ABSTRACT
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to undergo temporary or permanent changes, influenced by its own function, the external environment, and other brains. Featuring research by members of the Brazilian Network of Science for Education, this chapter illustrates how our understanding of neuroplasticity, and its effect on learning, is being informed by studies across various levels of granularity. Introducing the concept of neuroplasticity and its relationship with learning, this chapter lays the foundation for later chapters in this part of the book which describe the formation and strengthening of neural networks and the influence of emotions such as anxiety (foreign language anxiety and maths anxiety) and social connectedness on learning. At the molecular/cellular level, sleep-dependent mechanisms that underlie consolidation of memories across the sleep-wake cycle, including strengthening, weakening, and restructuring of selected memory traces are discussed, with studies of pre-school and college students showing a correlation between napping and memory retention. At the meso-scale level, long distance changes are described in the human connectome of children with developmental disorders such as dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, the thickest fiber tract connecting the brain hemispheres. Finally, at the macro-scale level, preliminary hyperscanning experiments based on simultaneous acquisition of brain signals in multiple participants, including pre-school students and teacher, and groups of college students, are discussed. Findings show that brain activity synchronises in participants during some but not all situations, depending on levels of attention, engagement, and quality of the social interaction. This snapshot of research occurring under the umbrella of the Brazilian Network of Science for Education demonstrates how knowledge about brain mechanisms may illuminate novel practices translatable to the classroom.
