The Learning Brain

How well do our students understand their own brains? Students who better understand the workings of the learning process have more durable learning outcomes. This course introduces students to effective methods for approaching their own learning, both in the classroom and when they are studying outside of class. The course leads students (and their teachers!) through a variety of metacognitive exercises designed to have them examine their own behaviors and approaches to learning, how successful they are and how congruent they are with what the literature says about how learning happens. Students will also examine the ways they organize their lives to accomplish real learning in the digital age. At a high level, the course approaches how students create the habits, routines and capacity for reflection that are supported by cognitive and behavioral science. Students in this course act on what they learn about their own brains in the context of their classes.

Who is this course for?

This on-demand course is designed for students in grades 7-9 and is available year-round to teachers at member schools who want to personally guide their students through an online learning experience on a flexible timeline that meets their needs. There is no GOA facilitator for these learning experiences; instead, GOA provides on-campus affiliated teachers with a Teacher Playbook and student and teacher access to a complimentary learning space in GOA’s learning instance. On-demand flex courses have five parts, student engagement averages 30-45 minutes per part or 3-4 hours of total course engagement.

The use of pathways in the course design will allow classes from a variety of disciplines, clubs, and advisory programs to connect meaningfully to the program.