Office for National Statistics
The Neuroscience of Learning and Development
Book

The Neuroscience of Learning and Development

Enhancing Creativity, Compassion, Critical Thinking, and Peace in Higher Education

Marilee Bresciani Ludvik
Stylus Publishing, 2016

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Researcher and educational expert Dr. Marilee Bresciani Ludvik and more than a dozen colleagues explore the complex relationship between neuroscience and learning in higher education. Together, she and her contributors provide insights into how educators can utilize neuroscience research to enhance student learning, confidence and well-being. This includes integrating mindfulness, compassion and hands-on learning into the postsecondary curriculum – a valuable starting point for those seeking to incorporate neuroscience insights into teaching practices.

Summary

Higher education in the United States compares unfavorably to higher education in much of the world.

Across measures of critical thinking, math and literacy, college graduates in the United States fall well below average when researchers compare them to most other wealthy nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Comparisons also reveal a deficiency of trust and well-being among American students.

The skills American graduates lack in reasoning and problem-solving are those most in demand by US employers. The US higher education system falls short due to its century-long evolution into a mass-credentialing machine featuring large lecture halls with hundreds of students. This conveyor-belt approach leaves little time for interaction or meaningful discussion – either between students and their professors, or with one another.

Today, many students and their parents question the wisdom of investing six figures and four years to obtain a degree that employers increasingly undervalue.

Modern neuroscience reveals components of learning that US higher education could implement and benefit from...

About the Author

Marilee Bresciani Ludvik, PhD, integrates mindfulness, compassion and other evidence-based practices to improve learning outcomes and well-being for students and educators.

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