What is neuroscience?
Neuroscience is the set of scientific disciplines that study the nervous system, with the aim of understanding the mechanisms that regulate the control of nervous reactions and brain behavior. There are multiple disciplines such as neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neurochemistry… etc. That is why neuroscience must be studied in an integrated and complementary way to understand the complexity of the brain.
Learning and Neuroscience
Learning is, in essence, being able to survive. Man learned how to make fire to warm himself and cook meat and, thus, get sick less often. He learned to cultivate the land to ensure food regardless of hunting luck and built dwellings that would withstand rain and cold. By learning, man forged a future and only thus ensured the continuity of the species.
The brain remains largely unknown, but 30 years ago it was even more so. Advances in neurosciences have made it possible to understand how the brain works and to see the important role that curiosity and emotion play in the acquisition of new knowledge. It has now been scientifically proven that, whether in the classroom or in life, knowledge is not acquired by memorizing, nor by repeating it over and over again, but by doing, experimenting, and, above all, by feeling emotions. Emotions, learning, and memory are closely related. From the perspective of educational neuroscience, it is worth noting that intelligence is a multidimensional concept, which is why the same learning environment should lead children to explore, think, and express their ideas through a variety of different codes.
Neuroscience and Education
Regarding neuroscience in education, today there is various evidence of how a balanced and motivating learning environment leads to better learning for children. That is why children learn “socially,” actively constructing understanding and meanings through active and dynamic interaction with the physical, social, and emotional environment they come into contact with.
Neuroeducation recommends that during the first years of life, children be in contact with nature and not be forced to remain seated and still for long periods, as it is at these ages that shapes, colors, movement, depth… are built, with which concepts will later be woven. To mature, that is, to create new networks of neurons, the brain needs new experiences. From 10 to 12 years old, on the other hand, the brain is specifically receptive to learning skills, making it the time to enhance text comprehension and for them to learn mathematical reasoning. And, in adolescence, the brain is fully emotional and clashes with the current educational model that, at this stage, forces them to learn biology, physics, chemistry… totally rational subjects.
For example, many people have forgotten the names of the Visigothic Kings or the formula for calculating the speed of a falling body, but, on the other hand, they remember how fun the classes of that special teacher were (perhaps math, language, history… everyone will have their own) who sparked their interest with practical exercises and stories about each topic. It was he who managed to awaken your attention and interest, and because of whom you decided to study what you later studied… Emotion is fundamental in learning, for both the teacher and the learner. That teacher made us capture information in class through our senses, and then it passed through the limbic system or emotional brain before being sent to the cerebral cortex, responsible for cognitive processes. Within the limbic system, the amygdala has an essential function: it is one of the most primitive parts of the brain and is activated by events it considers important for survival, which consolidates a memory more efficiently.
Another factor to consider is surprise, as it activates the amygdala. The brain is an organ that likes to process patterns (understanding things that always repeat in the same way); it is how it faces the world around it. However, anything that is not part of those patterns is stored more deeply in the brain. Hence, using elements in class that break with monotony benefits learning.
Finally, empathy (emotional connection) is the door that opens knowledge and, with it, the construction of the human being. Furthermore, it has been discovered that, contrary to what was long believed, the brain is not static, but rather there are critical periods in which one type of learning is more favored than another. For example, to learn to speak, the brain is more receptive from birth until seven years of age. But this does not mean that language cannot be acquired later: the brain’s plasticity will allow it, even if it costs more. This discovery of the existence of learning periods opens new debates about the educational system and the need to rethink a new model in accordance with this cerebral predisposition to acquire specific new content in stages.
The number of demotivated young people who do not want to continue their studies or believe that what they are learning is useless is alarming. And the only way to combat it is through teachers who teach children to face new challenges, who transform their students’ brains by taking advantage of all the tools that neuroeducation offers to teach better. Some experts affirm that if classes were more experiential, more knowledge could be imparted in less time. Teachers should take advantage of what is known about brain function to teach better. Children should be enthusiastic about what they are learning.
With this objective, ISEP presented in 2015 the Neuroeducation program, a master’s degree that provides neuropsychological knowledge on how to better leverage neurobiological development for learning and the different neurological disorders or alterations that affect cognition and emotions in children and adolescents, providing tools to maximize their potential. At the same time, and depending on the maturation of the CNS itself, it also aims to develop the skills it possesses. It is known that humans, on average, only use 10% of their intellectual potential.
ISEP offers the possibility of specializing in the area of Neuroscience applied to education and child development, analyzing the relationships between the brain and learning from an evolutionary perspective. Finding the best way to acquire knowledge means ending many learning problems categorized as such, but which may only be an erroneous way of learning. Neuroeducation allows finding the most appropriate way to personalize the learning process and get the most out of each individual.