Master of Educational Neuroscience

UNIT OVERVIEWS

EDED20515 Orientation to Educational Neuroscience
Educators are brain changers through the learning experiences they create (Willis, ca 2018). They are neural architects working with students/clients (Fuller, 2019). It is critical to have informed knowledge about the brain to maximise learning and wellness. In this unit, you will learn how our social brain connects with others in ways that are core to our very existence. You will learn too about neurobiological fundamentals and how neuroplasticity drives the development of neural networks in learning and memory, the role of stress responses in learning, and how sleep, nutrition and movement are critical to a healthy brain. You will gain neuroscientific insights into evidence-based findings, both contemporary and emerging, to enhance your practices to create optimal learning environments that underpin achievement and wellness.

EDED20516 Neuroleadership and Conceptual Approaches in Educational Neuroscience
With so much neuroscientific research emerging daily, having robust, practical models based upon contemporary understandings are critical for professionals to inform practice. You will learn about quality models in Educational Neuroscience exemplified by ‘The Icecap model’ (Newman, 2018) in Neuroleadership. From these, you will also learn practical strategies for professionals and leaders that can be used immediately. You will learn about contemporary evidence from cutting edge research using brain-friendly principles and cover topics including brain architecture, neuroplasticity, genes, epigenetics, maintaining a healthy brain, and the science of learning. The conceptual approaches learnt will provide well-researched, holistic perspectives beneficial to educators, professionals and those with whom they interact. You will develop a new paradigm of achievement and wellness based on neural models that can powerfully inform your practices. As a leader informing your practices using Neuroleadership understandings will impact positively your learning community including colleagues and young people.

EDED20517 Neuroplasticians and Neuromyths
Educators and other professionals quite literally change the brain of students/clients – they are ‘neuroplasticians’ (Willis, ca 2018). Learn how findings from Psychology, Education and Neuroscience (PEN) disciplines co-jointly support brain-friendly principles to improve both achievement and wellness. Learn too about the many neuromyths that abound and how to challenge and avoid those. Unit content is carefully selected from authoritative sources such as Tokuhama-Espinosa, Willis, The Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC), Howard-Jones, Siegel and other prominent, cutting-edge researchers in Educational Neuroscience. You will learn about research-based findings that have immediate practical use with learners including young people and colleagues. You will review contemporary brain teaching guidelines and use those to enhance your practices utilising integrative reflections.

EDED20513 Learning and Memory – A Neuroscientific View
Educators need an understanding of learning and memory that is informed by evidence-based research involving neural activation patterns. In this unit, you will engage with contemporary views on how the brain works and develops by responding to internal and external stimuli. You will learn about how information flows in the brain, and how the brain creates, consolidates, stores and retrieves memories. The knowledge and skills that you develop in this unit may be applied immediately in your professional practice to enhance learning and memory.

EDED29448 Neuroplasticity Project
The essence of education is the facilitation of learning that depends upon the activation of neural networks. In this unit, you will enhance your understanding of how neural networks operate and how to link performance and wellness to establish and maintain optimal learning environments. As an educator, you need a deep and practical understanding of neuroplasticity to further enhance practice. Neuroplasticity can be used to either improve or compromise learning. In your workplace, you will identify a compromised neuroplasticity issue for learners and design a project to address that. In your project, you will evidence an advanced application of your specialised knowledge and skills in neuroplasticity theory and practice.

EDED20512 Applying Educational Neuroscience
As a professional educator, you need to understand the underlying concepts and principles of contemporary Educational Neuroscience. This field within Neuroscience has matured over the past few years. Drawing upon the works of world-renowned experts in the field, you will develop an understanding of how to use contemporary evidence-based knowledge about teaching and learning to further inform your professional practices. In this unit, you will learn how to evaluate neuroscientific information so that you can use high-quality and contemporary knowledge to further enhance your professional practices in an integrated and ethical manner. That includes the use of both conceptual and empirical studies that you may come across in your professional work. You will learn about selecting, analysing, adapting and applying Educational Neuroscience research immediately in your professional practices. You will be able to communicate relevant ideas with both specialist and non-specialist audiences. This may lead you to later doing your own practitioner-based research using approaches from Educational Neuroscience that you will learn about in this unit.

EDED20514 Capstone Project in Educational Neuroscience
In this capstone unit, you will create a project that evidences the application of your specialised knowledge and skills in Educational Neuroscience. To do this you will identify a complex educational issue in your workplace and design a socially innovative solution. Early on in your project’s design, you will co-create its conceptual framework with work colleagues, as relevant, and an assigned CQUniversity academic (Dollinger, Lodge, & Coates, 2018). Following that, you will design the full project and provide a considered view of why student/client achievement and wellness should improve from your socially innovative project. Your project will be planned in a methodologically rigorous and ethically informed way that evidences your use of contemporary evidence-based research and synthesises your learning from Educational Neuroscience.