Note that the seminars can be held in English, Swedish or French.
Topics: NEUROMYTHS, MEMORY, ATTENTION, MOTIVATION, CONDITIONS FOR OPTIMAL LEARNING.
Depending of the length of the seminar/workshop, all these topics will be discussed or some of them. Neuroseed proposes several configurations:
- a combination of the topics you would like to hear about (we can adapt to your demand and propose the length and direction you would like to have).
- half a day of seminar/workshop based on several topics of your choice.
- a full day based on the five topics listed above
Neuromyths
Neuromyths are misconceptions about how the mind and brain function. Many of them are still widely spread in society and still believed by educators. There is a huge commercial interest in promoting and selling these myths, and the brain-based learning industry can continue to take advantage of this if people continue adhering to these myths. It is our duty as neuroscientists to help break down these neuromyths and try to develop a sense of critical thinking that not only educators but also children can benefit from. This part of the seminar/workshop will present these common myths, break them down by explaining the real scientific context behind them, and explain how to develop a critical thinking towards these brain-based theories/ideas taken out from their context. You will also get an overview of how a scientific experiment is built, how a scientific paper is written, controlled, reviewed, spread into the scientific community and how it is possible to get access to it. Choosing the service of Neuroseed to facilitate the communication between research and education is obviously a good way to have access to these studies and help educators analyze its results and possible impacts in class, and or in daily life.
memory
We will expose the different forms of memory, explain how they are processed in the brain and what the optimal ways of memorizing/remembering a lesson are, according to cognitive neuroscience and psychology research. It might give educators an update about which practices have been shown to be more, or on the contrary less, effective to learn and memorize.
Motivation
This part of the seminar/workshop will explain the "neural correlates" of motivation: which parts of the brain are involved in motivation and how, and in what way genetics, environment and self-determination affects it. A particular attention will be given to offer insights on how to boost motivation among children at school to promote better learning.
attention
As educators it might be challenging keeping children focused on a specific task, especially considering all the factors that might affect attention in a class, or in general. Our modern society offers many possible choices and sources of interests which can distract us from keeping our attention under control. Thanks to cognitive neuroscience we have the means to explain the neural mechanisms underlying attention, which can inform educational practice. As a result, this knowledge can give guidelines concerning the way(s) to adapt a lesson to keep the children more focused on a goal or task, and offer a better understanding of the problems/remedies linked to deficit or impairment of attention.
conditions for optimal learning
In this last part we will discuss the different factors that are important to have the best conditions for good and durable learning. These points come from the latest research in cognitive neuroscience, physiology and psychology.
