The brain in the classroom: The mindless appeal of neuroeducation

Abstract

In this chapter we will explore the meteoric rise and near-absolute failure of attempts to use brain imaging to inform educational practices. We demonstrate how brain imaging studies, at best, simply confirm what good educators already know; and how using the seductively appealing language of “the brain” does little if anything to improve children’s learning outcomes. This exploration will assist readers in many fields to understand how neuroscience should (and should not) be applied outside the laboratory.