Positive effects of brain-based education on teacher performance assessment outcomes

Abstract

The primary goal of this project was to improve teacher preparation by helping teachers identify pupils’ strengths, weaknesses, and affinities and by providing appropriate adjustments to instruction when necessary through neurodevelopmental methodology. Using a selected population of teacher candidates who were learning about brain-based education and neurodevelopment (ND) while preparing for the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT), the researchers looked for an opportunity to study the effects of ND methodology on candidates' PACT performance. A grant awarded to elementary, secondary, and special education faculties in an accelerated collaborative teaching (ACT) programme at California State University, Northridge, allowed participants to study certain features of using a specific approach, that is, neurodevelopmental methodology, and the effects of this approach on teaching and learning, including teacher performance assessment results. Fifteen target courses in the accelerated teacher programme were identified in the overall grant project for implementation of neurodevelopmental content; these courses included elementary, secondary, and special education levels and involved, as participants, 98 teacher candidates, 17 university faculty members, 28 university supervisors, and 163 master teachers.

Keywords:

• preservice teacher education
• neurodevelopment
• preservice teacher assessment