Dr. Pamela Cantor: The Science of Learning and Development Initiative came together to answer a question. What science should we pay attention to in order to understand how learning happens?

Teacher: Have a good day.

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: The Science of Learning and Development is really an attempt to synthesize a huge body of knowledge that’s accumulated over many, many years from the learning sciences, from psychology and anthropology and brain science. Put all that together and understand how people, in fact, develop and how they learn.

Dr. Pamela Cantor: There are a few core principles that define all of human development. The first is malleability, the unique property of the brain to change in response to relationships and experiences. Neural tissue is the most susceptible to change of any tissue in the human body. When children are born, their brains are not fully developed. The development of the brain actually continues into young adulthood. It is relationships and experiences that drive the development of the brain. If children have the experience of adversity they will have uneven development of foundational skills, like self-regulation, relationship skills that are prerequisites for more complex skills like perseverance and self-direction. These are the children who are at risk to fall further and further behind. But what’s most interesting is that a child can become a productive and engaged learner from any developmental starting point as long as we intentionally build those skills.

Teacher: Turn to your table group and discuss this. Come up with a statement.

Dr. Pamela Cantor: When we’re able to combine social, emotional, affective and cognitive development together, we are creating many, many more interconnections in the developing brain that enable children to accelerate learning and development.

Student: We got this, guys. We got this.

Dr. Pamela Cantor: As educators, we have an extraordinary opportunity to shape the developing brains of children and to create that kind of stimulus that drives the integration of the brain.

Teacher: Life isn’t all about going at it alone. We’re up there to support you when you don’t necessarily have the skills or tools that you need.

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: The Science of Learning and Development tells us that school needs to organize for strong relationships.

Student: You look pretty, Miss Turner.

Falon Turner: Thank you, baby.

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: When a strong relationship exists with a teacher, with a mentor, with an advisor, with a school administrator, it actually can reverse the effects of adverse experiences. Children are amazingly resilient, if they get that opportunity for attachment, for comfort and for problem solving with a caring adult. If we walk into a classroom that’s really informed by these principles, we’ll see kids actively engaged in their learning.

Teacher: What is this graph telling us?

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: They will be using critical thinking and problem solving. They will be putting ideas into action.

Teacher: This one is much longer than the other one you were using.

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: They will have lots of tools and manipulatives that they can work with to help them understand the ideas. And as they undertake these tasks, they’re building both the social and emotional foundation and they’re also building cognitive abilities.

Teacher: Any volunteers to go up and do a priority list?

Student: Okay, we have Alex due tomorrow.

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond: These are all skills that can be taught. These are as important as learning your ABCs and your arithmetic facts.

Student: It’s 80 so it has to be under.

Teacher: Nice.

Teacher: So it’s important to understand that even though somebody says something you might disagree with, everybody’s contributing to this shared dialogue in this safe space.

Dr. Pamela Cantor: Today, we have a very big task in front of us, but it is a very positive and optimistic task.

Falon Turner: Good morning, friends.

Students: Good morning.

Dr. Pamela Cantor: Because we now have a knowledge of how children become learners and the opportunity to create an education system that’s informed by a knowledge of the developing brain.

Teacher: So that’s collaboration and compassion.

Students: Yay.