Neuroscience makes the news regularly these days. Two recent headlines of stories by science writer Curt Supplee read "Key Brain Growth Goes On into Teens" (March 9, 2000) and "Emotions Linked to More Areas of the Brain" (September 20, 2000).
The first story explains how the brain undergoes dramatic anatomical changes between the ages of 3 and 15. Gray matter nearly doubles during one key period near puberty. The growth is followed by a corresponding and drastic loss of tissue when the brain purges itself of unneeded cells and reorganizes itself. The new discovery "shatters some traditional assumptions about neural development," especially the theory that most brain growth ends in early childhood.
The second story also changes previous assumptions about the brain. "Feelings, from joy to terror, appear to arise from distinctive, measurable patterns of nerve cell activity in several specific areas of the brain," the story begins. A part of our cerebral cortex is involved in reexperiencing the physical sensations of an emotionally powerful event. Traditionally, scientists considered the limbic system to be the brain's activity center for emotions. These new findings "put the study of feelings—sometimes dismissed as too elusive a subject for rigorous study—on a sound physiological basis."
In addition to replacing old "facts" with new ones, these stories have another characteristic in common. The studies that they report are the result of a remarkable technology that lets scientists make stop-action images of the places in the brain that activate when an individual looks at a specific object, spells a particular word, or recalls a once-in-a-lifetime event. Another emerging technology produces something like a movie of the electrochemical activity throughout the brain and allows scientists to pinpoint the very molecules involved in memory and cognition.
Both stories address topics of vital interest to scientists and educators. Even as scientists warn educators against drawing conclusions on the basis of the latest findings of neuroscience, both scientists and educators are engaged in hypothesizing about the implications of these findings. Whereas medical researchers think in terms of curing diseases and finding beneficial drug therapies, educators think in terms of teaching the students in their classrooms. What kind of environment is best for learning? At what age (or developmental level) should we introduce reading or algebra? How can we develop students' emotional intelligence? The questions are specific, and rigorous experimentation under controlled conditions is not the realm of the typical educator.
Meanwhile, on the political scene, policymakers demand that educators use only well-established strategies, failing sometimes to appreciate that along with the scientist's faith in empirical evidence must come a willingness to change one's mind in light of new facts. Educators can neither wait until all facts are in nor persist in old practices while ignoring new ideas. And, in addition to considering the scientific research, teachers need to base their practice in their own experience of what works and in the societal values that influence our schools.
The National Research Council, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation are among those acknowledging that it is time to bring neuroscientists and educators together for conversations (Jacobson, 2000). The media, with their capacity to popularize, interpret, simplify, or deepen our understanding of complex issues, have a role to play, too.
For this issue of Educational Leadership, we invited experts from science and education to explain some findings in neuroscience and to describe practices that work well with students. Included are pieces about new discoveries in assessing emotional intelligence, treatments of ADHD, and new uses of technologies to improve learning.
An interview with psychologist Andrew Meltzoff leads off our issue. He describes the toddler as a young scientist embarking on a journey of learning, a scientist who depends on having many well-informed teachers—who are also learning all the time—to guide him or her all along the way.
