Neuromyths, misconceptions of
scientific knowledge about the brain, have persisted in the field of education
for several decades. For example, studies conducted in five European countries
1,2,3,4 have demonstrated that 93-97% of teachers believe that students
learn better in their “preferred” learning style, 71-91% agree that differences
in left or right brain dominance are related to individual differences in learning,
and 60-88% believe that integration of neural function across the brain’s
hemispheres can be improved by brief coordination exercises. Misconceptions
like these can lead to ineffective teaching approaches and may influence teachers’
opinions on teaching methods and management of learning disorders. In the
current paper, the author discusses the origins of neuromyths and highlights
the importance of understanding neuromyths in order to bridge the gap between
neuroscience and education.
Although neuromyths often have
some underlying scientific origin, spreading of misinterpretations of these
scientific facts can lead to persistent distortions. Often, these
misinterpretations are a result of cultural differences between neuroscientists
and educators: scientific findings may only be published in neuroscience
journals and may be communicated using jargon or terms that are defined
differently in education and neuroscience. Neuromyths may also be related to
biases towards approaches that are less costly and time-consuming to implement
in the classroom, particularly when educational programs are marketed with an
underlying scientific basis to boost their credibility.
In recent years collaboration between the fields of neuroscience and education
has become more widespread, and scientific insights have begun to inform
educational practice. However, many of the biases and conditions underlying the
development of neuromyths have continued to influence public misconceptions
about the brain. The author calls for more interdisciplinary research and
communication between neuroscientists and educators. To work towards bridging
the gap between the fields, neuroscientists need to collaborate with educational
experts to ensure that neuroscientific insights are accessible, relevant, and
can be easily and effectively implemented in the classroom.
1. Dekker, S., Lee, N. C.,
Howard-Jones, P. & Jolles, J. (2012) Neuromyths in education: prevalence
and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in
psychology, 3, 429-429.
2. Deligiannidi, K. & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). The
neuroscience literacy of teachers in Greece. Procedia – Social and
Behavioural Sciences, 174. 3909-3915.
3. Karakus, O. & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). Primary and
secondary school teachers’ knowledge and misconceptions about the brain in
Turkey. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 174. 1933-1940.
4. Pei, X., Zhang, S., Liu, X., Jin, Y. & Howard-Jones, P.
(2015). Teachers’ understanding about the brain in East China. Procedia –
Social and Behavioural Sciences, 174. 3680-3688.
Blogger: Alex
Cross is completing a combined MClSc and PhD in speech language pathology. Her
work focusing on reading will be part of both the Language and Working Memory
and the Language, Reading, and Cognitive Neuroscience labs.
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