hal Pashler is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at UC San Diego. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Chancellor's Associates Faculty Award for Excellence in Research in 2005 and the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences in 1999 for his many experimental breakthroughs in the study of spatial attention and executive control, and for his insightful analysis of human cognitive architecture. He is a member of various journal editorial boards and an ad hoc reviewer for many granting agencies and journals.
- Enhancing learning and retarding forgetting: Choices and consequences
- Increasing Retention Without Increasing Study Time
Donald A. Phillips, a former social science teacher, has served as Superintendent of Poway Unified School District for the past seven years. He has over 18 years of experience as a school district superintendent and has served in the field of education administration for more than 27 years. He was recently selected by the Association of California School Administrators as the California nominee for the American Association of School Administrators 2008 Superintendent of the Year award. He is passionate about public education and has served in leadership roles for many educational organizations.
Urs Ribary is the Leadership Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience in Childhood Health and Development within the Province of British Colombia. He is also a Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. His main research area is brain network dynamics and functional connectivity underlying normal and altered cognitive functions. He has been extensively published in many scientific and medical journals and has lectured all over the world. He is a member of numerous organizations, has served as an ad hoc reviewer for many journals and funding agencies, and has been an advisor to several companies.
- Research to Benefit Children with Special Needs
- Dynamics of thalamo-cortical network oscillations and human perception
Terrence J. Sejnowski is an HHMI investigator, the Francis Crick Professor, and Director of the Crick-Jacobs Center for Theoretical and Computational Biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He is also a Professor of Biology at UC San Diego. He is the author of several books, including The Computational Brain and Liars, Lovers, and Heroes: What the New Brain Science Reveals About How We Become Who We Are.
Paula Tallal is the Board of Governor's Chair of Neuroscience, Co-Director of the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, and Co-Founder and a Director of the Scientific Learning Corporation. A world-recognized authority on language-learning disabilities, she is active on many scientific advisory boards and government committees for both developmental language disorders and learning problems.
- Dynamic auditory processing, music experience and language development
- Improving language and literacy is a matter of time
Patricia Wright is Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). She has 23 years experience with the VDOE, facilitating policy development for the Commonwealth’s public education system and providing leadership in designing and implementing Virginia’s standards-based accountability and support system. She currently serves as President of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Deputies Leadership Commission. In 2007, Dr. Wright co-chaired the CCSSO Mathematics and Science Task Force and edited the report that was produced for the chief state school officers.
AGENDAIntroductionRoger Bingham - Director, The Science Network; Executive Committee, TDLC Welcome Garrison Cottrell - Director, TDLC; UC San Diego |
BRAINSMike Merzenich - Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology, UC San Francisco, Founder, Scientific Learning CorporationTerry Sejnowski – Director, Crick-Jacobs Center, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Co-Director, TDLC Terry Jernigan - Professor of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Andrea Chiba – Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego; Co-Director, TDLC Jay Giedd - Chief of Brain Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health Urs Ribary - Leadership Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience in Childhood Health and Development, Simon Fraser University Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek - Director, Infant Language Laboratory, Temple University; Member, Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center Fred H. Gage - Adler Professor, Laboratory of Genetics, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience, UC San Diego |
SCHOOLSMike Moses - Senior Advisor, Raise Your Hand TexasPatricia Wright - Chief Deputy Superintendent, Virginia Department of Education Paul Houston - Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators Kathleen Leos – President and CEO, The International Institute for Language and Literacy Development |
| David Boulton - Co-Producer and Creator, Children of the Code John Corcoran - Author, The Bridge to Literacy: No Child-or Adult left Behind |
CHILDRENPaula Tallal - Co-Director, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University; Founder, Scientific Learning Corporation; Co-Director, Educational and Outreach Center, TDLCAdele Diamond - Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of British Columbia Javier Movellan – Director, Machine Perception Laboratory, UC San Diego; Co-Principal Investigator, Social Interaction Network, TDLC Hal Pashler - Professor of Psychology, UC San Diego Mary Helen Immordino-Yang– Brain and Creativity Institute/Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California Kurt Fischer- President, Society For Mind, Brain and Education, Harvard University |
TEACHERSNancy Farnan - Director of Teacher Education, San Diego State UniversityBarbara Edwards - Professional Development Coordinator, CREATE, UC San Diego Michael Dabney - Director of News Media Relations and Public Relations, Student Educational Advancement Division, UC San Diego Eric Jensen - Founder and Director, Jensen Learning Corporation Kathleen Paliokas - Director, Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium at the Council of Chief State School Officers Jennifer Husbands - Director of Teacher Credentialing & Support, High Tech High; Member, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing |
TRANSFORMATIONLeon Lederman - Nobel Laureate (Physics 1988); Director Emeritus, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Founder, Illinois Mathematics and Science AcademyTerry Sejnowski - Director, Crick-Jacobs Center, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Co-Director, TDLC Paula Tallal - Co-Director, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University; Founder, Scientific Learning Corporation; Co-Director, Educational and Outreach Center, TDLC Kurt Fischer - President, Society For Mind, Brain and Education, Harvard University Mike Merzenich - Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology, UC San Francisco, Founder, Scientific Learning Corporation Jim Nelson - Executive Director, AVID David Lightfoot – Assistant Director, National Science Foundation Soo-Siang Lim - Science of Learning Centers Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation Peggy McCardle - Chief of Child Development & Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development |
John Corcoran
Garrison (Gary) Cottrell
C. Michael Dabney
Adele Diamond
Nancy Farnan
Kurt Fischer
Fred (Rusty) Gage
Kathryn (Kathy) Hirsh-Pasek
Paul D. Houston
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
Eric Jensen
Leon Lederman
David Lightfoot
Michael M. Merzenich
Harold (Hal) Pashler
Terrence Sejnowski
Paula Tallal
New Series
October 6, 2008
A sparkling and - on occasion - controversial discussion about the science behind the headlines.
