Innovation in Education: Connecting How We Learn to Educational Practice and Policy - Research Evidence and Implications

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

As societies become progressively knowledge-intensive, they increasingly rely on human capabilities to learn and innovate. How each nation's education system prepares or fails to prepare its citizenry to meet these challenges are topics of global interest. A primary driver of educational innovation is basic research focused on how humans learn. The challenge is how to more effectively use research about how people learn to inform educational practice, and conversely, how to use knowledge and experience gained from educational practice to raise questions that test and refine research being conducted on learning. This award will enable US researchers to participate in the OECD conference on Innovation in Education: Connecting how we learn to educational practice and policy research evidence and implications. In addition, these researchers will be able to participate in a scientific symposium on Neuroimaging and advances in Learning research, to be held just prior to the OECD conference. The Intellectual merit and broader impacts of the two separate, but related activities include the following: 1) it will bring together an international group of researchers, practitioners and policymakers for discussions about key scientific findings that have implications for educational practice and policy creating an understanding of the value of learning research and its impacts on social and economic priorities; 2) It will foster the development of an international network of researchers, practitioners and policy makers to continue the dialogue after the meeting. Continued engagement will enable US researchers and educators to examine models of learning and teaching that have proven successful in other countries. An understanding of the essential elements that can be tested, developed and adapted for use will be of benefit to US researchers and educators; 3) enable the US researchers attending the scientific symposium to develop new collaborations with European leaders in neuroimaging and learning research, and to create international opportunities for training of US students.