Practical applications of mind brain education for classroom teachers

To what extent neuroscience can inform pedagogical practices is a debated topic in the realm of Mind Brain Education studies. Critics maintain that there is no practicable relevance of neuroscience to pedagogy and that educators should continue to lean on cognitive psychology to make meaningful pedagogical decisions, while proponents argue there are several benefits of explicitly connecting mind, brain, and education. The in- tent of this study is to make explicit the application of Mind Brain Education to classroom teacher practices, demonstrating how educators can leverage neuroscience to maximize student learning outcomes. This study was conducted using a systematic literature review with a focus on research that links the neurocognitive sci- ences to pedagogy, including the role of emotions in attention, memory, and motivation from a neurological basis and specific neurocognitively-supported instructional applications. Using a neurocognitive framework, results were deductively coded using process and descriptive coding. The codes were analyzed thematically and further examined using multiple pedagogical theories. Results of the study indicate neurocognitive sup- port of specific practices for planning the emotional climate in educational settings, the design of the physical learning environment, the design of learning experiences, the pedagogical methods yielding content mastery and content retention, the design of opportunities for creativity and innovation, and the neurocognitive basis for effective feedback methods. Primary conclusions indicate neurocognitive support for best practices in the classroom; however, these are early findings. The field of Mind Brain Education currently has a broad range but shallow breadth of studies from which to pull evidence of neurocognitively effective educational practices. For this reason, we must continue to conduct studies investigating the connection between neurocognitive sciences and practical application in education.