Brain Science Myths

Don't be shocked but ... !

Cognitive Neuroscience and its recent offspring, Educational Neuroscience, (check it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_neuroscience ) have been telling us for a long time now that - despite the many investigations - there is no evidence that certain Brain-Based learning ideas have any worthwhile benefits.

I've been long aware of these findings but I thought I would make mention of them here.

1. Brain Gym. Absolute rubbish. A couple of years ago even it's inventor admitted it started as a joke.

2. Learning Styles. Absolute rubbish. Neuroscience soundly condemns this idea.

3. Multiple Intelligences. Again taken completely out of context. There is only one general intelligence ! (see my Working Memory post)

 4. Left-Brain, Right Brain Learning. Absolute rubbish. You teach and learn with both hemispheres - the whole brain.

Might be shocking news to learn this but there it is !

By the way I draw your attention to a good Brain Science book:

Geake, John G. The Brain at School Educational Neuroscience in the Classroom. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press, 2009.