Neuroeducation: Empowering teachers and students through neuroscience
Getting to Know Your Brain Days
The CNI provides developmentally appropriate classroom instruction on brain science to K-5 students in Syracuse, NY. This scaffolded program aims to
encourage youth to see themselves as neuroscientists
increase the visibility of neuroscientists of color and
increase the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in New York.
The pilot program was run in 2017-2018 and showed that art-focused neuroscience lessons lead to student learning about neuroscience but also increased performance on Math and Language STARR report scores, especially for those children who lagged behind their peers.
Schoolchildren are asked to use their brains every day but are rarely taught about the brain and how to use theirs to enhance a sense of wonder and personal agency. We aim to convey a new sense of personal agency through scientific literacy around neuroscience, framed with psychological concepts, including growth mindset and purpose in life principles. Importantly, the lessons incorporate high school students from the Syracuse community interested in becoming educators in the future. This emphasis on future teachers was further enhanced for the second iteration of the program.
Teaching the teachers
The CNI Brain Days program partners with education leaders to help them develop the knowledge, skill, and passion to democratize neuroscience for the next generation.
Educators play a pivotal role in boosting the nation's economy and society by being a community lynchpin and a source of inspiration for students. Educators have tremendous influence over students’ health and careers choices. The Brain Days program – unlike any other educator support program in the nation –educators with the neuroscience knowledge they need to cultivate well-rounded human development in their students.
The Syracuse Strategy
Responding to an expressed desire from New York State education policymakers in support of developing neuroscience thinking in teachers, the CNI partnered with the New York My Brother’s Keeper network to create a learning community of future educators using neuroscience to enhance their careers. Pre-service teachers from the Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC-II) receive dedicated instruction from Cornell neuroscience researchers on brain science topics critical to their teaching interests. They create and deliver lessons to K-8 students in Syracuse, NY which serves as their clinical teaching experience. Pre-service teachers work with High School students in the community. We developed this scaffolded and truly community-based experience to provide pre-service teachers with critical training and skills, improve recruitment and retention of talented individuals from underrepresented groups into science and teaching, and boost educational and employment outcomes for pre-service teachers and future teachers over their long-term careers in education.