Websites worth the look.

There are hundreds of websites about brain research and problem solving.  While I perused the Internet looking for a few that were actually relevant, informative and professional. I found the following two that were also well written.

12 Design Principles Based on Brain-based Learning Research
By Jeffery A. Lackney, Ph.D.
Based on a workshop facilitated by Randall Fielding, AIA
http://www.designshare.com/Research/BrainBasedLearn98.htm

Interesting article about specific aspects of the brain and how brains work and why brain research should be considered when designing curriculum.  This article and site also discusses various school designs that are innovative and take into account the brain and learning.

Appreciative Inquiry

Solving problems by looking at what's going right
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_85.htm

The Mindtools website offers a lot of information about problem solving and in this particular article it discusses a different approach to problem solving.  Many times in my own classroom when a lesson didn’t go well I often reflected and looked at what went wrong.  This approach from Mindtools offers an idea of looking at what went right and building from there.  A very interesting way to look at problem solving and I could use this information in my classroom as well.  I could teach students how to problem solve by looking at what went well on their assignments.  This would allow students to look at their grades in a positive light and then find ways to expand on what is going well.  A very different outlook to grades.