Eighth International School On Mind, Brain And Education

2013 July 30 - August 04

Science Education
in the Digital Era

Directors: Antonio M. Battro, Kurt W. Fischer and Diego Golombek
Program officer: María Lourdes Majdalani


Abstract: Vanessa Rodriguez
Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA

A qualitative study towards understanding the teaching brain
My work is focused on extending our understanding of the natural ability of human teaching. My work uses micro-developmental interviews and classroom observations to identify the cognitive processes and “patterns of mind” engaged by master teachers and to describe how these processes interact with the student during the phenomenon of teaching. Preliminary results suggest that teaching is an interaction with synchrony as a key to mutual success. Master teachers describe and display systems thinking with their personal context having significant influence on their practice. This data is the basis of a new framework for understanding and exploring the teaching brain.