5 Steps by the University of Birmingham

Test yourself

Bridging Neuroscience and Education

An interesting article was published in 2010 by University of Birmingham researcher Jodi Tommerdahl.

The big question

Is neuroscience useful to educators?
- Yes.
Tommerdahl argues that there is great potential in how neuroscience research can benefit teachers and students in schools.
- However, she warns that we need to be careful when translating the laboratory findings into the classroom.
Brain sciences are the initial step in improving learning in the classroom, but there are several other steps in between.
Neuroscience findings need to be linked to social, political, and historical factors.

The 5 steps

In her article, Tommerdahl defends that we should follow five steps to bridge neuroscience and education.
- 1. Neuroscience.
- 1. Cognitive neuroscience.
- 1. Psychological mechanisms.
- 1. Education theory.
- 1. Classroom.

Neuroscience X CogSci

We need to distinguish between neuroscience and cognitive neurosciences. The first is concerned with the pure biological factors in the brain - the synapses and the cells.
The latter tries to relate neural activity that underpins cognition and cognitive processes, such as memory, emotional processing and decision making.

CogSci X Psychological mechanisms

We also need to distinguish between cognitive neuroscience and psychological mechanisms.
The distinction being that the first studies the physical brain, whereas the latter studies “the mind".
This differentiation, however, is arbitrary and historical and more related to how the two fields see the same phenomenon of cognition.

Educational theory

Then, we have educational theory. Researchers here will develop learning theories based on the neurological and psychological findings from the previous steps.
Here, learning will be segmented into more functional areas related to skills and knowledge that students learn.
- For example, learning vocabulary of a foreign language will have a different educational theory than learning science in someone’s native language.

Teachers

Tommerdahl says that it would be unreasonable to expect that all teachers base their teaching in the first two fields.
However, she argues that it should be expected that teaching and learning in schools derive from recent findings in educational theory.

Classroom

Lastly, we have the classroom step. Here, teachers and schools will implement research to their classroom and closely monitor the effects that these new strategies have on pupils.
All feedback should, then, return to the early steps so the hypothesis can be revisited and improved.

1Important Educational Researchers Currently

1.1Interesting Current Educational Researchers

1.1.1Mary Myatt

1.1.2Daisy Christodoulou

1.1.3Alex Quigley

1.1.4David Didau

2How to Have an Evidence-Informed Classroom

2.1How to Have an Evidence-Informed Classroom

2.1.16 Steps by the Evidence Based Teachers Network

2.1.23 Steps by the George W. Bush’s Institute

2.1.35 Steps by the University of Birmingham

3Interleaving

3.1Optimum Interleaving

3.1.1Optimum Interleaving

4Curriculum

4.1Cognitive Sciences and SEND

4.1.1Cognitive Sciences and SEND

4.2Curriculum Design

4.2.1Curriculum Design

4.3Christine Counsell: Senior Curriculum Leadership

4.3.1What is Senior Curriculum Leadership

4.3.2The Curriculum as a Narrative

5Future Questions

5.1Future Questions

5.1.1Future Questions

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