Educational neuroscience

Educational neuroscience (or neuroeducation,[1] a component of Mind Brain and Education) is an emerging scientific field that brings together researchers in cognitive neuroscience, developmental cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, educational technology, education theory and other related disciplines to explore the interactions between biological processes and education.[2][3][4][5] Researchers in educational neuroscience investigate the neural mechanisms of reading,[4] numerical cognition,[6] attention and their attendant difficulties including dyslexia,[7][8] dyscalculia[9] and ADHD as they relate to education. Researchers in this area may link basic findings in cognitive neuroscience with educational technology to help in curriculum implementation for mathematics education and reading education. The aim of educational neuroscience is to generate basic and applied research that will provide a new transdisciplinary account of learning and teaching, which is capable of informing education. A major goal of educational neuroscience is to bridge the gap between the two fields through a direct dialogue between researchers and educators, avoiding the "middlemen of the brain-based learning industry". These middlemen have a vested commercial interest in the selling of "neuromyths" and their supposed remedies.[4]

The potential of educational neuroscience has received varying degrees of support from both cognitive neuroscientists and educators. Davis[10] argues that medical models of cognition, "...have only a very limited role in the broader field of education and learning mainly because learning-related intentional states are not internal to individuals in a way which can be examined by brain activity". Pettito and Dunbar[11] on the other hand, suggest that educational neuroscience "provides the most relevant level of analysis for resolving today’s core problems in education". Howard-Jones and Pickering[12] surveyed the opinions of teachers and educators on the topic, and found that they were generally enthusiastic about the use of neuroscientific findings in the field of education, and that they felt these findings would be more likely to influence their teaching methodology than curriculum content. Some researchers take an intermediate view and feel that a direct link from neuroscience to education is a "bridge too far",[13] but that a bridging discipline, such as cognitive psychology or educational psychology[14] can provide a neuroscientific basis for educational practice. The prevailing opinion, however, appears to be that the link between education and neuroscience has yet to realise its full potential, and whether through a third research discipline, or through the development of new neuroscience research paradigms and projects, the time is right to apply neuroscientific research findings to education in a practically meaningful way.[2][4][5]

  1. ^ "Neuroeducation" Emerges as Insights into Brain Development, Learning Abilities Grow Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine, Dana Foundation.
  2. ^ a b Ansari, D; Coch, D (2006). "Bridges over troubled waters: Education and cognitive neuroscience". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 10 (4): 146–151. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2006.02.007. PMID 16530462. S2CID 8328331.
  3. ^ Coch, D; Ansari, D (2008). "Thinking about mechanisms is crucial to connecting neuroscience and education". Cortex. 45 (4): 546–547. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2008.06.001. PMID 18649878. S2CID 15392805.
  4. ^ a b c d Goswami, U (2006). "Neuroscience and education: from research to practice?". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 7 (5): 406–411. doi:10.1038/nrn1907. PMID 16607400. S2CID 3113512.
  5. ^ a b Meltzoff, AN; Kuhl, PK; Movellan, J; Sejnowski, TJ (2009). "Foundations for a New Science of Learning". Science. 325 (5938): 284–288. Bibcode:2009Sci...325..284M. doi:10.1126/science.1175626. PMC 2776823. PMID 19608908.
  6. ^ Ansari, D (2008). "Effects of development and enculturation on number representation in the brain". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 9 (4): 278–291. doi:10.1038/nrn2334. PMID 18334999. S2CID 15766398.
  7. ^ McCandliss, BD; Noble, KG (2003). "The development of reading impairment: a cognitive neuroscience model". Mental Retardation and Developmental Disability Research Review. 9 (3): 196–204. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.587.4158. doi:10.1002/mrdd.10080. PMID 12953299.
  8. ^ Gabrieli, JD (2009). "Dyslexia: a new synergy between education and cognitive neuroscience". Science. 325 (5938): 280–283. Bibcode:2009Sci...325..280G. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.472.3997. doi:10.1126/science.1171999. PMID 19608907. S2CID 17369089.
  9. ^ Price, GR; Holloway, I; Räsänen, P; Vesterinen, M; Ansari, D (2007). "Impaired parietal magnitude processing in developmental dyscalculia". Current Biology. 17 (24): R1042–1043. Bibcode:2007CBio...17R1042P. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.013. PMID 18088583.
  10. ^ Davis, A (2004). "The credentials of brain-based learning". Journal of Philosophy of Education. 38 (1): 21–36. doi:10.1111/j.0309-8249.2004.00361.x.
  11. ^ Petitto, LA; Dunbar, K (2004). "New findings from educational neuroscience on bilingual brains, scientific brains, and the educated mind.". In Fischer, K; Katzir, T (eds.). Building Usable Knowledge in Mind, Brain, & Education. Cambridge University Press.
  12. ^ Howard-Jones, P; Pickering, S.; Diack, A (2007). "Perception of the role of neuroscience in education. Summary Report for the DfES Innovation Unit". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ Bruer, JT (1997). "Education and the brain: A bridge too far". Educational Researcher. 26 (8): 4–16. doi:10.3102/0013189x026008004. S2CID 46505766.
  14. ^ Mason, L. (2009). "Bridging neuroscience and education: A two-way path is possible". Cortex. 45 (4): 548–549. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2008.06.003. PMID 18632093. S2CID 31443286.