Brain Myths

This week’s article summary is entitled 7 Common Neuromyths That Many Educators Believe.

I wasn’t familiar with all of the myths and even questioned the explanations of some others.

Yet the point of the article is that we as teachers need to become more knowledgeable of current brain research and cognitive science and less reliant on “neuroscience light”.

One of the most influential books I’ve read on cognitive science and education is Daniel Willingham’s Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Minds Works , which helped debunk a number of the myths below. 

A good book on the brain (although written more like a textbook) is David Souza's How the Brain Works. 

Joe

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Surveys of teachers reveal that many believe seven common myths about the brain, likely because the simple explanations are often attractive, even if totally wrong.

Right-brained/left-brained: 70% of teachers believe that a person is either ‘right-brained’ or ‘left-brained’. This popular neuromyth has been debunked by evidence from over 1,000 fMRI brain scans, which found no evidence people have either ‘right-brained’ or ‘left-brained’ personalities. Read on: Debunked: ‘Right-Brain’ and ‘Left-Brain’ Personalities

You only use 10% of your brain: 50% of teachers believe that people only use 10% of their brains. The idea that we only use 10% of our brains is probably such an enduring myth because it’s comforting to think we have spare capacity. Check out: 10% brain myth.

Sugar reduces attention: 50% of teachers think children become less attentive after consuming sugary snacks or drinks. This myth probably comes from weak links found in early research between sugar consumption and ADHD, yet the link still remains unproven, and at best weak.

Learning styles: 90% of teachers believe that students learn better if they are taught according to their preferred learning style, e.g., auditory, kinesthetic, visual. There is no neuroscientific evidence for this and no evidence that learning is improved by teaching to individual learning styles.

The shrinking brain: 25% of teachers believe that if people don’t drink six to eight glasses of water a day, their brains will shrink. Not true.

Exercise improves communication between brain hemispheres: 66% of teachers believe that short bouts of exercise improve communication between the brain’s hemispheres. There’s no evidence that exercise in this way can aid inter-hemispheric information transfer.

Critical period for learning: 33% of teachers believe that there are critical periods when certain types of learning must occur. This has a grain of truth, in that children are particularly sensitive to learning at certain periods. However, we can continue to learn, and our brains can change — so-called ‘plasticity’ — throughout our lives.