• A study at the University of Washington comparing human and electronic teaching methods demonstrates young children learn best through social interaction and finds that the “social aspects of learning are very important at all ages.”
• Early childhood test scores and self-control dramatically improve for children who participate in Tools of the Mind, a program that enables children to learn on their own.
• Research at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology found that, “Behavioral and brain measures identify infants and young children at risk for dyslexia, and preventive intervention is often effective.”
• The gap between students who fail, yet remain determined to master new challenges, and those who simply give up, can be closed using a simple technique developed by Stanford University’s Carol Dweck.

Parents and teachers can get bombarded by fascinating educational studies with great potential to improve learning. Unfortunately, very few have the spare time it takes to read, analyze, and, if results turn out to be valid, apply breakthrough findings to their homes or classrooms.

“Insights from many different fields are converging to create a new science of learning that may transform educational practices,” reports Andrew Metzoff, co-director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

Rather than test new trends by turning students into classroom guinea pigs, neuroscientists are teaming with education researchers to measure brain activity while robiticists join forces with psychologists in efforts to blend technology with social instruction.

This emerging “Science of Learning” field holds the promise of a huge boon to educators and students. But only if scientists first sift through and agree on the most valuable findings, systematically share key principles with those on the front lines of teaching, and provide the training needed to put best known methods into practice.

Daniel Willingham also cautions that in order to bridge information from neuroscience to behavior, researchers need to build-in supporting information about anatomic structure, cognitive process, and children’s minds. In other words, be wary of “get-smart-quick” programs that lack a strong foundation.

When the bridge from neuroscience to behavior is strong, children can safely and easily skip across. “Our brains have evolved to learn and adapt to new environments; if we can create the right environment for a child, magic happens” says Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Terrence J. Sejnowski. For studies that meet the criteria of scientists, including skeptics like Willingham, the next step is to find a way to disseminate information so that children everywhere can experience the magic.

In the meantime, TeamUP! Tutors will continue to search high and low to bring our readers the latest and greatest educational findings.