Education
NECSI's educational research provides insight into what should be taught, how teaching and learning can be improved, as well as what the structure of the educational system as a whole should be. Additionally, NECSI's mind and brain studies provide research on how creativity, individual differences, and various modes of learning result from the structure of our nervous system.
Our research investigates the psychological problems caused when the environments in which children and teachers interact don't have the right level of complexity. High complexity leads to undue stress, while low complexity leads to boredom. Each carries a severe toll when unalleviated for extended periods.
Current efforts to improve the educational system employ standardized tests to evaluate students, teachers and schools. However, our scientific analysis supports the claim that such tests promote unfulfilling and ineffective uniformity among students. The diverse needs of today's students and today's society can only be met by more individualized programs of learning.
Publications, Books & Edited Volumes
Yaneer Bar-Yam: Making Things Work: Solving Complex Problems in a Complex World, Knowledge Press, 2005, chapters 12-13.
The Education System
Teaching Complex Systems Concepts
Planning Documents for a National Initiative on Complex Systems in K-16 Education