About Dr. Jones

I earned my undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College, where I was a member of the varsity basketball team (one of the winningest Division III programs in the country). During this time studying history at F&M and volunteering as a tutor to underprivileged students in Lancaster, PA, I decided to make improving education my lifelong pursuit.

 

As a young social studies teacher, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my practice and searching for methods to improve my profession. It wasn’t until I started teaching Advanced Placement Psychology that I found what is missing. The course includes units on the cognitive sciences, and the information from this field demonstrated to me that there is a lot that scholars know about the mind, memory, thinking, and problem-solving. However, educators do not typically apply to the scientific findings in the classroom. The explosion of neuroscientific research over the last two decades, which added additional evidence about the biological basis of the mind, inspired me to find ways to use these two fields to improve education.

 

This love of learning about cognitive neuroscience and its educational applications led me to pursue a Doctorate of Education from the Johns Hopkins University with a Mind, Brain, and Teaching specialization. Having the opportunity to learn from scholars in education, neuroscience, research methods, and the cognitive sciences influences almost every lesson I teach, assessments I design, and curriculum that I write.

 

My research at JHU aimed to understand the cognitive differences of students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and it included an applied research study designed to improve accommodations for Individualized Education Plans (IEP). I continue to apply my expertise in special education, working memory, executive function, and mixed-methods research to all aspects of my career.

I gained valuable experience and expertise in my more than 20 years of teaching, coaching, and studying. I have taught close to 20,000 lessons with students of all levels of academic ability. I write curriculum for the school district and teach various classes, including entirely in-person, blended, and fully cyber. Beyond the time spent in schools, gyms, and athletic fields, one of the traits of a superior learner is the ability to practice metacognition or thinking about one’s thinking. It is this thoughtful reflection about each lesson I teach that enabled my growth to become a master teacher.