Our Structure for Describing Learning
All Kinds of Minds uses a neurodevelopmental framework that serves as an organizing structure to help educators understand learning and learners.
If we describe a framework as a set of file folders, the All Kinds of Minds neurodevelopmental, or learning, framework is composed of eight file folders called “constructs.” These constructs – and the framework as a whole – are based on a synthesis of research from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, child and adolescent development, and related fields about how the brain functions and how these functions affect student learning and performance at any point in a student’s development.
A Foundation of Learning Expertise
This framework provides educators with a foundation of expertise about learning. It also serves as an effective system for richly describing, organizing, and addressing students’ learning strengths and weaknesses.
Below is a summary of the eight constructs in our learning framework:
| Attention | Maintaining mental energy for learning and work, absorbing and filtering incoming information, and overseeing the quality of academic output and behavior |
| Higher Order Cognition (Complex Thinking) | Comprehending concepts, generating original ideas, and using logical approaches to address complex problems |
| Language | Understanding incoming oral and written information and communicating ideas orally and in writing |
| Memory | Briefly recording new information, mentally juggling information while using it to complete a task, and storing and then recalling information at a later time |
| Neuromotor Functions (Controlling Movement) | Using large muscles in a coordinated manner, controlling finger and hand movements, and coordinating muscles needed for handwriting |
| Social Cognition (Making and Keeping Friends) | Knowing what to talk about, when, with whom, and for how long; working and playing with others in a cooperative manner; and nurturing positive relationships with influential people |
| Visual-Spatial Thinking | Understanding information that is presented visually, generating products that are visual, and organizing materials and spaces |
| Temporal-Sequential Thinking (Keeping Track of Time/Order) | Understanding the order of steps, events, or other sequences; generating products arranged in a meaningful order; and organizing time and schedules |
Along with our core beliefs, this framework serves as the foundation for training and other products we have developed.
