Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how knowledge on the neuroscience of learning may inform the practice of teaching and classroom instruction. Twelve purposively selected elementary teachers from a private school in California were asked about their perceptions of the nature of a professional development (PD) course on the neuroscience of learning and also their perceptions of the influence such training had on their practice. The conceptual framework for this study was Desimone and Garet’s (2015) model of effective professional development. Themes from semi structured interviews, focus groups, and observations of the teacher participants were identified using thematic analysis. The themes identified were: (a) the structure of PD is critical to its success, (b) follow up to PD is critical to implementation of training, (c) neuroscience of learning PD is beneficial for elementary teachers, and (d) effective PD on the neuroscience of learning needs certain components. This study elucidates considerations for stakeholders in creating effective PD neuroscience courses.
Recommended Citation
Bana, Wendy and Cranmore, Jeff
(2019)
"Elementary Teacher Perceptions of Professional Development on the Neuroscience of Learning,"
Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 31:
Iss.
3, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol31/iss3/5
