Educational Neuroscience Expert David A. Sousa Offers Research and Advice to Teachers in New Book

To reach students in today's high-tech landscape, teachers must change the way they teach, says Dr. David A. Sousa, internationally recognized expert in educational neuroscience and author of Engaging the Rewired Brain, recently released by Learning Sciences International.

In his book, Sousa shares findings from brain research, along with facts about how the human brain develops throughout childhood and adolescence, to provide evidence-based guidance and specific strategies to teachers working with technology-addicted learners.

Young people's brains are developing differently from those of past generations, he says, because technology has greatly reduced the need to remember information and devote sustained attention to activities. "Teachers generally focus mainly on their students' intellectual engagement and create lessons and assignments that stimulate their students' curiosity and interests. Today, the attractions and distractions of digital devices and other technologies complicate the task of intellectually engaging students. Because of these media, teachers are not the only ones attempting to get their students' attention."

In Engaging the Rewired Brain, Sousa focuses on the instructional shifts that today's educators must make to teach students whose brains have been "rewired" by an unprecedented use of technology. Describing the type of classroom that engages the rewired brain, he provides specific strategies to help teachers determine whether, when, and how to use technology, and explores the benefits of differentiated instruction, flipped classrooms, and online learning. He also offers recommendations to help professional developers and instructional coaches build teachers' digital literacy.

Sousa, a member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, has conducted workshops and presentations to hundreds of thousands of educators worldwide to help them understand students' cognitive development. "Good teachers have been using the same brain-friendly strategies since Sophocles," he explains. "They just didn't know why they worked. Now, they know. That's been the benefit of neuroscience."

To accompany the release of Engaging the Rewired Brain, Sousa will present a webinar on Wednesday, November 18 to discuss the content of the book. Anyone interested in attending the webinar is encouraged to register online.

Learning Sciences International, a leading provider of educational research and web-based and on-site solutions for professional development and performance management in education, supports schools and educational initiatives in 11 countries, 3 provinces in Canada, and 40 states in the United States of America. Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, the company currently serves 427 school districts; 5,575 school buildings; 311,000 teachers; and more than 4 million students in the United States.

For more information on the book or to request an interview with David A. Sousa, please email pub(at)learningsciences.com.

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