October 28-30, 2026 |
Kansas City, MO

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Wed Oct 28•1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

The Brain in the Room: Aligning Neuroscience, Design, and Practice

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)TRACK 4: Evidence, Impact & the Future of Practice — Research, systems, sustainability, and accountability

The future of learning environments lies at the intersection of neuroscience, design, and educational practice. Decisions about learning spaces have been siloed: driven by aesthetics, trends, or isolated expertise. The Neuro-Design Learning Protocol changes that. By bridging brain-health research with spatial alignment strategies, this interactive session, led by practitioners from different fields, equips participants to transform classrooms into Networked Learning Ecosystems. Move beyond spaces that merely contain learning to evidence-based environments that enable human potential.

 

Speakers

Lennie Scott-Webber
Lennie Scott-WebberOwner + Principal, INSYNC: Education Research + Design
Hila Stern-Bornstein
Hila Stern-BornsteinPrincipal + Founder, HSB Architecture & Design
Bridgitte Alomes
Bridgitte AlomesCEO + Founder, Natural Pod

More Information

Tags:Group E
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:We believe this session qualifies for HSW designation because it is grounded in neuroscience research applied directly to the built environment, it equips participants with evidence-based frameworks for spatial decisions: material selection, configuration, acoustic and lighting conditions, that protect and elevate the physical and emotional well-being of occupants. The interdisciplinary team structure demonstrates the full continuum from research to implementation, giving participants actionable tools for programming and design decisions rooted in occupant health and welfare. The instructional content directly addresses how the built environment can be intentionally designed to support those outcomes in educational settings.
Learner Engagement:This highly interactive workshop invites participants to experience the Neuro-Design Learning Protocol firsthand through a sequence of activities that mirror the learning progression Regulate → Educate → Create. Regulate: Connecting to Human Experience The session begins with a short reflective exercise designed to ground participants in the relationship between environment and human experience. This opening moment establishes a shared understanding: places shape how we feel, think, and learn. Educate: Seeing Learning Environments Through Multiple Lenses Participants then move into cross-disciplinary small groups to analyze a real-world classroom or learning commons using the Neuro-Design Learning Alignment Framework. Each group is assigned one human-experience design lens: Visual acuity, Audible clarity, Ergonomics and movement, Physiological comfort, Behavioral engagement, Belonging and safety Groups engage in a mini design challenge. Using a provided floor plan, image, and project narrative, participants diagnose how the space supports—or constrains—learning through their assigned lens. This process reveals how neuroscience research translates into design criteria, spatial strategy, and intentional affordances procurement that actively support human development. Create: Designing for Alignment and Impact: Each group shares their findings with the full audience. Facilitators capture insights in a live Neuro-Design Learning Protocol Meets Design Principles allowing participants to see how improvements across multiple lenses transform a single space into a more supportive Networked Learning Ecosystem. Through this synthesis, participants experience how research, design, and product innovation must work together to move from theory to impact. The result is a understanding of learning environments design principles that intentionally support regulation, engagement, and creative expression.
Learning Objective 1:Interpret neuroscience and brain-health research to explain how physical learning environments influence learner regulation, wellbeing, and cognitive performance.

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Tags:Group E
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:NA
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Tags:Group B
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
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