Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Learning & Instruction

Faculty: Julie Fiez, Charles Perfetti, Walter Schneider, and Chris Schunn

Course Coordinator Walter Schneider wws@pitt.edu

Spring 2006 Psych 2476 Meeting time 11:30AM - 1:55PM on Mondays 814 LRDC

Web Link http://schneider.lrdc.pitt.edu/P2476/

This seminar examines the biological basis of human learning and the implications for effective instruction.  This course will address meeting the Bruer Challenge (1997) of relating the brain and education through the use of models and understanding the processes that produce robust learning. The seminar will provide a scientific perspective how neuroscience can inform learning science.  The topics will include: learning: neural plasticity, brain development, cognitive neuroscience of knowledge representation, episodic and procedural memory, reinforcement, attentional mechanisms, and affect processing.  Applied instructional topics will include: learning from math, reading, physics and art. We expect to build a solid scientific bridge from neuroscience mechanisms, to models of learning and cognitive performance, to understanding and enhancement of human learning.. Syllabus and details are available at http://Schneider.lrdc.pitt.edu/p2476/

General concept:

We will begin with 9 weeks of lecture, in which we will introduce a computational perspective of one mechanism of learning, coupled with a plausible neural system, and related to an educational perspective that would support robust learning. Then we will cover applied examples of learning relating to the past weeks mechanisms.. We will cover 4 such pairs including: a) cortical plasticity unsupervised learning and exploratory/experience based learning; b) hippocampus/episodic learning, and remindings; basal ganglia, reinforcement learning, and language and procedural learning; c)frontal cortex, hybrid models and problem solving and disorganized though. The first week will be in a lecture format, with approximately 45 minutes of lecture each for the computational and neuroscience info. This should leave of time for questions and discussion, either during each lecture presentation or at the end of the lecture period. The second week will have a discussion format. Students will be responsible for presenting two papers that attempt to provide an applied example of the material covered in lecture the previous week. Ideally, these papers will be of intrinsic interest and help to reinforce both the methods and theoretical perspectives developed in the prior week.

After this initial “unit” of learning science, we will then turn to a 3-week unit in which we discuss what is known about the cognitive science and neuroscience of multiple content domains: math, reading, physics and art.

Finally, we will end with 2-3 weeks in which we examine how this body of knowledge might be used to motivate new approaches to educational practice. How can we use neuroscience concepts, models of learning, and behavioral results to improve instruction in natural and classroom settings?

Student assignments:

Students will be assigned one paper. For this paper, we will need to allocate time for the following: 1) Outline proposal of intended paper March 12 2) first draft April 2, 3) final draft April 16.. This paper could either look like an NIH predoctoral dissertation grant, or it could like a training grant (students might be allowed to work in pairs for the latter.). Grades will be base 80% submitted paper, 20% class participation and presentation of papers. Auditors will be required to do the readings and class presentations.

P2476 Class Topics Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Learning & Instruction
week	Discussion	lecture
1	Bridging Instruction & Brain Bruer article	Basics of connectionism
2	Connectionist Modeling papers	Basics of neuroplasticity
3	Neuroplasticity	Basics of hippocampus
4	Multiple Memory Systems	Learning phenomena
5	Wrap-up education discussion	Basics of supervised learning
6	Temporal difference models	basics of basal ganglia & cerebellum
7	Neuro papers on reinforcement learning	basics of hybrid models
8	Modeling hybrid papers	basics of neuro control systems
9	Spring Break	Spring Break
10	Neuro papers on PFC	wrap-up education discussion
11	Overview of education content areas	overview of math
12	Math papers (seigler, dehaene)	overview of reading
13	Reading papers
14	Papers on art, stress, individual difference exercise, etc	wrap-up discussion
15	To Be Determined