Learning and the Brain

This year’s Westminster Teaching Symposium brought together about 175 Westminster faculty members and educators from area schools for a half-day of discussion about the intersection between neuroscience, and teaching and learning.

The Feb. 22 symposium was sponsored by the Westminster Teaching Initiative (WTI), which encourages collaboration and dialogue among Westminster faculty members about curriculum and pedagogy. For the past seven years, WTI has hosted an annual symposium at Westminster that widens that circle of sharing to include teachers and educators from areas schools.

“Modern, holistic educators must consider the ever-deepening understanding of the adolescent brain when structuring lesson plans and adjusting classroom strategies,” said WTI director Charlie Griffith P’11, ’14, ’17 in his welcoming remarks. “A thorough knowledge of the physiology and functions of the brain — from the amygdala and its connection to stress and emotion, to the hippocampus and memory, to the prefrontal cortex and executive function — combined with an appreciation for concepts of growth and neuroplasticity are essential for the success of every student and for every effective teacher and school.”

The keynote speaker was Dr. Judy Willis, a board-certified neurologist with 15 years of experience as a practicing neurologist and 10 years of experience as a classroom teacher. Dr. Willis earned a M.D. at UCLA and a M.Ed. at UC Santa Barbara, where she also served on the adjunct faculty. An authority in the field of learning-centered brain research and classroom strategies derived from this research, she is the author of seven books has been interviewed by major media outlets. Dr. Willis travels nationally and internationally, giving presentations, workshops and consulting about learning and the brain. The title of her Westminster presentation was “Learning and the Brain: Developing Executive Function.”

During her talk, Dr. Willis described the role of the prefrontal cortex of the brain in controlling executive function and why it is important for students to develop executive function for success in school, college, work and life. She pointed out that while it may seem that students today have more difficulty being organized, it may be because their executive function skills cannot meets the demands of the current information age overload. She explained neuroplasticity and its role in stretching the brain to new limits and how students need to gain experience evaluating information beyond their brain’s first response to leap to judgment. She also outlined some classroom strategies for facilitating executive function skills and helping students learn to think outside the box.

Following Dr. Willis’ presentation, breakout sessions were held on a number of topics: Dr. Willis gave a follow-up session titled “How Emotion Impacts the Brain’s Successful Learning and What to Do About It”; Lawrence Court, head of Westminster’s English Department spoke about “Teaching Uncomfortable Ideas”; Paul Cyr-Mutty, assistant headmaster and dean of faculty at Eaglebrook School discussed “Cultivating Lifelong Learners and the Adult Brain”; Jennifer Wojcik, performing arts chair and director of diversity at The Gunnery talked about “Supporting Diverse Learners Through Multiple Modalities”; and Westminster English teacher Emily Walsh ’09 and Noel Garrett, dean of academic support at Connecticut College, addressed “Metacognitive Strategies, Mindfulness and the Adolescent Brain.”

The symposium concluded with lunch in Armstrong Dining Hall where participants continued conversations about the morning’s presentations.