The Science of Learning and Development in Education

All teachers need to know how children and adolescents learn and develop. Traditionally, this knowledge had been informed by a mix of speculative and scientific theory. However, in the past three decades there has been substantial growth in new scientific knowledge about how we learn.

The Science of Learning and Development in Education provides an exciting and comprehensive introduction to this field. This innovative text introduces readers to brain science and the science of complex systems as it applies to human development.

Section 1 examines the science of learning and development in the 21st century; Section 2 explores the emotional, cultural, moral and empathetic brain; and Section 3 focuses on learning, wellbeing and the ecology of learning environments.

Written in an engaging style by leading experts and generously illustrated with colour photographs and diagrams, The Science of Learning and Development in Education is an essential resource for pre-service teachers.

About the Authors

Minkang Kim is Senior Lecturer in Human Development and Education, in the School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney. Over the past decade, she has worked within the field of human development and neuroscience, particularly as these disciplines apply to educational theory and practice. She is especially interested in the role of emotion, empathy and value in human development, learning and wellbeing, as evidenced in social/educational contexts and the functioning brain.

In line with developmental science, generally, over the past decade Kim's research has progressively been underpinned by Dynamic Systems Theory (DST). Her empirical research methods include Electroencephalogram (EEG), eye-tracking, micro- genetic observation and State Space Grids (SSGs) together with more traditional research methods.

Derek Sankey is an Honorary Associate at The University of Sydney, Australia. Derek has combined a career-long commitment to the reform of teacher education with a lifelong teaching and research focus situated at the interface between the natural sciences and the humanities. He gained his PhD at London University, Institute of Education, where he was employed from 1986-1995.

Previously he had directed a national project for the Farmington Institute, Oxford on the teaching of science and the humanities. He worked at the Hong Kong Institute of Education from 1995-2006, and part-time at Seoul National University (2008-10), before moving to Australia in 2010. His academic background is in philosophy of science, with a particular interest in the interplay of philosophy, neuroscience and education. Over the past 20 years, his research has progressively focused on the application of complexity (dynamic systems) theory to the notion of the human self and its education.