Judy Willis is a neuroscientist who wanted to discover why there was a sudden jump of referrals to evaluate students with supposed ADD and OCD etc. When evaluating the children she realized that most of the children did not suffer from any of these conditions. She decided the cause were classrooms that were geared solely towards the test or over-stuffed curriculum. After that she decided to get her teaching degree and has been teaching elementary and middle school since.
She came up with RAD (Reticular Activating System, Amygdala, Dopamine) teaching to help teachers apply the knowledge science has about the brain to develop strategies to help students’ academic success. People who use RAD teaching help their students overcome challenges, enrich talents, lower stress levels during tests and help build academic skills.
Judy Willis’ research has helped us understand that there are ways of teaching that appeal better to the brain. I think it’s important that teachers model their lesson plans around student retention. In order to do that we have to understand how the brain works. With Judy Willis’ research I’ll be able to take the knowledge I have on different learning styles and then come up with strategies that best suit those learning needs. This may also help battle problems with motivation and organization that every teacher comes across.
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