Talk:Mirror Neurons





Comments by David Moursund 4/15/08
My entry into being a teacher of teachers was through first getting a doctorate in math and becoming an Assistant Professor in a university math department. In that position, I began to teach teachers in National Science Foundation-funded summer institutes. After many years, I eventually became a Professor in the College of Education at the University of Oregon.

As I slowly learned about the field of education and teacher education, I learned that the field does not have a good underlying coherent theory of teaching and learning. Much of what I was learning and teaching was "art" rather than "science."

However, I soon learned that there are many excellent pieces of a science of teaching and learning. As an example, the High-road/Low-road of transfer of learning is a much better and more useful theory than the earlier near-transfer/far-transfer theory.

Over time I became convinced of the importance of the research and practitioner accumulated knowledge that is know as the Science of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) or the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Brain Science is now making significant contributions to SoTL. The Mirror neuron discoveries provide an excellent example. I think the overall field of brain science has now progressed to the level that a course on Brain Science in Eduction should be required of preservice teachers, or that the equivalent of such a course should be integrated into existing required coursework.