Teachers’ Mind, Brain, and Education Literacy

August 11, 2024

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Cognitive Science

Mind, Brain and Education (MBE)

While awareness of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) and its implications for teaching practice is growing, many educators are still unclear about the key concepts in this field that could improve their teaching. This study was conducted to identify the essential domains of current MBE knowledge that teachers should know.

The Goal of MBE in Learning

The goal of MBE is to facilitate, create, and share usable knowledge about learning and education so that teachers can apply it in their practice. Despite the increasing amount of knowledge over the last few decades, many neuromyths (misconceptions about scientific research) persist. This is problematic, as many teachers report wanting more knowledge and professional development regarding MBE.

Overarching Concepts in MBE

Using a deductive qualitative survey design, data was collected via an online questionnaire with SurveyMonkey. Participants were selected using a criterion-based sampling technique and consisted of individuals who were contributing members (e.g., multiple published works and citations, developed a methodology, technique, or pedagogical tool) to the field of MBE. The survey included 358 people from 30 countries. The study identified 18 concepts of MBE Teacher Literacy, divided into 6 overarching categories:

Category 1: Prerequisite Knowledge

• Concepts include: The nature and goals of MBE as a field of study, Educating the whole child, and Neuromyths.

Category 2: Cognitive and Metacognitive Functions

• Concepts include: Attention, Memory, Executive Functions.

Category 3: Human Development Across the Lifespan

• Concepts include: Brain development, Nature-nurture interaction, Neuroplasticity, Individual differences, Neurodevelopmental disorders, Development of intelligence.

Category 4: Affect and Cognition

• Concepts include: Embodied cognition, Emotional thought.

Category 5: Classroom Applications of MBE Knowledge

• Concepts include: Neurobiological processes underpinning learning in different areas of the school curriculum, Pedagogical practices.

Category 6: MBE Research and Technology

• Concepts include: Educational neurotechnology.

Learning About the Brain Should Be a Part of Education 

The results of this study reveal that while some educational professionals remain skeptical about the educational application of brain research, the majority of participants believe that scientific research about the brain and mind should be translated into practical strategies that teachers can use to improve their teaching. According to previous studies, both K-12 school teachers and university professors believe that learning about the brain should be part of the education and professional development they receive. There is a need to educate teachers about what MBE is as a field of study.

Many researchers are particularly concerned about the lack of awareness of domain-specific components related to MBE in subjects like math and language arts, which can be leveraged for better classroom instruction. Increased teacher understanding of executive functions, attention, and memory systems were also highlighted as key areas educators should gain more knowledge of.

The authors suggest that these concepts can help develop and categorize professional development for teachers.

Notable Quotes: 

“Taken together, 18 concepts were identified as key concepts in MBE knowledge that teachers should know as these reflect earlier findings, but which have not yet become part of basic teacher knowledge, despite the expert backing of the ideas and being usable knowledge.”

“It should be noted, however, that in order to avoid neuromyths, each of these 18 areas should be taught in depth/”

“For expert knowledge to become teacher knowledge, conceptual understandings have to be first translated from highly technical terms into language that is accessible and meaningful to teachers.”

Personal Takeaway: 

This is an important article to help us categorize the different concepts related to MBE and how we can begin to upskill teachers in these areas. As the authors note, more research is needed on how to provide professional development in these areas. I believe it’s of great importance for educators to be aware of and understand how to apply the concepts of MBE in their teaching practice. —Matt Browne

Tokuhama‐Espinosa, T., & Nouri, A. (2023). Teachers’ Mind, Brain, and Education Literacy: A Survey of Scientists’ Views. Mind, Brain, and Education, 17(3), 170-174.