The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Our overall goal is to incorporate more information regarding the Science of Learning into our Principal Preparation program, the Master’s in School Administration (MSA) and our doctoral program (EDD). Our goal is to create learning environments in which future principals come to understand and value the importance of learning and the brain, rather than just different models of instruction. We have infused the curriculum Instructional Leadership courses with neuroscience-related textbooks, such as How the Brain Learns by David Sousa (latest edition always). Our chapters on gender differences, brain organization, and the arts typically coincide with BAW and students are made aware of BAW and the organization. Within our BAW classes this semester, students learned about brain parts (such as different lobes and structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus, corpus callosum, etc…) and implications for learning in classrooms (importance of nutrition, movement, etc.). The photos show the students labeling swim caps to show different brain parts (this was a creative idea of one of the students).

Several of the MSA and EDD students began books studies with their school staff to better assimilate the information throughout the schools and districts.

We have found that the information is so interesting and folks are so curious about their brains, the material sells itself. ;o)