The Neuroeducational Perspective On Learning Problems
It is, on the one hand, a fundamental element in the psychological development of children and adolescents, and experiencing problems in this aspect of life can generate very important physical and mental health problems. And, on the other hand, education is not limited to being an interaction between educators and educated; It is also the internal processes that take place in the minds of students, a good part of which depend on the functioning of the brain.
Taking the latter into account, in this article we will delve into how learning problems can be addressed through the neuroeducational perspective. First of all, let’s see what this concept is.
Let’s start by knowing broadly what the neuroeducational perspective is and why it is relevant. As its name indicates, this way of investigating and addressing possible problems in the context of education It takes into account both behavioral and psychosocial variables, on the one hand, and variables linked to the field of neurology and neuroscience, on the other.
Specifically, professionals who are involved in the detection and intervention of learning problems start from the idea that the human brain is a part of the body in which there is a lot of relevant information about private mental processes and observable behavioral patterns, given It is in this set of organs where most of the information processing that gives rise to thinking, management of attention focus, management of emotions, etc. takes place.
In this way, the neuroeducational perspective is a way of understanding the learning phenomenon not only as something social or cultural, but also biological. Ultimately, there are elements such as brain injuries, congenital diseases and genetic predispositions that explain a good part of the differences between people in areas of life such as school performance, reading and writing ability, ability to concentrate on completing tasks, etc Not paying attention to these variables associated with the functioning of the brain means having an incomplete vision of what hundreds of thousands of boys and girls who have problems both at school and when managing the education given by their parents experience.
How do we intervene in learning problems from a neuroeducational perspective?
As we have seen, one of the main characteristics of the neuroeducational perspective is the emphasis it places on taking into account what we know about the human brain when it comes to understanding learning problems and predicting the way in which they can occur. develop. Therefore, it is a way of helping people that is in a constant process of updating according to the discoveries that are made in the field of neurosciences, and not only in behavioral sciences.
Below we will see what its main areas of application are in the phenomenon of learning problems.
1. Early detection and intervention
Many learning problems have as part of their triggers pathologies that are present from birth, although they are not immediately evident.
In order to detect them as soon as possible and thus give rise to an early intervention plan that avoids the accumulation of problems derived from not attending to the special needs of the child, the neuroeducational perspective has as reference the main milestones of developmental neuropsychology, comparing the child’s behavior with the type of actions he/she should be able to perform according to the degree of maturation of his/her nervous system. This helps to quickly identify disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.
2. Adaptation of education plans in cases of disability
There are certain forms of disability that have the potential to generate a very significant and rapid impact on the psychological development of the child if tailored education plans are not created; for example, vision or hearing problems. Consider the way in which the human brain tends to organize, process and integrate information coming from the different senses is important to prevent the appearance of avoidable problems.
3. Detection of possible environmental phenomena capable of damaging mental agility
Studying educational performance without losing sight of the functioning of the brain does not mean focusing solely on the individual, because there are environmental aspects capable of interfering with the development of intelligence and the ability to learn in general. For example, it has been proven that frequent exposure to certain polluting agents reduces IQ, and that something as simple as studying in an environment with hardly any natural spaces (and with vegetation) can also have a significant impact on academic performance.
4. Neurocognitive intervention to optimize learning processes
In the same way that the neuroeducational perspective helps to detect and intervene in learning disorders, it can help reverse possible blockages caused by a lack of motivation or contexts capable of activating the parts of the brain linked to creativity, even in those cases in which the student does not present psychopathology or a neuropsychological disorder.
