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Developing Minds

 A focused female student with glasses is studying in a school or library setting. Youth. Teen.

Higher-Order Thinking Sparks Innovation

Emerging brain health studies suggest training adolescents in higher-order critical thinking serves as a catalyst to frontal lobe development, laying a foundation of actionable steps to achieving adult-level reasoning, complex abstraction, judgment, problem-solving skills and in turn the ability to innovate.
Innovation is an element of cognition (complex thinking) that measures your ability to expand your thinking beyond single solutions toward seeking a multitude of possible ideas, pathways, perspectives, opportunities, and options. It increases nimble, flexible thinking and is a major brain potentiator to increase neural efficiency.

Adolescent Reasoning Initiative

Science-based practices teach students how to learn, not just what to learn. Our teacher training leverages early brain development during middle school through ninth grade, optimizing success in the classroom and beyond.

Jacquelyn Gamino, PhD

Director of Adolescent Reasoning Initiative Assistant Research Professor

Featured Research

Student Potential Is Infinite

Students equipped with strong executive function are better prepared to make thoughtful, informed decisions and to fuel economic growth through college and career readiness.

Jacque Gamino, PhD

Director, Adolescent Reasoning Initiative