Neuromyths in education:

Transcription

1 Neuromyths in education: Prevailing misconceptions about the brain among pre-teacher students ICER Soowon Park, Jongho Shin, Seon-Young Lee, Junsoo Park Seoul National University/ CLC 1

2 Emergence of the Neuro-education - Brain-based learning - Learning science Nascent discipline Brain science Cognitive neuroscience Cognitive psychology Neuroscience Education to create a better understanding of how we learn, to create more effective teaching methods, curricula, and educational policy (Carew & Magsamen, 2010) Source: Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2010 based on Hideaki Koizumi (1999) and Boba Samuel s (2009) concepts of transdisciplinary studies. Graphic by Bramwell (2009) 2 /28

3 Difficulty of neuroscientific research infusion into education Educators and teachers are fascinated with brain knowledge Teachers or pre-teacher students have high desire to learn and apply brain-based Difficulty in accurate infusing of research findings in brain science into the instructional setting teaching (Pickering and Howard- Jones, 2007; Hook and Farah, 2013). Misconceptions about scientific findings 3 /28

4 Neuromyth A misconception generated by a misunderstanding, a misreading, or a misquoting of facts scientifically established to make a case for use of brain research in education & other contexts (OECD, 2002) Low neuroscience literacy A waste of money, time and effort Researchers are concerned about rapid proliferation of the neuromyths (e.g., Goswami, 2006) Lack of studies in examining the prevalence of neuromyths and influencing factors 4 /28

5 What are the examples of neuromyth? (Dekker et al., 2012; Geake, 2008, OECD, 2002) 5 /28

6 Left brain and right brain dominance Neuromyth 1 Are people really left-brained or right-brained? Math? Logic skills? Creativity? Spatial ability? More than 1,000 participants had their brain analyzed in order to determine if they preferred using one over the other - Both sides of the brain were essentially equal in their activity on average There are none who tend to use one side of the brain to the extreme degree 6 /28

7 Neuromyth 2 10% use Do people only use 10% of their brains? People use all of their brains. This is why stroke is so devastating Artificial outcome of the methodological procedures 7 /28

8 Neuromyth 3 VAK learning Style Learning style model based on sensory modalities Do individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic)? Separated sensory input networks, not learning 8 /28

9 Neuromyth 4 Enriched environment Does a flood of inputs increase a child s brain development? Stimuli deficiency 9 /28

10 Neuromyth 5 Critical period Are there critical periods in childhood after which certain things can no longer be learned? If the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus during this "critical period" to learn a given skill or trait, it may be difficult, or even impossible, to develop some functions later in life. 10 /28

11 Neuromyth 6 Motor skills improves literacy skills Transfer effect Even if we learn motor skills, they are not transferred directly to literacy skill improvement 11 /28

12 Present study Main research questions How prevalent is Neuromyth in education? What effects does attending university lectures related with the brain have on their neuromyth? 12 /28

13 Methods 13 /28

14 Method Participants 155 pre-teacher students Mean age (SD=3.27) 63 Males (40.6%), 92 Females (59.4%) Survey Helpfulness of understanding the brain (5 likert scale) Knowledge on the brain (KOB) - Neuromyth (6 items) - General knowledge (5 items) - Brain plasticity (4 items) Experience of attending lectures related with the brain 14 /28

15 Results 15 /28

16 Helpfulness of understanding the brain in education 54.2% Response (%) 11.6% 32.9% 0.0% 1.3% Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Figure 1. Percentages of pre-teacher students response to the statement Do you think that understanding the brain is helpful for teaching? 16 /28

17 Percentages of answers to knowledge of the brain Subcategory Neuromyth Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g.,auditory, visual, kinesthetic). Students who use one hemisphere of the brain (left of right) better than the contralateral exist. Exercises that rehearse co-ordination of motor-perception skills can improve literacy skills. T/F Correct Incorrect Don t know Total* A na Total A na Total A na F F F Environments that are rich in stimulus improve the brains of children F There are critical periods in childhood after which certain things can no longer be learned. F We only use 10% of our brain.. F General knowledge Mean correct ratio 16.3% 44.8% Generally speaking, male students brains are bigger than female students. T The left-brain and the right-brain are simultaneously activated. T Memory is saved in a small part of the brain just like the computer. F The bigger the animal s brain, the more intellectual. F The brain is active for 24 hours a day. T % Brain Plasticity The repetition of cognitive tasks may transfigure the shape and the structure of a particular part of the brain. T After adulthood, brain cells are no longer generated. F New connection between nerve cells in the brain persists even after aging. T Learning is related to the change in neural connections. T /28

18 KOB score differences Total (N=155) Experience of attending lectures related with the brain Attend (n=42) not Attend (n=113) t d KOB total (15 items) 5.8(2.1) 5.7(2.2) 6.0(1.6) 1.0 ns Subcategory scored lower Neuromyth (6 items) 1.0(0.9) 0.7(0.8) 1.1(0.9) 2.4 *.45 General knowledge (5 items) 2.2(1.0) 2.4(0.7) 2.2(1.1) 1.5 ns - Brain plasticity (4 items) 2.5(1.2) 2.9(1.0) 2.4(1.2) 2.0 *.39 scored higher Notes. M(SD); higher score means students have better knowledge of the brain. In the case of neuromyth subcategory, higher score means lower neuromyth, and better knowledge of the brain. *** p <.001. < > 18 /28

19 Percentages of answers to knowledge of the brain Subcategory T/F Correct Incorrect Don t know Total* A na Total A na Total A na Neuromyth Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g.,auditory, visual, kinesthetic).. Students who use one hemisphere of the brain (left of right) better than the contralateral exist. Exercises that rehearse co-ordination of motor-perception skills can improve literacy skills. F F F Environments that are rich in stimulus improve the brains of children F There are critical periods in childhood after which certain things can no longer be learned. F We only use 10% of our brain.. F General knowledge 11.8% 18.1% 48.8% 43.5% Generally speaking, male students brains are bigger than female students. T The left-brain and the right-brain are simultaneously activated. T Memory is saved in a small part of the brain just like the computer. F The bigger the animal s brain, the more intellectual. F The brain is active for 24 hours a day. T % 60.2% Brain Plasticity The repetition of cognitive tasks may transfigure the shape and the structure of a particular part of the brain. T After adulthood, brain cells are no longer generated. F New connection between nerve cells in the brain persists even after aging. T Learning is related to the change in neural connections. T A=pre-teacher students (n=42) who attended lectures related to the brain, na= pre-teacher students (n=113) who did not attend lectures. 19 /28

20 Summary of the results Most of pre-teacher students (more than 85%) think that understanding the brain is helpful for their teaching Students had a low KOB (5.8 out of 15) High prevalence of neuromyths (correct ratio = 16.3%) Students who had taken brain lectures possessed higher level of knowledge on brain plasticity more neuromyths 20 /28

21 Discussion and Conclusion 21 /28

22 Perceived Importance of understanding the brain Pre-teacher students are well aware of the importance of the brain - Educators (Pickering & Howard-Jones, 2007) - Professional teachers (Radin, 2009) 22 /28

23 Prevalence of neuromyths - Pre-teacher students had a high level of neuromyths - The most prevalent neuromyths are similar to those in previous studies of British and Dutch teachers (Dekker, Lee, Howard- Jones, & Jolles, 2012) Correct ratio (%) British Dutch Korea VAK learning style Left/right brain learners Transfer effect Enriched environment Critical period % use In this study Concerns about the proliferation of neuromyths in the education fields(oecd, 2002; Goswami, 2006) 23 /28

24 Effect of lectures related with the brain 73% students had never attended lectures related with the brain Students who had taken lectures related with brain had a higher neuromyth Interest about the brain (attending lectures related with the brain) can act as a predictor of Neuromyth (Dekker et. al., 2012) Explicit education for students about neuromyths & teaching the skills to evaluate scientific research is needed 24 /28

25 Future suggestions for research Where do teachers neuromyths originate from? What are the effective ways to eliminate misconceptions about the brain? What are the effective ways to establish collaboration between education and neuroscience fields? What are the effects of intervention enhancing brain literacy? 25 /28

26 Conclusion Lack of neurosicence expertise often bears misconceptions and neuromyths Need to enhance teacher professionalism and interdisciplinary communication to reduce misconceptions and improve brain knowledge 26 /28

27 References Carew, T. J., & Magsamen, S. H. (2010). Neuroscience and education: an ideal partnership for producing evidence-based solutions to Guide 21(st) Century Learning. Neuron, 67(5), doi: /j.neuron 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(OCT), 1 8. doi: /fpsyg Geake, J. (2008). Neuromythologies in education. Educational Research, 50(2), doi: / Goswami, U. (2006). Neuroscience and education: from research to practice? Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 7(5), doi: /nrn1907 Hook, C. J., & Farah, M. J. (2013). Neuroscience for Educators: What Are They Seeking, and What Are They Finding? Neuroethics, 6(2), doi: /s OECD (2002). Understadning the Brain: Toward a new learning science. Paris: OECD Pickering, S. J., & Howard-Jones, P. (2007). Educators Views on the Role of Neuroscience in Education: Findings From a Study of UK and International Perspectives. Mind, Brain, and Education, 1(3), doi: /j x x Radin, J. L. (2009). Brain-Compatible Teaching and Learning: Implications for Teacher Education. Educational Horizons, 88(1), /28

28 Thank you! Feel free to contact me! Soowon Park 28 /28