Mar 12, 2008 7
Brain Connection: Eric Jensen on Learning and the Brain
By: Alvaro Fernandez
universities including the University of California, San Diego. He co-founded the Learning Brain Expo, a conference for educators, and has written 21 books on the brain and learning. Jensen is currently completing his PhD coursework. His most recent book, Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential
(Jossey-Bass, 2006), is highly recommended for educators and parents alike. He wrote this recent article in Phi Delta Kappan in February 2008, sparking a healthy debate on the value of neuroscience applied to education.Eric, thank you for your time. Can you explain the role that you and your organization play?
We act as translators between the neuroscience and education fields, helping to build a Brain-Based Education movement. We launched the first conference that attempted to bridge these two worlds in 1998. The goal of the conference, called Learning Expo, was for teachers to speak to scientists, and, equally important, for scientists to speak to educators.
Critics say that neuroscience research can add little to educational practices. What we say is that, whereas it is true that much needs to be clarified, there are already clear implications from brain research that educators should be aware of. For example, four important elements that are often neglected by educators, given the obsessive focus on academic scores, are nutrition, physical exercise, stress management, and overall mental enrichment.
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