Combining Neuroscience with Education 1

Combining Neuroscience with Education

ETEC 512

Evelyn Welsh

University of British Columbia

 Combining Neuroscience with Education 2

New research in the field of neuroscience, specifically brain function as it pertains to

acquisition of mathematical facts make a compelling case for this research to be applied in the

education field. I agree with the article by (Coch & Ansari, 2009) as it argues the need for the field of

neuroscience and education to consider a more integrated approach. These considerations take in to

account how teachers interact with neuroscience findings before they are applied haphazardly in the

educational setting without being fully tested Coch & Ansari, (2009). By integrating neuroscience

research, and training new teachers to interpret what Coch & Ansari, (2009) describe as more exposure

to primary evidence in the field of neuroscience, it will better prepare new teachers to appropriately

discern relevant applications and results of these findings.

Recognizing that brain function and learning are very much applicable to how we memorize

rote facts, such as suggested by (Zamarian et al., 2012) through MRI research studies. As these findings

correlated with improved time and accuracy on trained and untrained mathematical concepts, this could

be useful to teachers by implementing drill and practice approach. For example, implementing times

table drills or other drills where repetition and memory aids are applied could help build areas of

memorized math facts, as the student builds to more complex problems (p. 913). As Zamarian et al.,

(2012) continue to discuss in their methodological considerations are limitations that the fMRI results

have to the sensitivity of task difficulty (p. 917). Differences in the images for easy and complex

tasks might show how the brain is focusing on an untrained portion of the problem and not how the

problem is being processed. This is important to consider because it comes back to these studies being

subject to real classroom environments, where students come from a variety of backgrounds both

culturally and genetically.

 Combining Neuroscience with Education 3

References:

Coch, D., & Ansari, D. (2009). Thinking about mechanisms is crucial to connecting neuroscience and

education. Cortex, 45(4), 546-547. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/science/article/pii/S0010945208001585
 Combining Neuroscience with Education 4

Zamarian, L., Ischebeck, A., & Delazer, M. (2012). Evidence from brain imaging studies.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 33, 909-925. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/science/article/pii/S0149763409000402