About this ebook
Despite the introduction of new technologies for
classrooms, many seminary courses still utilize primarily auditory methods to
convey content. Course outcomes may include opportunities for learners to
demonstrate knowledge and skills gained but may not include opportunities for
learners to begin to embed knowledge and skills into their long-term memory.
Educators are engaging with neuroscientists to reshape
classroom practices, content delivery, curriculum design, and physical classroom
spaces to enhance students’ learning and memory, primarily in elementary and
secondary education. Why not in seminary education?
An overview of how learning occurs in our brain, what
the different types of memory are, and how memory is created serves as a
framework for suggesting pedagogical tools. These brain-friendly tools are
specifically applied to individual academic disciplines, enabling instructors
to make concrete modifications in the structure and content of what is taught,
making learning more ‘sticky.’
Inglis’s synopsis of the
use of neuroscience in the classroom and suggested action is followed by a
collaborative dialogue with Kathy L. Dawson and Rodger Y. Nishioka. Dawson and
Nishioka provide practical commentary regarding the successful implementation
of Inglis’s proposed approach. As a group, Inglis, Dawson, and Nishioka create
a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical ways.
About the author
Holly J. Inglis has served as a pastor in the Society of Friends and as a Presbyterian church educator in Presbyterian churches in Indianapolis, Indiana; Arvada, Colorado; and Denver, Colorado. In addition to a Master of Divinity from Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana, she holds a doctorate in educational ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, where her research focused on the neuroscience of learning and memory. Holly has been a contributing blogger for seminariumblog.org and Confirm Not Conform, as well as a curriculum consultant for sparkhouse and writer for Vibrant Faith Ministries’ Milestones Ministry.
