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Neuromyths as a Challenge and Opportunity for the Learning and Teaching of Neuroscience

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 483 - 494, 31.12.2018

Asil Özdoğru , Nursena Balatekin

https://doi.org/10.30703/cije.457302

Abstract

Neuromyths are misconceptions generated by misunderstanding or misquoting of facts established by neuroscience about various topics such as critical periods, bilingualism, and hemispherization. The availability and dissemination of questionable content through various traditional and new media outlets fuel the spread of neuromythical ideas. Many teachers and students around the world believe in these neuromyths, which present a great challenge and at the same time an opportunity for the meaningful learning and use of neuroscientific knowledge. Based on the research published in the last 15 years, this study provides a review of the common neuromyths, their predictors and consequences, and proposes ways to deal with them for research and education communities. Common neuromyths include the use of 10% of the brain, right- and left-brain learners, learning styles, dyslexia, classical music, and attention. Lack of knowledge, high level of interest, and ineffective learning and teaching strategies were found to contribute to the proliferation of neuromyths. Learners and teachers who are well equipped with foundational knowledge in basic sciences, information literacy skills, and effective teaching techniques can be better in identifying and eliminating neuromyths. In order to battle and suppress neuromyths, neuroscientists and educators should improve their collaboration, and learners and teachers should adopt more effective learning and teaching strategies.

Keywords

Neuroscience misconceptions neuromyths learning teaching

References

  • Adesope, O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80, 207-245. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310368803
  • Anderson, M., & Della Sala S. (2012). Neuroscience in education: (An opinionated) introduction. In S. Della Sala, & M. Anderson (Eds.), Neuroscience in education: The good, the bad and the ugly (3-12). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Baron-Cohen, S. (2003). The essential difference: Men, women and the extreme male brain. London: Allen-Lane.
  • Bellert, A., & Graham, L. (2013). Neuromyths and neurofacts: Information from cognitive neuroscience for classroom and learning support teachers. Special Education Perspectives, 22(2), 7-20.
  • Canbulat, T., & Kırıktas, H. (2017). Assessment of educational neuromyths among teachers and teacher candidates. Journal of Education and Learning, 6(2), 326. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v6n2p326
  • Chan, M., Jones, C., Hall Jamieson, K., & Albarracín, D. (2017). Debunking: A meta-analysis of the psychological efficacy of messages countering misinformation. Psychological Science, 28, 1531-1546. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617714579
  • Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) (2004). Information literacy. https://www.cilip.org.uk/research/topics/information-literacy
  • Coltheart, M. (2013). Weird neuroscience: How education hijacked brain research. Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, 45, 1-9.
  • Dekker, S., Lee, N., Howard-Jones, P., & Jolles, J. (2012). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00429
  • Deligiannidi, K., & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). The neuroscience literacy of teachers in Greece. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 3909–3915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1133
  • Düvel, N., Wolf, A., & Kopiez, R. (2017). Neuromyths in music education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers and students. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00629
  • Edelenbosch, R., Kupper, F., Krabbendam, L., & Broerse, J. (2015). Brain-based learning and educational neuroscience: Boundary work. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12066
  • Ferrero, M., Garaizar, P., & Vadillo, M. (2016). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence among Spanish teachers and an exploration of cross-cultural variation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00496
  • Gleichgerrcht, E., Lira Luttges, B., Salvarezza, F., & Campos, A. (2015). Educational neuromyths among teachers in Latin America. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(3), 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12086
  • Howard-Jones, P. A., Franey, L., Mashmoushi, R., & Liao, Y.-C. (2009, September). The neuroscience literacy of trainee teachers. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Manchester, UK.
  • Illes, J., Moser, M., McCormick, J., Racine, E., Blakeslee, S., & Caplan, A. … Weiss, S. (2010). NeuroTalk: Improving the communication of neuroscience research. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(1), 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2773
  • Im, S.-h., Cho, J.-Y., Dubinsky, J. M., & Varma, S. (2018) Taking an educational psychology course improves neuroscience literacy but does not reduce belief in neuromyths. PLoS ONE, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192163
  • Karakus, O., Howard-Jones, P., & Jay, T. (2015). Primary and secondary school teachers’ knowledge and misconceptions about the brain in Turkey. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 1933-1940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.858
  • Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B. L. (2010). 50 great myths of popular psychology: Shattering widespread misconceptions about human behavior. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Lindell, A., & Kidd, E. (2013). Consumers favor “right brain” training: The dangerous lure of neuromarketing. Mind, Brain, And Education, 7(1), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12005
  • Macdonald, K., Germine, L., Anderson, A., Christodoulou, J., & McGrath, L. (2017). Dispelling the myth: Training in education or neuroscience decreases but does not eliminate beliefs in neuromyths. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314
  • McCabe, J., Redick, T., & Engle, R. (2016). Brain-training pessimism, but applied-memory optimism. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(3), 187-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100616664716
  • National Research Council (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded Edition). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853
  • Olson, M., & Hergenhahn, B. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2002). Understanding the brain: Towards a new learning science. Paris: OECD Publications. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264174986-en
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2007). Understanding the brain: The birth of a learning science. Paris: OECD Publications. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264029132-9-en
  • Owen, A. M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J. A., Stenton, R., Dajani, S., Burns, A. S., … Ballard, C. G. (2010). Putting brain training to the test. Nature, 465(7299), 775-778. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09042
  • Özdoğru, A. A. (2014). Mind, Brain, and Education: An emerging transdisciplinary field of learning and development. The Journal of Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1(3), 95-96. https://doi.org/10.5455/jnbs.1408373410
  • Papadatou-Pastou, M., Haliou, E., & Vlachos, F. (2017). Brain knowledge and the prevalence of neuromyths among prospective teachers in Greece. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00804
  • Pasquinelli, E. (2012). Neuromyths: Why do they exist and persist? Mind, Brain, and Education, 6(2), 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228x.2012.01141.x
  • Pei, X., Zhang, S., Liu, X., Jin, Y., & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). Teachers’ understanding about the brain in East China. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 3681–3688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1091
  • Presti, D. (2015). Foundational concepts in neuroscience. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
  • Purdy, N. (2008). Neuroscience and education: how best to filter out the neurononsense from our classrooms? Irish Educational Studies, 27(3), 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323310802242120
  • Racine, E., Bar-Ilan, O., & Illes, J. (2006). Brain imaging. Science Communication, 28(1), 122-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547006291990
  • Rato, J., Abreu, A., & Castro-Caldas, A. (2013). Neuromyths in education: What is fact and what is fiction for Portuguese teachers? Educational Research, 55(4), 441-453. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2013.844947
  • Society for Neuroscience (2008). Neuroscience core concepts: The essential principles of neuroscience. Retrieved from http://auth.brainfacts.sfn.org/brainfacts/about-neuroscience/core-concepts
  • Tardif, E., Doudin, P., & Meylan, N. (2015). Neuromyths among teachers and student teachers. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(1), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12070

Nörobilimin Öğrenimi ve Öğretimi İçin Bir Zorluk ve Fırsat Olarak Nöromitler

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 483 - 494, 31.12.2018

Asil Özdoğru , Nursena Balatekin

https://doi.org/10.30703/cije.457302

Abstract

Nöromitler; kritik dönemler, çift dillilik ve yanallaşma gibi çeşitli konularda nörobilim tarafından ortaya konan olguların yanlış anlaşılması veya yanlış yorumlanmasıyla ortaya çıkan kavram yanılgılarıdır. Çeşitli geleneksel ve yeni medya organları aracılığıyla şaibeli içeriğin erişilebilirliği ve yayılması, nöromit içeren fikirlerin çoğalmasını körüklemektedir. Dünyanın farklı bölgelerinden pek çok öğretmen ve öğrencinin bu nöromitlere inanması nörobilimsel bilginin anlamlı bir şekilde öğrenilmesi ve kullanımı açısından büyük bir tehdit ve aynı zamanda bir fırsat sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada nöromitler hakkında son 15 yılda yayınlanan araştırmalar üzerinden yaygın nöromitler, bunların yordayıcıları ve sonuçları özetlenmekte araştırma ve eğitim camiası için nöromitlerle başa çıkmanın yolları sunulmaktadır. Yaygın nöromitler, beynin %10'unun kullanımı, sağ ve sol beyinle öğrenme, öğrenme stilleri, disleksi, klasik müzik ve dikkat gibi konuları içermektedir. Bilgi eksikliği, yüksek düzeyde ilgi ile etkisiz öğrenme ve öğretme stratejileri nöromitlerin çoğalmasına neden olmaktadır. Temel bilimler ile ilgili esaslı bilgi birikimi olan, bilgi okuryazarlığı becerisi ve etkili öğretim tekniklerine sahip öğrenci ve öğretmenler nöromitlerin saptanması ve ortadan kaldırılmasında daha yeterli olabilirler. Nöromitlerle savaşmak ve onları bastırmak için nörobilimciler ve eğitimciler işbirliklerini geliştirmeli ve öğrenciler ile öğretmenler daha etkili öğrenme ve öğretme stratejileri benimsemelidir. 

Keywords

Nörobilim kavram yanılgıları nöromitler öğrenme öğretme

References

  • Adesope, O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80, 207-245. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310368803
  • Anderson, M., & Della Sala S. (2012). Neuroscience in education: (An opinionated) introduction. In S. Della Sala, & M. Anderson (Eds.), Neuroscience in education: The good, the bad and the ugly (3-12). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Baron-Cohen, S. (2003). The essential difference: Men, women and the extreme male brain. London: Allen-Lane.
  • Bellert, A., & Graham, L. (2013). Neuromyths and neurofacts: Information from cognitive neuroscience for classroom and learning support teachers. Special Education Perspectives, 22(2), 7-20.
  • Canbulat, T., & Kırıktas, H. (2017). Assessment of educational neuromyths among teachers and teacher candidates. Journal of Education and Learning, 6(2), 326. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v6n2p326
  • Chan, M., Jones, C., Hall Jamieson, K., & Albarracín, D. (2017). Debunking: A meta-analysis of the psychological efficacy of messages countering misinformation. Psychological Science, 28, 1531-1546. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617714579
  • Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) (2004). Information literacy. https://www.cilip.org.uk/research/topics/information-literacy
  • Coltheart, M. (2013). Weird neuroscience: How education hijacked brain research. Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, 45, 1-9.
  • Dekker, S., Lee, N., Howard-Jones, P., & Jolles, J. (2012). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00429
  • Deligiannidi, K., & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). The neuroscience literacy of teachers in Greece. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 3909–3915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1133
  • Düvel, N., Wolf, A., & Kopiez, R. (2017). Neuromyths in music education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers and students. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00629
  • Edelenbosch, R., Kupper, F., Krabbendam, L., & Broerse, J. (2015). Brain-based learning and educational neuroscience: Boundary work. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12066
  • Ferrero, M., Garaizar, P., & Vadillo, M. (2016). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence among Spanish teachers and an exploration of cross-cultural variation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00496
  • Gleichgerrcht, E., Lira Luttges, B., Salvarezza, F., & Campos, A. (2015). Educational neuromyths among teachers in Latin America. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(3), 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12086
  • Howard-Jones, P. A., Franey, L., Mashmoushi, R., & Liao, Y.-C. (2009, September). The neuroscience literacy of trainee teachers. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Manchester, UK.
  • Illes, J., Moser, M., McCormick, J., Racine, E., Blakeslee, S., & Caplan, A. … Weiss, S. (2010). NeuroTalk: Improving the communication of neuroscience research. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(1), 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2773
  • Im, S.-h., Cho, J.-Y., Dubinsky, J. M., & Varma, S. (2018) Taking an educational psychology course improves neuroscience literacy but does not reduce belief in neuromyths. PLoS ONE, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192163
  • Karakus, O., Howard-Jones, P., & Jay, T. (2015). Primary and secondary school teachers’ knowledge and misconceptions about the brain in Turkey. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 1933-1940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.858
  • Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B. L. (2010). 50 great myths of popular psychology: Shattering widespread misconceptions about human behavior. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Lindell, A., & Kidd, E. (2013). Consumers favor “right brain” training: The dangerous lure of neuromarketing. Mind, Brain, And Education, 7(1), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12005
  • Macdonald, K., Germine, L., Anderson, A., Christodoulou, J., & McGrath, L. (2017). Dispelling the myth: Training in education or neuroscience decreases but does not eliminate beliefs in neuromyths. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314
  • McCabe, J., Redick, T., & Engle, R. (2016). Brain-training pessimism, but applied-memory optimism. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(3), 187-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100616664716
  • National Research Council (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded Edition). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853
  • Olson, M., & Hergenhahn, B. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2002). Understanding the brain: Towards a new learning science. Paris: OECD Publications. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264174986-en
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2007). Understanding the brain: The birth of a learning science. Paris: OECD Publications. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264029132-9-en
  • Owen, A. M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J. A., Stenton, R., Dajani, S., Burns, A. S., … Ballard, C. G. (2010). Putting brain training to the test. Nature, 465(7299), 775-778. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09042
  • Özdoğru, A. A. (2014). Mind, Brain, and Education: An emerging transdisciplinary field of learning and development. The Journal of Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1(3), 95-96. https://doi.org/10.5455/jnbs.1408373410
  • Papadatou-Pastou, M., Haliou, E., & Vlachos, F. (2017). Brain knowledge and the prevalence of neuromyths among prospective teachers in Greece. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00804
  • Pasquinelli, E. (2012). Neuromyths: Why do they exist and persist? Mind, Brain, and Education, 6(2), 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228x.2012.01141.x
  • Pei, X., Zhang, S., Liu, X., Jin, Y., & Howard-Jones, P. (2015). Teachers’ understanding about the brain in East China. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 3681–3688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1091
  • Presti, D. (2015). Foundational concepts in neuroscience. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
  • Purdy, N. (2008). Neuroscience and education: how best to filter out the neurononsense from our classrooms? Irish Educational Studies, 27(3), 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323310802242120
  • Racine, E., Bar-Ilan, O., & Illes, J. (2006). Brain imaging. Science Communication, 28(1), 122-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547006291990
  • Rato, J., Abreu, A., & Castro-Caldas, A. (2013). Neuromyths in education: What is fact and what is fiction for Portuguese teachers? Educational Research, 55(4), 441-453. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2013.844947
  • Society for Neuroscience (2008). Neuroscience core concepts: The essential principles of neuroscience. Retrieved from http://auth.brainfacts.sfn.org/brainfacts/about-neuroscience/core-concepts
  • Tardif, E., Doudin, P., & Meylan, N. (2015). Neuromyths among teachers and student teachers. Mind, Brain, and Education, 9(1), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12070
There are 37 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Theoretical Paper
Authors

Asil Özdoğru 0000-0002-4273-9394

Nursena Balatekin

Publication Date December 31, 2018
Published in Issue Year 2018Volume: 7 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Özdoğru, A., & Balatekin, N. (2018). Neuromyths as a Challenge and Opportunity for the Learning and Teaching of Neuroscience. Cumhuriyet Uluslararası Eğitim Dergisi, 7(4), 483-494. https://doi.org/10.30703/cije.457302
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