How’s this for a useful application of science: An interesting post by Dr. Judy Willis in Edutopia makes the case for teachers having a foundation in neuroscience.  A neurologist herself, as well as a teacher, Dr. Willis says, “Teachers who are prepared with knowledge of the workings of the brain will have the optimism, incentive and motivation to follow the ongoing research, and to apply their findings to the classroom.”  She goes on to say, “These teachers can help all children build their brain potential — regardless of past performance — bridge the achievement gap, and reach their highest 21st century potential starting now.”  Dr. Willis’s argument makes good sense.  As she points out, if teachers understood the impact of stress on a student’s classroom performance, or knew more about how the brain processes and stores information, wouldn’t such knowledge have great potential to result in a better classroom experience for all students?