I love the Internet. Why? Because, surfing it more or less at random without any particular purpose in mind, one almost invariably comes up against something that is both unexpected and interesting. This passing week it was neuropedagogy, a new field of whose existence I had previously been unaware, which caught my attention. What follows, based on a variety of sources, is an attempt to make sense of it all.
What is neuropedagogy?
“The European definition” of it: “The European definition of neuropedagogy is when science and education meet, and whose scientific aims are to learn how to stimulate new zones of the brain and create connections. It is targeted at stimulating the brains of all types of learners, not only those with students who have learning disabilities.” It “combines knowledge in the fields of education and teaching with brain research and neural science.”
“Neuropedagogy of the mind starts with the premise that the mind… is complex.”
The supposed advantages of neuropedagogy:
For teachers:
“Classroom observations” of the technique being used are said to have revealed “increased inquiry-based pedagogy and improvements in the classroom cognitive environment characterized by increased higher-order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive conversations, and connections to real world problems.”
“Changes teachers’ views or practice.” on the meaning of teaching, how to teach, and so forth
Is said to have “a powerful impact on [teachers’] thinking about the nature of effective pedagogy.”
It made teachers “able to acknowledge that students’ physiology when entering the classroom, whether through hunger, lack of sleep, stress or emotional state, influences their learning capacity. This understanding led to pedagogical decisions that respected students’ physiological and emotional needs.”
It empowers those who are exposed to it “to be thinkers and owners of their actions and choices by giving them knowledge from the world of neuroscience… They utilize the principles of Neuropedagogy to guide and inform their instruction, interactions and interventions… From initial classroom set-up to end of day classroom clean up, they create and continue an atmosphere of curiosity and intellect, which always seems to start and end with the brain.”
Teachers who are familiar with it and apply it “essentially have x-ray vision, which provides them the insight to ask the questions that will reveal the iceberg.”
For students:
It “helps students develop a so-called growth rather than fixed mindset … on average, such interventions improved students’ motivation,”
It “triggers the growth of neurons in the brain: This improves the cognitive ability, particularly in early childhood.”
It “introduces students to elementary brain sciences so as to give them some understanding of how the brain works”
“Simple modifications such as state changes, strategically planned brain gym breaks or yoga ball chairs have shown to improve the executive functioning skills of sustained attention and task persistence. Additionally, when inserting brief yet planned breaks of any type, students are given an opportunity to work on set-shifting a skill in high demand in the modern digital-world.” Also, for the introvert “include quiet spaces in the classroom or projects with an option to work alone. Simple modifications such as state changes, strategically planned brain gym breaks or yoga ball chairs have shown to improve the executive functioning skills of sustained attention and task persistence. Additionally, when inserting brief yet planned breaks of any type, students are given an opportunity to work on set-shifting a skill in high demand in the modern digital-world.”
Also, “for the introvert, include quiet spaces in the classroom or projects with an option to work alone.”
It used to be called, BS.