About the Film
Grey Matters, a feature-length documentary, shows three teachers who resort to studying the brain to break through the boredom and disinterest of their students. What they learn changes their students lives immeasurably. The film examines the question, "Can neuroscience can remake the teaching process, and if yes, what does that look like in practice?"
A group of teachers, in an effort to help their students further, decide to continue their professional development by researching more about the process of learning. Their paths collide at the Mind, Brain, and Teaching program, a graduate certificate program at Johns Hopkins School of Education. The program explores how cognitive and neuroscience research can guide and inform education and the teaching process. They study with Dr. Mariale Hardiman and learn about the Brain-targeted Teaching Model, which she developed to teach teachers how to teach the way the brain learns. These teachers return to their classrooms invigorated and inspired, armed with research and insights into how the brain learns, and a plan to transform their teaching process and reach
their students. The changes are subtle but students find themselves motivated like they weren't before. They talk about how knowing their teachers care, inspires them to put more into the class. Knowing how the brain functions prompts teachers to “teach” the fundamentals of studying because just saying to students, “Study this” is meaningless without understanding how memory and attention works.
But there's push back.
This seemingly win-win scenario is challenged by peer teachers and administrators :
• It's just another fad
• Great, something else I have to think about
• You want me to learn about the brain? Too complicated and I don't have enough time.
• We don't know enough about the brain to bring into into the classroom
• How is knowing about the brain going to fix poverty?
Grey Matters is a film about hope and possibilities, science, expectations, and what's possible when we live slightly outside of our comfort zone. Let's teach the way the brain learns and change the education story.
A group of teachers, in an effort to help their students further, decide to continue their professional development by researching more about the process of learning. Their paths collide at the Mind, Brain, and Teaching program, a graduate certificate program at Johns Hopkins School of Education. The program explores how cognitive and neuroscience research can guide and inform education and the teaching process. They study with Dr. Mariale Hardiman and learn about the Brain-targeted Teaching Model, which she developed to teach teachers how to teach the way the brain learns. These teachers return to their classrooms invigorated and inspired, armed with research and insights into how the brain learns, and a plan to transform their teaching process and reach
their students. The changes are subtle but students find themselves motivated like they weren't before. They talk about how knowing their teachers care, inspires them to put more into the class. Knowing how the brain functions prompts teachers to “teach” the fundamentals of studying because just saying to students, “Study this” is meaningless without understanding how memory and attention works.
But there's push back.
This seemingly win-win scenario is challenged by peer teachers and administrators :
• It's just another fad
• Great, something else I have to think about
• You want me to learn about the brain? Too complicated and I don't have enough time.
• We don't know enough about the brain to bring into into the classroom
• How is knowing about the brain going to fix poverty?
Grey Matters is a film about hope and possibilities, science, expectations, and what's possible when we live slightly outside of our comfort zone. Let's teach the way the brain learns and change the education story.
info@changethelensproductions.com
