Donna Wilson facts for kids
Donna Wilson is an expert in how our brains learn. She is a school psychologist and a teacher who helps other teachers understand the science behind learning. She has written over 20 books about how the mind and brain work, and how this knowledge can make teaching better.
Donna Wilson is a leader at the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention (CIEP) and BrainSMART. She travels to many places, both in the United States and other countries, to talk at education conferences. She also writes a regular blog on Edutopia, sharing her ideas with many educators. She helps guide schools, like New York City's Portfolio School, and is part of the foundation for Carl Albert State College.
Before all this, Donna Wilson studied how our thinking can change and improve. She then created a special program at the University of Detroit Mercy to put this brain research into practice. As a former classroom teacher herself, her main goal is to give teachers the tools and knowledge to teach in ways that match how students actually learn. She helped create special university programs, like Master's and Doctoral degrees, focused on "Brain-Based Teaching" and "Brain-Based Leadership" at Nova Southeastern University.
Learning and Teaching
Donna Wilson earned her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. This means she studied how people learn and develop. She is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, which means she is qualified to help students with learning and behavior challenges in schools. She continued her advanced studies with famous psychologists like Reuven Feuerstein, learning even more about how to improve learning.
Donna Wilson started her university career teaching future teachers at Valdosta State University. Later, she led the Education Department at the University of Detroit Mercy. There, she helped create a special master's degree program for teachers. This program focused on how students think and stay motivated in different kinds of classrooms.
She also led two important research projects:
- One project, supported by the Annenberg Foundation and Florida Atlantic University, looked at using a "brain-based teaching" approach.
- Another project, lasting three years, was with the Florida Department of Education. It was called "Scholarships for Teachers in Action Research" (STAR) and also focused on brain-based teaching.
Because these projects were so successful, new university degrees were created at Nova Southeastern University. These degrees, including the Master of Science and Educational Specialist degrees, focused on "Brain-Based Teaching." Donna Wilson believes that brain-based teaching means understanding that learning can actually change our brains. It uses research about the brain and how we think to make teaching in the classroom even better.
Books and Ideas
Donna Wilson has written many books and articles, often with her co-author, Mariale Conyers. These publications share ideas on how teachers can use brain science to help students learn more effectively and even be happier.
Some of her books include:
- Smarter Teacher Leadership: Neuroscience and the Power of Purposeful Collaboration (2016) – This book helps teachers work together better using brain science.
- Positively Smarter: Science and Strategies for Increasing Happiness, Achievement, and Well-Being (2015) – This book explores how brain science can help students be happier and achieve more.
- Teaching Students to Drive Their Brains: Metacognitive Strategies, Activities, and Lesson Ideas (2016) – This book teaches students how to take charge of their own learning by understanding how their brains work.
- Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching: Connecting Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Classroom Practice (2013) – This book shares five main ideas for great teaching, linking brain research to what happens in the classroom.
Her work helps teachers understand that when students learn, their brains actually change. She provides practical ways for teachers to use this knowledge every day.
