Improving teaching practice through education, mind, and selected brain research

Around the world, there is an unprecedented opportunity for improving educational outcomes by aligning the practice of teaching with the emerging science of learning. However, a research-to-practice gap persists, and many students, particularly low-income and minority children and youth, are failing to reach their academic potential. The texts submitted with this document (Conyers & Wilson, 2015a, 2016; Wilson & Conyers, 2013b, 2013c) were written as a means of bridging this gap by applying two original frameworks developed through transdisciplinary, practice-based research over 15 years. The first translates implications of education, mind, and selected brain research on how people learn into a conceptual framework and strategies for enhancing teaching and learning. The second focuses on a process for supporting changes in teaching practice and aligns with research and theory from implementation science. These frameworks have been incorporated into professional development programmes for some 100,000 educators and 2,500 teachers from 47 U.S. states, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia through one of the first two graduate degrees in this field. Studies suggest a positive impact on teaching practice and student learning. The four texts extend the impact of this body of work to a broader audience of teachers, researchers, faculty, and other educational stakeholders and uniquely incorporate research, theory, and examples of practical strategies being applied in real-world settings.