Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa - Five Pillars of the Mind: Redesigning Education to Suit the Brain

Advance Praise

Dr. Tokuhama-Espinosa has bridged the gap between cognitive science and pedagogy with clarity and grace. I highly appreciate the difficulty of translating the complexity of this topic in a language which can be understood by a broader audience. Her work has proven very useful for our own foresight study on the nexus of human cognition and machine learning. Her five pillar structure provides a critical transdisciplinary lens to both diagnose and communicate such interdependent relationships.

Mark Azzam, Dr.-Ing., Executive Board Representative Digit alization and Head of Think Tank at the German Aerospace Ce nter (DLR)

Tokuhama-Espinosa presents a game-changing theory about how humans think and learn, appealing to researchers and lay readers alike with her succinct yet comprehensive writing. Characterized by transdisciplinary thought and real-world examples, the authors ideas apply not only to a myriad of disciplines, but also to our everyday life. Connecting topics such as the mind, brain, and learning to everything from sand dunes, to stingrays, music, emojis, and math, this book is undoubtedly worth the read.

Cynthia Borja, Ph.D., professor and Dean of the School of Psychology, Universidad de Las Amricas Quito , co-founder of and researcher at Connections: The Learning Sciences Platform

With depth and brilliance, Tokuhama-Espinosa has created a masterwork with Five Pillars of the Mind . She proposes a fresh taxonomy for our time replacing antiquated curriculum models with neurologically anchored pillars. Look for Symbols, Patterns, Order, Categories, and Relationships to be the new fundamental launching points for the design of contemporary learning experiences. In exquisite detail, she explores what replacing with an upgrade to the pillars would literally look like in our education settings. Moreover, Tokuhama-Espinosa dives into the connections between brain research and how it must be reflected directly into our education models of practice. I recommend this engaging and mind-opening book to educators at all levels seeking fresh curricular possibilities.

Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Ed.D., President, Curriculum Desig ners, Inc.

One paragraph and I was hooked. One chapter and I was jumping up in excitement. For a teacher like me, with a passion for brain sciences and whose life mission is to relieve the suffering of the classroom, this book is a godsend. Tracey, a true teachers teacher, has shown us the path to making education effective; and more, to making it humane.

Curtis Kelly, Ed.D, founder of the JALT Mind, Brain, and Education Special Inte rest Group

Among a cacophony of voices telling us that education is in desperate need of change, Five Pillars of the Mind emerges as a logical and systematic framing of that important change. Tokuhama-Espinosas brilliant concept of the five pillars is founded in deep reading of neuroscience, education, and psychology literature, the combination of which is known as the field of Mind Brain Education. Tokuhama-Espinosa has a unique and remarkable talent to balance the theoretical and the applied, a great service to her readers. Whatever our position in educationschool leader, teacher, parent, school reform activist, or just curious onlookerthis book provides us with a fascinating and inspiring thought exercise, supported by page after page of practical examples, about how school can better serve students.

Emily McCarren, Ph.D., Principal, Punah ou School

Five Pillars of the Mind presents a sophisticated and provocative conception of learning with profound implications for educational curricula, assessments, instruction, and the very structures of schooling. Citing multi-disciplinary sources from cognitive psychology, educational neuroscience, and studies of student achievement, Dr. Tokuhama-Espinosa offers a framework that will likely challenge your mental constructs and question many established practices. Get ready for a deep dive!

Jay McTighe, M.Ed., educational author and consultant; co-author of the Understanding by Desi gn series

This book places learning and teaching in a whole new, brain-friendly light! Traceys compelling thesisthat all learning is the learning of symbols, patterns, order, categories, and relationships, and that learning outcomes will improve by aligning curricula and teaching to these five pillars of the mindis a must read for researchers in psychology, neuroscience, and education, as well as for pioneering practitioners keen to develop curricula and methodologies better suited to the learning brain.

Dieuwerke Rutgers, Ph.D. , Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

The author has done a breath-taking examination of the literature and engaged with a score of experts in neuroscience and education around what she identifies as the Five Pillars concept. Not only does she join the dots convincingly between neuronal networks and decades-long educational theory, she engages in appropriate inquiry around teacher development and curriculum: usually a no-go zone for researchers, most of whom do not wish to disturb the status quo. Refreshingly, Tokuhama-Espinosa tackles the idea of how the Five Pillars concept might look, if we were to apply it to curriculum design. The author acknowledges next steps to test the model thoroughly, and outlines a number of challenges, none of which are insurmountable. In sum, this book merits consideration by leaders and practitioners, as we ask ourselves how best to prepare our young people in this age of exponential learning. Perhaps the answer lies in (the structure of) our brains.

Kevin J. Ruth, Ph.D., Executive Director, ECIS, the Educational Collaborative for Internationa l Schools

In this brief but mighty volume, Tokuhama-Espinosa proposes a new way of processing, probing, and understanding the world around usand of structuring teaching and learning. Drawing on insights from psychology and neuroscience, she presents five organizing pillars to deepen learning, develop reason, and facilitate meaning-making for teachers and students alike. This is the most thought-provoking and innovative book about education I have read in a very long time.

Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D., William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor, Curry School of Education, University o f Virginia

Tokuhama-Espinosa has written a cutting-edge book that has the potential to change the way educators think about designing and teaching the curriculum. Teaching relationships using the five broad pillars makes infinitely more sense in this day when most content can be found by Googling.

Pat Wolfe, Ed.D, author of Brain Matters: Translating Research to Classroo m Practice

Norton Books in Education

Redesigning Education to Suit the Brain

TRACEY TOKUHAMA-ESPINOSA

Note to Readers : Models and/or techniques described in this volume are illustrative or are included for general informational purposes only; neither the publisher nor the author can guarantee the efficacy or appropriateness of any particular recommendation in every circumstance.

Copyright 2019 by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa

All rights reserved
First Edition

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830