Module Title:

Mind, Brain and Education: Brain-Based Teaching with Thinking Tools

Addressed to:

Lecturers in Faculties of Education
Purpose: To equip pre-service teachers in the B.Ed program with a brain-friendly teaching framework rooted in insights from the field of MBE and strengthened through the practical Thinking Tools approach.

Background and Rationale:

The field of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) has grown exponentially since 2007 as an interdisciplinary area combining neuroscience, education, and psychology. Despite this growth, there is still a noticeable gap in B.Ed curricula where these insights are not yet fully integrated.

In a time when education must rapidly adapt to a changing world, it is critical to equip future teachers with a deep understanding of how the brain learns – not just what to teach.

Module Objective:

To help students understand how learning occurs naturally in the brain and to equip them with practical strategies – especially the Thinking Tools approach – to make teaching more effective, meaningful, and learner-driven.

Module Content Overview:

1. Introduction to MBE
   • The origins and value of the field
   • MBE as a bridge between neuroscience and classroom practice
2. How the Brain Learns
   • Neuroplasticity
   • Emotion, memory, attention, and motivation
3. Neuromyths vs Scientific Facts
   • Debunking common myths
   • The importance of evidence-based teaching practices
4. Basic principles of MBE
   • Classroom communication.
   • Scaffolding
   • Innerspeech
   • Group dynamics
5. Thinking Tools
   • The Mothership of all Thinking as it relates to inborn Thinking Tools
   • Clever Learning Activities
   • Bloom turned upside down for formative assessment
6. Brain-Friendly Teaching Strategies
   • Active learning, reflection, metacognition, and self-regulated learning
   • The five teaching methods
   • Hide and seek
   • Potential development
   • Formative assessment
7. Practical Application: Thinking Tools
   • Overview of the Thinking Tools structure
   • How it mirrors the brain’s natural learning process
   • Examples from subjects like Mathematics, Languages and learning subjects,
8. Lesson Planning & Assessment
   • Designing lessons aligned with MBE principles
   • Using formative assessment to guide learning, not judge it
9. How MBE relates to and support Neurodiverse Learners.
   • Assisting learners to become self-regulated individuals in their everyday lives
   • Dealing with Poor planning, Weak working memory, Weak working memory, Frail social consequences insights, Time Blindness, Poor Sense of Urgency,
   • Mastering cause and effect thinking, relations and live applications
   • Handling of irreversible, reversable, destructive and developmental thinking.
   • Improved learning

Module Outcomes:

Students will:

• Understand how the brain learns and how to apply that knowledge in the classroom
• Critically evaluate what evidence-based teaching means
• Use the Thinking Tools approach to facilitate active, visible learning
• Be more aware of learner diversity, learning barriers, and learner autonomy

Ideal for:

• Teaching methodology modules in the B.Ed program
• Professional development for lecturers and mentor teachers
• Integration into existing instructional strategy modules or as a stand-alone semester unit

Bonus Option:

The Thinking Tools approach can also be offered as a short course or certificate aligned with MBE principles, aimed at transforming teaching practices through hands-on, brain-based strategies.

I am available to:

• Deliver a presentation to faculty or staff
• Offer a sample lesson or introductory workshop

Please feel free to reach out if you're interested in collaboration.

Cas Olivier
Developer of the Thinking Tools Approach