Educational Neuroscience: Applications for Teaching & Learning
Program Overview
Educators are tasked with the ever-increasing demands in providing high-quality, individualized instruction for all types of learners in their classrooms. While educators are usually open to having many types of learners in their classrooms, research has shown that most educators do not feel they are well equipped to meet the demands that this cognitive diversity in the classroom presents. The individual differences that educators face every day require them to have an understanding of how to best meet children where they are and to provide instruction and guidance to maximize the learning experience of every child. This certificate program is designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of educational professionals related to brain-behaviour relationships as well as research related to instruction, assessment, and intervention that will help cognitively diverse learners. Educators are facing diversity in the classroom at rates they may not have anticipated; as such, we want to arm educators with the tools and information they can use to maximize the educational experience and learning outcomes for every child they meet.
Program Details
Courses in this program are offered online. Courses are held in both an asynchronous environment (D2L) and a synchronous (real-time) environment (Zoom) which allows instructors to virtually meet and talk with students and experience a live exchange of ideas, hear class presentations and do group work with access to a whiteboard. For additional information regarding online delivery, refer to the eLearn website.
Program Goals:
- To establish a community of engaged learners who wish to deepen their knowledge of brain/behaviour relationships
- To provide educators with foundational knowledge of typical and atypical brain development to better understand the children and youth in their classrooms
- To provide educators with skills and information to better serve their students in a variety of settings
- To strengthen the educational community by providing evidence-based strategies for instructional delivery and individualized teaching
- To develop critical consumers of knowledge and research in the areas of education and psychological literature
Experiential learning is learning by doing that bridges knowledge and experience through critical reflection. This program offers the following kinds of experiential learning opportunities:
- Analyze an academic task to identify brain-behaviour relationships
- Create an explanation of a construct (e.g., working memory, attention, reasoning) for the grade level you teach
- Evaluate the evidence of interventions for cognitive, social-emotional, and academic interventions that can be implemented in schools.
- Choose an intervention, implement it, and evaluate its effectiveness
This four-course graduate certificate in Educational Neuroscience is designed for educators who wish to learn about neuroscience and how this relates to student learning and classroom instruction. Throughout the program, students will experience an overview of brain structures and functions, how brain develops before birth through childhood and adolescence, learn about typical development of the brain and how we learn to walk, talk, make sense of the world, and develop basic skills necessary for educational success, and ways that brain development can be disrupted or negatively impacted and how this changes one’s behaviour and brain functioning across settings such as at home, at school, and in the community. Students will be introduced to current research in the fields of education, psychology, and neuroscience, and will learn how to critically evaluate research and best practices for application in classrooms and beyond.
A registration package will be sent to new students after they have been admitted. Registration for the summer term will be available in late winter. Fall and Winter registration opens in the spring. Your Graduate Program Administrator will send more information about registration to you.
Fee details are available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
The University of Calgary offers multiple ways to meet the cost of your education. Please refer to the Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries page to learn more about options available to students. For additional information, please contact Student Financial Support.
Please refer to Admission Requirements for Master's Programs.
Effective, engaging learning can take place completely online. I developed strong supportive relationships with my colleagues and instructors that I never thought would be possible in a fully virtual environment.
Nicole Neutzling, MEd
Educational Neuroscience and Leading and Learning in the Digital Age
Nicole graduated with her MEd in 2021. Read more about Nicole's journey
Program Schedule & Course Descriptions
- Program begins each Summer term (refer to the Academic Schedule for specific dates)
- Outlines are normally available 1-2 weeks prior to the start of term in D2L
- 3 units per course
Term 1 - Summer
Fundamentals of Neuroscience for Educators
This course will cover basic brain structure and functioning, behavioural geography of the brain, pathology and psychological functions, structural and functional brain organization, and typical vs. atypical brain development, particularly the impact of brain injury, neglect, stress, etc. on the developing brain and how this impacts one’s ability to acquire and develop basic skills. Additionally, the course will address specific developmental stages relevant for educators and how brain development during these stages interacts with classroom expectations.
Term 2 - Fall
Brain/Behaviour Relationships: Part I
This course delves into brain/behaviour relationships specific to the learning process, memory, and forgetting; including how these processes develop throughout the lifespan, and how difficulty with executive functioning impedes the learning process; how social-emotional competencies develop and ways to support students; how psychopathology and issues with mental health impede the learning process and how educators can support students with mental health issues in the classroom; and the importance of early intervention in the presence of atypical neurodevelopment.
Term 3 - Winter
Brain/Behaviour Relationships: Part II
This course builds upon the first course, delving deeper into brain/behaviour relationships specific to how language develops in infants and children and issues with dual language learners and ELL learners; how children develop literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy skills in early years and how educators can support this process; issues pertaining to atypical literacy and numeracy skill development; and the importance of early intervention in the presence of atypical development and using evidence-based practice in educational settings.
Term 4 - Spring
Pedagogical Implications of Neuroscience
This course will examine pedagogical practices from a neuroscientific and psychological framework and will provide students with skills to evaluate current research in the field. It will also cover best practices for conducting school-based research and designing school-based research studies to maximize impact and outcomes for learners.