Science Teaching Series

Internet Resources

I. Developing Scientific Literacy

II. Developing Scientific Reasoning

III. Developing Scientific Understanding

IV. Developing Scientific Problem Solving

V. Developing Scientific Research Skills

VI. Resources for Teaching Science

5 Mind and Brain

1. The functional organization of the brain and the mind depends on and benefits positively from experience.

2. Development is not merely a biologically driven unfolding process, but also an active process that derives essential information from experience.

3. Research has shown that some experiences have the most powerful effects during specific sensitive periods, while others can affect the brain over a much longer time span.

4. An important issue that needs to be determined in relation to education is which things are tied to critical periods (e.g., some aspects of phonemic perception and language learning) and for which things is the time of exposure less critical. (127)