Educational Neuroscience: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

Learning is a process that causes neurophysiological changes in the brain because of electrochemical reactions. Therefore, it is crucial to considering the knowledge of the system through which the human brain operates for effective instructional design and skill development. Moreover, people actively use knowledge from different disciplines when designing teaching processes and determining pedagogical strategies. In this context, using findings from neuroscience studies for the design of teaching processes will provide information to all fields related to teaching—from creating course content to designing materials, identifying possible problems for individuals with learning difficulties, and suggesting solutions for them. In addition, this will make it possible to improve the learning performance of children with special needs who have learning difficulties as per the information obtained from the aforementioned neuroscience studies. The literature evinces an increase in the effects of these studies on the field of education. In this context, researchers attempt to integrate the information obtained from national and international studies into the field of education and determine new principles regarding instructional designs by considering existing pedagogical concepts in line with new information. Despite ontological differences between neurosciences that examine the brain dynamics at the biological, molecular, and systemic level, as well as educational sciences that aim to establish pedagogical strategies, it is unlikely to think that the ontological differences between these two disciplines would complicate the interdisciplinary cooperation. Understanding the structure of the neural system in which the learning and teaching procedures occur is of critical importance in terms of planning the teaching processes that cause neurophysiological changes therein. Thus, the findings of educational neuroscience studies that bring together the two varying fields at all stages of learning–teaching procedures should be carefully examined.