Perspectives on learning from neuroscience

Educational neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field of research which seeks to understand how we learn by looking at our behaviors, thoughts and emotions and their underlying brain mechanisms. This paper introduces the disciplines and methods constituting educational neuroscience and shows how combining perspectives from psychology, neuroscience and genetics helps to further unravel the mechanisms underlying learning. It focuses on key areas of research including brain health fundamentals (nutrition, exercise, sleep, and protection from stress), socio-emotional learning, and executive functions. It illustrates how individual resources (such as emotional and attentional resources) are developed in interaction with the complex environments which the learners experience. To study these complex environments in both a reliable and naturalistic way, collaborative projects between scientists, educators and learners are essential. The paper ends with several suggestions for current and future generations of researchers to involve communities in their work and keep moving the field forward.