Neuroscience

1 Neuroscience Childhood education plays a fundamental role in the development of a child’s learning experience because it lays the foundation for their future. When administered correctly, it has the potential to enable a child reach their full potential. In early childhood learning, the use of concepts of neuroscience to make educational decisions is a relatively new and evolving practice. It is crucial to understand the extent to which neuroscience can be used without affecting the nature of childcare and education. Zambo demonstrates that there is a link between neuroscience, ethical questions and education, and that the application of concepts of neuroscience can be used to make learning more effective (14).

Neuroscience is the knowledge of how the human brain develops and functions. An understanding of neuroscience in early childhood learning facilitates a better understanding of how a child’s brain works, thus ensuring that at that stage, students are taught using methods that are most suitable for their mental growth. In the first few years of childhood, the brain develops neural connections at its fastest rate, and is hypersensitive to the child’s learning and environmental experiences. The high brain plasticity enables the child to acquire vast amounts of information at a fast rate, hence it is essential for teachers and caregivers to understand how they can foster healthy brain development through their knowledge of neuroscience.

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2 The Brain The growth and development of the brain begins before birth and continues into adulthood. A child’s early experiences; whether educational or environmental, significantly affect the structure of the brain. Positive learning experiences create a solid foundation for future learning, while negative learning experiences create a fragile foundation. After the first few years of the brain developing millions of neural connections per second, it begins to reduce them so as to retain the important connections, thus becoming more efficient. The brain’s plasticity in early childhood means that it is more effective to influence the development of the brain when the child is young, than it is when an individual is older.

Knowledge of neuroscience is crucial because it enables caregivers and teachers to provide learning materials and environments that facilitate the effective development of the brain’s architecture which in turn promote effective brain development. Stressful environments caused by factors such as poverty, abuse, neglect and severe depression, may affect the mind and lead to learning problems, mental health issues and behavioral problems.

Importance of Neuroscience in Childhood Education and Childcare The study and application of neuroscience in childhood education and care has transformed how caregivers and teachers perceive and approach childhood development. To create a better future for not only children but the society, it is essential to capitalize on the early years of life, in order to ensure that the child has the opportunity to develop healthily and effectively.

Engaging a child’s brain through the right combination learning and play activates neural activity which leads to dramatic changes in the child’s ability to understand and maintain information. All teachers hope to become more effective in their work; and while the

3 concept of neuroscience is proven to be beneficial to the growth of a child’s brain, not all teachers believe in the value that neuroscience has on early childhood education. The majority believe in implementing the concept, others believe in it but have reservations, while others, though few, see no use for the discipline. Caregivers and teachers who are of the opinion that neuroscience should be applied to early learning believe that it helps to make teaching effective because it is based on new technologies. Believers tend to seek more information on how the brain functions by attending seminars, taking courses and buying DVDs on the subject. This helps them have up-to-date information on how to enhance child brain development. They believe that the knowledge of the concepts of neuroscience is especially helpful for teaching children with special needs, since it is crucial to understand how their brains function, and how to deliver teach in a manner that is most understandable to them.

Believers with reservations believe that neuroscience is helpful but it only provides a fraction of the information they need. To fully believe in it, they need full information from other disciplines such as psychiatry, child development and psychology. Additionally, this group was hesitant to believe in neuroscience because they deemed it to be too complex due to its vocabulary and technical ideas. Some believed that the ideas needed to be translated to a simpler form to be transferable to students learning needs. Non-believers, on the other hand, stated that for the effectiveness of neuroscience in learning to be credible, it needed to be supported with evidence and facts. They believed that neuroscience removed the human aspect in learning, and treated children simply like brains. According to them, there is more to learning and understanding children than what was captured by a brain scan. They also believed that neuroscience is more of a fad than a concept that is actually helpful in educating children. Non believers emphasize the relationship between children and their caregivers. To

4 avoid approaching neuroscience in a cult-like manner, teachers should develop an attitude of questioning the information they receive on the subject and only take what is applicable and useful to their work. Without proper research and evidence, neuroscience can be wrongly used; for instance, by marketing products that do not offer an effective solution in learning.

Neuroscience is especially helpful in the teaching of children who have special needs and mental conditions. For instance, it is critical for teachers of students who have ADHD to understand how their brain works. Children with ADHD are hyperactive, easily distracted, are unable to concentrate for long periods and may not be able to grasp information as easily as children who do not have ADHD. Neuroscience can help a teacher recognize the symptoms, and develop teaching methods that help the child learn effectively despite their condition.

This knowledge is also important because it helps teachers manage students in the classroom, hence making the education process more effective. To facilitate well-rounded learning that also incorporates the human aspect of education, neuroscience should be combined with psychology, human development and cognitive science.

The application of concepts of neuroscience in early childhood education and childcare is crucial because it provides tools for intervention, thus enhancing the chances of effective brain development. It is better to create a healthy mind than to reverse the effects of negative conditioning. Neuroscience helps to create a more effective approach to a child’s cognitive, language, social and emotional development and this enables the child to achieve their full potential. The study of neuroscience reveals that intervening early is critical for achieving the most optimal results in childhood development and learning.

While it is evident that neuroscience is an essential tool in instructing students, teachers should be careful to understand how and when to apply it. If they accept all

5 information unquestioningly, they may apply incorrect methods of teaching which will ultimately affect the child’s learning trajectory.

Ethical and Moral Issues in Neuroscience Neuroscience affects every human being in various ways regardless of their age or stage in life. Young children need to sharpen their mental skills and develop into their full potential, while older people need to maintain their mental sharpness as they age. As more research is conducted on the importance of neuroscience, ethical and moral concerns arise since some people use this knowledge to profit unfairly from others. To ensure that neuroscience is used for the right reasons, the field of neuroethics emerged. Neuroethics focuses on identifying the good and bad, right and wrong, correct use and manipulation of the functions of the brain. Some of the studies that fall under neuroscience may be difficult to consider because they make one question who they are, the potential they hold, and how to live their lives.

Neuroscience offers a scientific solution to challenges in teaching, and is therefore very appealing to teachers. Educators often fail when applying neuroscience correctly in their field as a result of being overenthusiastic and non-critical (Geake 9) Teaching requires a significant amount of morality and discipline, therefore it is essential for teachers to make ethical decisions with regard to the implementation of neuroscience to ensure the effective development of children (Zambo 12). While neuroscience should essentially help individuals develop a brain-based philosophy of life, parents, caregivers and teachers sometimes use it unethically and as a result, it fails to lead to the expected benefits (Kim, & Sankey, 1215).

Teachers often want their students learn effectively and use various methods to facilitate this. However, they are sometimes too eager to adopt new methods of learning that

6 they fail to interrogate their effectiveness (Dinham 29). This, ultimately, has a negative effect on student learning. Lack of understanding about neuroscience also affects how teachers manage major issues such as learning disorders, and may therefore hinder these students from receiving the most suitable form of education for their needs. Evidence can be collected from sources such as multiple intelligences and personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs test.

Neuromyths in the Learning Process Outside the fields of science and medicine, there are several misconceptions surroundingthe functioning of the mind and brain (Howard-Jones 817). For a long time, various writers have had differing views on how neuromyths begin. Some writers believe that the myths are perpetuated by deluded people who have tendencies of being wishful thinkers, while others believe that there is an element of distorted truth in every myth. For instance, some teachers believe the neuromyth that failure to drink enough water causes the brain to shrink. There is a slight element of truth in the myth because dehydration actually has a negative effect on cognitive thinking. Additionally, culture plays a significant role in the incorrect translation of scientific knowledge. Cultural factors such as language differences can result in the misinterpretation of scientific facts. Language barriers can also hinder an individual form understanding the real meaning of scientific jargon hence resulting in neuromyths. Myths can also be attributed to developmental, emotional and cultural biases.

A perspective that is close to dualism suggests that the development of the brain is not that open to influence through the brain. In other words, the brain can be termed as being programed biologically and as such is a major impediment as far as learning is concerned. For instance, a study of Chinese trainers and UK’s trainee teachers showed that those who preferred a strong genetic effect on education results also seemed to be believers of biological

7 limits as far as what their students could achieve was concerned. This made the teachers to fill hopeless while helping the learners. Strong cultural forces can also be cited as the factors that bias the views of the trainers about the mind. An example of the foregoing forces is religious belief which differ from one society to another. For example, in the UK where more than 50% of the population does not subscribe to any religion, only 15% of the population stated that there the mind and the soul are related. In Greece, however, where a m(ajority of its people are religious, 72.5% confessed that the mind and the soul are related (Howard-Jones 817). Research in neuroscience has proven that people who have attention disorders have a lower level of dopamine, and as a result, they are more likely to easily become addicted to distractions since they provide the same effect as dopamine. Some of the most effective medication for ADHD is Adderall and Ritalin which ease the symptoms of the condition.

Caregivers, parents and teachers have the onus to maintain confidentiality, and to ascertain the kind of effect that neuroscience treatments have on the lives of children. Without these precautions, problems are likely to come up in the administration of neuroscience. For instance, some caregivers with children who have attention-deficit conditions such as ADHD give their children medicine to suppress their symptoms as the only treatment, whereas it the treatment should ideally be a combination of medication, behavioral and social therapy.

Putting children on medication without including other forms of treatment has the potential to damage their self-esteem, and might in future lead to other mental illnesses such as depression. Over-reliance on medication may cause side-effects such as loss of sleep, weight loss and foggy minds.

One of the moral and ethical issues that arise from the application of neuroscience in education is, therefore, the abuse of scientific interventions, by using medical interventions

8 only in place of other forms of treatment. Parents need to change their beliefs about their children’s neurobiology to ensure the safety of their children. Teachers on the other hand need to give their students an opportunity to express themselves and lower their expectations of them, this will enable the children to develop emotionally, socially and mentally, thus facilitating a better childhood and improved mental health.

Conclusion Neuroscience is the study of how the human mind develops and works, and is a crucial aspect in the analysis of early childhood care and education. The study of neuroscience is relevant at all stages of life, however, an individual’s mental development in early childhood lays the foundation for the rest of their lives, therefore is perhaps the most important stage in life. To respond adequately to children’s developmental and learning needs, caregivers, parents and teachers should use a combination of strategies that enhance learning. Ethical issues in neuroscience arise where parents and educators fail to develop a deeper understanding of neuroscience , therefore leading to misinformation about the brain and how it functions. Neuroscience should be applied to learning with the knowledge that individuals have different types of personalities, therefore, it is important to avoid labeling or stereotyping a child without ascertaining the teaching method that is most suitable for them. For children who are diagnosed with ADHD and other types of challenges, it is essential to use medication as well as a combination of other therapeutic treatment to ensure that their condition is managed safely.

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Works Cited Extract (pp. 29-32) from: Dinham, S. (2016). Leading learning and teaching. Camberwell, Victoria: ACER Press.

Howard-Jones, P. A. (2014). Neuroscience and education: myths and message. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15, 817-824.

Introduction (pp. 1-11) from: Geake, J. (2009). The brain at school: Educational neuroscience in the classroom. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press.

Kim, M., & Sankey, D. (2018). Philosophy, neuroscience and pre-service teachers' beliefs in neuromyths: A call for remedial action. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(13), 1214-1227.

Sankey, D. (2010). Guest editorial: The ethic of forgetfulness. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42(2).

Zambo, D. (2013). The practical and ethical concerns of using neuroscience to teach young children and help them self-regulate. In L. H. Wasserman & D. Zambo (Eds.), Early childhood and neuroscience: Links to development and learning (pp. 7-16 inclusive).

Dordrecht: Springer.