Neuroeducation

What is Neuroeducation?

Pedagogy is the study of the teaching and learning process. It refers to methods of teaching – how teachers teach, and aims to make teaching and learning more effective.

Psychology studies the human mind through observation of behavioural and mental processes.

Neuroscience studies the human brain through observation of the structure and function of the nervous system. It looks at the biological processes underlying the behavioural and mental processes studied in psychology.

Neuroeducation combines pedagogy with neuroscience and psychology.

What is Brain Based Learning?

Brain-based learning is a concept that uses neuroscience to make education and learning more efficient.

Pedagogy is the study of the teaching and learning process. It refers to methods of teaching – how teachers teach, and aims to make teaching and learning more effective.

Psychology studies the human mind through observation of behavioural and mental processes.

Neuroscience studies the human brain through observation of the structure and function of the nervous system. It looks at the biological processes underlying the behavioural and mental processes studied in psychology.

Neuroeducation combines pedagogy with neuroscience and psychology.

Brain Based Learning is essentially practical implementation of its findings in school education.

Brain Based Learning Approach

Brain Based Learning focusses on teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns. This includes factors such as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

The Brain Based Learning approach takes advantage of the way students are motivated, the way attention works, the way memories are formed, the way information is presented, etc.

One example is the construal level theory:

There is a pertinent question that When and how should a student focus on the minute details contained in learning materials? Intuitively, one could say that details are important for mastery and students should learn details to demonstrate proficiency. However, this blanket statement isn’t an evidence-based approach. 

The construal level theory shows that understanding an overview without the details can engage a larger network of concepts a student learns or is sensitized to. Understanding the essence of a certain topic can also promote creativity because capturing the essence of a concept makes the concept vague and abstract. An abstract entity links to more abstract entities and makes the learning broad as opposed to details making the learning narrow and specific.

Core Principles of Brain Based Learning

In 1994, Geoffrey Caine and Renate Nummela Caine's research, outlined 12 core principles of brain-based teaching and learning:

1. The brain processes multiple things in parallel

2. The whole body is involved in learning and not just the brain

3. Brain is social and people have an innate need to seek meaning and make sense

4. Finding patterns, giving identity, and giving structure helps people make sense (patterning)

5. Emotions are important in patterning

6. The brain simultaneously perceives and creates parts (details) and wholes (global concept). That is the brain processes multiple construals.

7. Learning needs focused attention and peripheral perception

8. The brain simultaneously involves conscious (remembering) and unconscious processes (priming)

9. Humans have at least 2 important memory systems – spatial memory and rote learning memory

10. Spatial memory is the strongest, people remember better when knowledge is embedded in spatial memory

11. Challenge promotes learning and threat/lack of safety inhibits it

12. All brains are uniquely configured and uniquely adaptable

Considerations for a course with Brain Based Learning approach

• Health and Exercise - The more active and engaged students are physically, the better their learning outcomes.

• Positive Emotions - The happier students are, the more they are willing to learn and think effectively.

• Group Work - Group Work helps students retain information they may not have accepted or understood from the teacher.

• Peer Teaching - When students teach materials to their peers, it helps them retain that same information.

• Practice - Learning through repetition and trial and error is more effective than simple memorization.

• Limited Lectures - Making lessons largely discussion-based promotes student learning.

• Meaningful Information - Students are more likely to remember information if they are engaged with the lesson.

• Written and Verbal Information - Having students both write and verbalize information will help move it from their short-term memory to their long-term memory.

• Stimulation - Catching students’ attention through humour, movement, or games stimulates their brains’ emotional centre.

• Less Stress - In a calm classroom environment, students have the opportunity to perform at higher levels.

Brain is central to Education and Learning. It is the most complex system in the world. As neuroscience is evolving and trying to solve the mysteries of brain, it is providing inputs which are crucial for design of education and learning programs. Knowledge and implementation of Brain Based Learning should help in more efficient education and learning.

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