This title is designed for practising science and mathematics educators and researchers, including graduate students, science and math teachers, and other teachers interested in developing a sound theoretical and empirical basis for curriculum development and instruction grounded in what is known about how the brain works and develops. The book: links neural physiology and neural network theory with cognition and instructional practice; grounds the contemporary emphasis on inquiry and constructivism in epistemological, philosophical and developmental theory; links neural network theory, learning theory, conceptual change theory, and scientific discovery to classroom practice; provides examples of scientifically-based research in education as a guide for science and math educators and graduate students; has examples of lessons that can teach discipline-specific concepts as well as provoke the development of general reasoning/argumentative skills; and can be used in graduate-level courses in science education and in-service courses for science teachers.
How do People Learn?.- The Neurological Basis of Self-Regulation.- Brain Maturation, Intellectual Development and Descriptive Concept Construction.- Brain Maturation, Intellectual Development and Theoretical Concept Construction.- Creative Thinking, Analogy and a Neural Model of Analogical Reasoning.- The Role Analogies and Reasoning Skill in Theoretical Concept Construction and Change.- Intellectual Development During the College Years: Is There a Fifth Stage?.- What Kinds of Scientific Concepts Exist?.- Psychological and Neurological Models of Scientific Discovery.- Rejecting Nature of Science Misconceptions by Preservice Teachers.- Implications for the Nature of Knowledge and Instruction.
