Ann L. Brown

Ann Lesley Brown (1943–1999) was an educational psychologist who made significant contributions to educational psychology theory and teaching practices. She gained international recognition across multiple fields, including experimental and developmental psychology, special education, cognitive science, education, and learning sciences. Brown was a pioneer in the study of metacognition—the process by which individuals observe and take responsibility for their own learning. Along with her husband, Joseph Campione, she launched the Fostering Community of Learners (FCL) program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Despite being a dyslexic child who did not learn to read until age 13, Brown went on to earn a First Class Honours degree and later a Ph.D. in Psychology from Bedford College, University of London. She completed her undergraduate degree with honors in 1964 and received her Ph.D. in psychology in 1967. In 1970, Brown moved to the United States for a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut, and since 1988, she had been a professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education.

Palincsar, A.S., & Brown, A.L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175. (159 Citations, PsycINFO)
Brown, A.L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom settings. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141–178. (147 Citations, PsycINFO)
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1994). Guided discovery in a community of learners. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/Bradford Books.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1996). Psychological theory and the design of innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles, and systems. In L. Schauble & R. Glaser (Eds.), Innovations in learning: New environments for education (pp. 289–325). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.