Getting Started

In the meantime, prepare yourself for the kinds of research possibilities that will emerge. Begin by identifying a cognitive system or brain function that intrigues you, and then carefully study its functional elements. Master the inherent research problems at that level, and you'll then be ready to tackle their more complex neurobiological elements whenever you gain access to the more effective emerging research technologies.

I indicated above that mirror neurons will probably become central to 21st century theories of teaching and learning, so if they intrigue you, read as much as you can about them to begin your studies. The list of Resources below will get you started with non-technical materials, and then you should also get into the related primary research reports.

Although earlier researchers such as Jean Piaget and B.F. Skinner had no awareness of our brain's mirror neuron system, they explored them functionally, and so you might begin by reading what they did and learned.

Jean Piaget carefully observed the behavior of his and other children while they carried out specific tasks, and he then asked them questions about why they did what they did. He thus tried to infer children's thought processes through their introspective comments.

B. F. Skinner carefully observed the externally rewarded behavior of animal and human research subjects. He thus tried to shape the behavior of his subjects, and so determine how behavior develops.

You can do what Piaget, Skinner, and others did, replicating their studies within the context of our emerging understanding of the underlying neurobiology of the development and mastery of skilled movements. Read their own reports about investigations they did that relate to your interests. Also read the commentaries of their interpreters. This will give you a sense of how they carried out productive research in an era in which neuroimaging technology wasn't even on the horizon (just as it isn't yet available to you).

Observe children while they are learning a simple new task that is not typically learned through verbal directions, but rather mostly through observing and mimicking the behavior of someone else. Examples include learning how to tie shoes, ride a bike, or handle food utensils. Today's relatively inexpensive computerized cameras provide exceptional opportunities to informally record and compare the behaviors of easily accessible subjects (such as your own children). This experience will help you to develop the skills you will need to master to carry out graduate level research.

The reality is that effective research techniques are functionally similar, whether the observation of a subject's behavior is simple and direct, or complex and high-tech. The key research tasks are to ask the correct questions, to accurately observe the resultant behavior, and to draw credible inferences from the observation.

If you teach yourself how to do that with simple replicated Piagetian and/or Skinnerian behavioral studies, you'll be ready to make the next step when neuroimaging becomes a possibility in your research — allowing you to observe the internal neuronal activity that sparks the external behaviors you initially studied.

Piaget, Skinner, and other early researchers didn't solve all the questions that underlie our mastery of culturally important behaviors. Identify an unanswered question, and solve it for your graduate research project. Or replicate an earlier study within the context of what we now know about the mastery and regulation of behavior.

This is the most exciting time in the history of educational research. Prepare yourself now to be part of a future that transforms your profession.