Neuroscience approaches with promise

A new review commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation in London summarizes existing evidence about education approaches and interventions that are based (or claim to be based) on neuroscience. The review looked at 18 different topics and considered the strength of evidence to support them and how close they are to a practical application in education. 

Five topics were found to be the most developed in terms of educational application and have the most promising evidence about their impact on educational outcomes. These were:

• Mathematics. Math anxiety interferes with neurocognitive processes that are crucial to learning, but the effects can be mediated by an individual's recruitment of cognitive control networks.
• Reading. Mapping letter symbols to sound and comprehending meaning.
• Exercise. Participating in physical activity to increase the efficiency of neural networks.
• Spaced learning. Learning content multiple times with breaks in between.
• Testing. Being tested on studied material aids memory.

The author notes that there is a growing interest in neuroscience-informed education, but that this enthusiasm means that the topic needs to be approached with care. He concludes that all of the parties involved -- neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, educational researchers, and teachers -- should work together to ensure that the neuroscience is properly interpreted and applied through educational interventions that are meaningful, feasible, and rigorously tested.