MESHGuides

When Howard-Jones and colleagues surveyed 158 graduate beginning teachers about to enter secondary schools , we found that 82% considered teaching to children’s learning styles could improve outcomes. Learning preferences do exist, in the sense that different individuals may prefer to receive information in different way. For example, it is possible to categorise learners’ preferences in terms of VAK: Visual, Kinaesthetic or Auditory. However, there seems little educational value in doing so. The functionality of different brain regions is sometimes used to support learning style theory.

Regular drinking of caffeinated drinks reduces alertness - regular caffeine, e.g. two cans of caffeinated soft drink a day, reduces children’s cognitive function by initiating counter-regulatory changes in the brain.

Children are more attentive after sugary drinks and snacks. Although not healthy in other ways, sugary snacks actually increase attention.

Brain scans indicate that it is a myth that co-ordination exercises can improve integration of left and right hemispheric brain function.

Educational kinesiology (or Edu-K, also often sold under the brand name of Brain Gym®) draws on ideas about perceptual-motor training, i.e. that learning problems arise from inefficient integration of visual, auditory and motor skills. This idea spawned several training programs to remediate learning difficulties through exercises but these were shown to be ineffective by numerous studies in the 70’s and 80’s . A major review of the theoretical foundations of Brain Gym® and the associated peer-reviewed research studies failed to support the contentions of its promoters .

Brain development results from our genes interacting with our experience. That means that our genes have a major influence on outcomes such as our educational achievement, but these outcomes are not biologically programmed by our DNA. It is important for teachers to understand this, because teachers who develop strong beliefs in the role of genetics are more likely to believe their pupils are limited by their biology ( Howard-Jones, et al., 2009). So, there is a relationship between how teachers think about brain development and their attitude towards learners in the classroom.

There are currently a number of groups expressing concern about how the knowledge from Learning Sciences research becomes embedded in practice in the classroom. We will be reporting this through the MESH Guides newsletter. To receive this sign up on the front page of www.MESHGuides.org.

This section will be added to as information becomes available from companies and researchers. Zondle’s games for example have been developed taking account of neuroscience research. This will be linked to here when it is published.

See also Neuroscience and Games on YouTube

Brain scans indicate that it is a myth that we only use a small percentage of our brains during learning.

This MESH Guide introduces some initial concepts that can be applied immediately in your practice, highlights some pitfalls worth avoiding, and identifies sources of further information for finding out more. More detailed Guides on aspects of Neuroscience research and its relevance to teaching will be developed in time.