Neuroscience and Education: Issues and Opportunities

Improving education is a national priority for the UK. In this Commentary, we explore the scope for our emerging knowledge of the working of the brain to contribute to better educational outcomes, especially for children. This publication unites two of the Economic and Social Research Council’s principal concerns. One is for education. The Teaching and Learning Research Programme is the ESRC’s largest research initiative. It is dedicated to performing excellent research that leads to better education for people at all stages of life. From its inception, it has promoted discussion of the link between education and neuroscience.

This collection of 16 essays is ideal for staff development providers (university faculty, district supervisors, lead teachers, and principals) as well as preservice science methods instructors. Each essay describes a specific program designed to train current or future teachers to carry out the constructivist, inquiry-based approach of the Standards. These professional development programs are in universities and school districts around the country—from Florida to Alaska, in rural and urban areas, and in contexts ranging from summer institutes to on-site support programs.

College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students What is the value of a college degree? The four-year college experience is as American as apple pie. So is the belief that education offers a ticket to a better life. But with student-loan debt surpassing the $1 trillion mark and unemployment on the rise, people are beginning to question that value. Is a college diploma still worth pursuing at any price?

Lessons cover all four skill areas as well as grammar and vocabulary. Each unit ends with a DVD lesson based around an extract from a BBC programme which provides a springboard for meaningful speaking and writing tasks. Models of authentic English are also provided through ‘on the street’ interviews filmed by the BBC.

The Effects of Task Type and Instructions on Second Language Acquisition

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the role of tasks in second language acquisition and a substantial body of research now exists to show their potential contribution to language learning and teaching.