Neuroscience and educational processes: A necessary knowledge in teacher training

Abstract

Education is gaining an unusual importance at this time, when there is evidence that the teaching strategies used in the teaching-learning process are effi cient in the reorganization of the developing nervous system, producing new behaviors. It is in this context that this study was conducted in order to elucidate the direct and indirect contributions of neuroscience to teacher training. It is a bibliographic study on theoretical contributions by authors of the fi eld of neuroscience and teacher training, such as: Bartoszeck (2007), Rose (2006), Hardiman and Denckla (2009), Scorza et al. (2005), Rato and Caldas (2010), Goswami (2006) and Noronha (2008), among others. The methodology used was the hermeneutic dialogue as proposed by Gadamer (1997), as it is a comprehensive approach to relational knowledge. At fi rst the article lists authors whose writings relate to neuroscience. In a second step, it discusses authors who have dealt with teacher training. Finally it brings these writings together with the purpose of linking the insights from neuroscientifi c research and treating them as contributions to the area of teacher training. On the basis of this study, some conclusions are presented: learning is a result of neuroplasticity, the human brain does not fi nish its development, but restructures, reorganizes itself constantly, and new ideas about cognition and development may provide new directions for education.

Keywords: neuroscience, learning, education, teacher training.