The course will examine central questions that lie between learning/pedagogy and brain research. We will discuss in detail the different traditions in cognitive and brain research, we will see how they lead to different interpretations of the terms “cognition” and “learning”, and we will try to identify the concrete benefits that each of these traditions can bring us as educators. As a concrete example to these traditions, we will learn how each of them has described the acquisition of reading. We will also learn different points of view about what intelligence is, and we will try to understand the scientific, educational, and moral implications of these different viewpoints. Finally, we will talk about the sources of cognitive differences between people, while focusing on gifted individuals and on individuals with learning disabilities.