“Education is about enhancing learning, and neuroscience is about understanding the mental processes involved in learning. This common ground suggests a future in which educational practice can be transformed by science, just as medical practice was transformed by science about a century ago.” – Report by the Royal Society, UK, 2011

Let me begin with a confession: I think brain science, the neuroscience of teaching and learning, is the most fascinating topic in the world. Everything intriguing about us is controlled by our brain, including our memories, passions, thinking, and learning. I hope that this blog will share my passion for the brain and demonstrate how learning about the brain, particularly in the classroom, can be an exciting, fun, and ultimately beneficial experience. Each month, we will explore how we can apply brain science to the real world of the classroom.

Why Educational Neuroscience (EN)? My love for EN began long before my passion for neuroscience research. Having worked in a school setting for almost twenty-two years gave me the insight into looking further into teaching strategies that were scientific-based and that really worked in the classroom to reach out to the students in a holistic way. My favourite aspect of this research area is brain function in relation to behaviour. Such evidence convinced me that to understand behaviour—how and why we do what we do—I needed to understand the brain, how it develops and forms, how it functions and dysfunctions. It is fascinating how something so small serves such an extremely important and vital role in our body and behaviour. The intriguing details of the brain fuel my desire to learn more about its functions.

One pivotal life experience ignited my passion for neuroscience research in education. Through my classroom observations as a curriculum leader within a primary school, I witnessed children finding difficulty learning in class and teachers trying their utmost to reach out to these children. I was questioning why some of the teachers’ strategies were not having an effect on the children. I was looking for answers to help support the teachers and I kept coming across EN. At this point, I became fascinated by the complexity of the human brain and its endless capabilities.

At this stage, I decided to further my studies and read for a doctoral award in Psychology and Human Development at IoE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. Having their own Centre of Educational Neuroscience, with my main supervisor, being the deputy director, I yearned further to continue learning about the brain and apply the knowledge I have gained to improving the quality of children’s life. I haven’t regretted the choice and now that I am towards the end, I must say that I have enjoyed every bit of the doctoral journey. 

But who doesn’t love answers to our daily struggles in the classroom?

EN is changing the way we think about teaching and learning, by applying scientific evidence based on the human brain to teaching pedagogy.  It specifically looks at ways to apply the research findings in neuroscience to teaching and learning, complementing and working with research in the psychology of education, developmental and cognitive psychology and cognitive science, as part of what has become known as the science of learning.

What does the brain have to do with learning?

EN, by definition, with respect to teachers’ teaching and learners’ learning, interlinks aspects of the brain, the mind, and education – often with the aim of enhancing our understanding of learning, cognition, and development. The establishment of the field of EN marks the arrival of an era that focuses on human brain learning models and mechanisms, and how these interact with higher level cognitive and socio-cultural processes, which gives researchers, leaders, and practitioners specific opportunities to re-examine educational practice and research. Teachers who use a scientifically informed approach to evaluate educational assertions will be able to help their pupils learn more effectively. EN offers teachers explanations that affirm known practices or help justify exploring untried techniques. The foundational neuroscience concepts offer a lens to reconsider, re-envision and re-design their lessons. The aim of EN is to improve learning based on scientific evidence. It is not a cure-all for education. But it does promise to find out how we can best support ALL learners!

Note

Since the publication of this blog, I have successfully defended my viva and have been awarded a doctorate in Psychology and Human Development by the Institute of Education, University College London’s Faculty of Education and Society (December 2022).