ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the application of neuroscience to education, referred to variously as educational neuroscience or neuroeducation. The allure of neuroscience for educators is twofold: first, it offers the possibility of confirming, at the neuronal level, the benefits of existing educational practice; second, it offers the possibility that neuroscientific knowledge can be used productively in educational settings. The marketing materials for courses in educational neuroscience clearly set out the scope and promise of applying neuroscience to education. Most of the general descriptions of courses and programmes of research tend to foreground neuroscience as delivering basic research outcomes which are then translated into educational or clinical practice via the discipline of cognitive psychology. It is important for educators to avoid perpetuating neuromyths in their educational practice. The idea that the brain can be shaped by experience has been known for many decades through early research on kittens, mice, and ferrets raised under restricted visual environments.
