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Diego – VUSD partnership have the potential for application in classrooms nationwide . Future iterations of the initiative will continue to extend the boundaries of our understanding on how to support the five million English learners in the country and their teachers .
“ If we change the way we engage with teachers , if we change the way we do science to really partner with the practitioner , we can have a big impact on the end experience of the teacher , the families and the child ,” says Wishard Guerra .
Bridging the Achievement Gap Like Wishard Guerra and Cohen , Tim Brown has focused his research in VUSD schools on improving outcomes for students , but his work takes place from the lens of a neuroscientist . Brown
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Mind the Gap : Research shows there are many ways for children to demonstrate cognitive strength . |
is associate professor of neurosciences in UC San Diego School of Medicine and a developmental cognitive neuroscientist and pediatric neuropsychologist by training .
In his initial conversations with teachers , he heard the same need for guidance over and over again . “ They said , ‘ I ’ m asking them to read or do math ’ and they ’ re struggling with that . But I know this kid is smart as a whip .”
The teachers ’ concerns got Brown thinking how multiple areas of cognitive strength could be used to bolster learning in children who are not doing as well as their academically successful peers . He decided to focus on music and the quality of empathy as areas of alternative cognitive strengths .
Brown and his research team have come up with some ingenious ways to observe and measure learning , development and brain activity in 4-year-olds . Their research toolkit includes old-fashioned puppets to engage children in role-play , a musical pitch test that Brown says students find “ fun and silly ” and an electroencephalogram to track brain activity .
The results of the tests have shown that children who were struggling academically scored as well as — in some cases better — than their academically successful classmates on both empathy and musical abilities .
“ Our findings support multiple ways of being mentally skilled , even in early childhood ,” says Brown . “ By demonstrating the existence of these untapped talents , we now have specific areas in which cognitive strengths might be used to bolster learning in those already academically behind . This , in turn , provides an empirical scientific rationale for music in classrooms at the early childhood grades .”
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One such initiative that is already in place at VUSD is Early Academic Readiness and Learning Intervention ( EARLI ), an eightweek singing program that has allowed researchers to study the development of musical skills in early childhood and its relationship to other developing areas of cognitive and academic skills . The program was developed by the research team in partnership with the San Diego Children ’ s Choir and is taught by veteran music educator Margie Orem .
“ It ’ s a musical program that we hope engages children on multiple levels — motor levels , social levels and cognitive levels ,” says Brown .
A Model for Collaboration The UC San Diego – VUSD partnership is garnering widespread attention as a model for researcher – practitioner collaboration . Superintendent Doyle and the research team members have presented their work at conferences around the country .
“ We have had many people reach out to us from across the nation and the world about the concept of a teacher – researcher collaborative ,” says Doyle . “ This is a unique situation we are in — we have researchers and teachers interacting in our classrooms .”
It ’ s a partnership that will continue to evolve in the coming years to meet the changing needs of educators and students .
“ The purpose of our research is not just to gather data and leave ,” says Cohen . “ The purpose is to coach teachers through developing , supporting and changing their practice . It ’ s been successful because we have this willing partner [ in VUSD ] who is very invested in the work we do and in changing how they engage with their students .” •
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