Page 160 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 160
well recognised as being ESL risk factors (e.g. Lan & Lanthier, 2003;
European Commission, 2011; PPMI, 2014), monitoring developments in
neuroscientific research that touches on learning may indirectly help ef-
forts to prevent ESL.
Methodology
The article is based on a review of literature entailing a search conduct-
ed in the PsycINFO, ERIC, Proquest, Science Direct and Google Scholar,
Proquest Dissertation & Theses Global databases. Key words used in the
literature search were: neuroscience in education, neuroeducation, educa-
tional neuroscience, early school leaving, dyslexia, brain changes in ado-
lescence, brain functioning etc. For the purposes of this article, we mainly
took scientific papers and some online scientific books into consideration.
Changes in adolescents’ brain and the implications for teacher
practice
Several MRI-facilitated studies conducted in the past years have investigat-
ed the way the structure of the brain develops during childhood and adoles-
cence (e.g. Paus, 2005; Casey, Tottenham, Liston, & Durston, 2005). Studies
carried out on large groups of subjects show there is increased white mat-
ter and decreased grey matter density in the frontal and parietal cortices
throughout adolescence (e.g. Barnea-Goraly et al., 2005; Giedd et al., 1999;
Reiss, Abrams, Singer, Ross, & Denckla, 1996; Sowell, Thompson, Tessner,
& Toga, 2001; Sowell, Peterson, Thompson, Welcome, Henkenius, & Toga,
2003). This increase in white matter seems to be linear across all brain are-
as, with changes in grey matter density appearing first in the brain’s senso-
ry and motor regions followed by the rest of the cortex, and finally the tem-
poral cortex (Gogtay et al., 2004). Two brain regions consistently shown
to undergo continued development during adolescence are the prefrontal
cortex and parietal cortex. The continuing structural changes occurring
in these brain regions during adolescence (negatively) affect the cognitive
abilities – executive functions – that rely on how such regions function, re-
gions like selective attention, decision-making, voluntary response inhibi-
tion and working memory (Jensen & Nutt, 2014). Each of these executive
functions has a role in cognitive control, for example inhibiting impulses,
filtering unimportant information, holding in mind a plan to carry out in
the future etc. Prospective memory (the ability to hold in mind an intention
160
European Commission, 2011; PPMI, 2014), monitoring developments in
neuroscientific research that touches on learning may indirectly help ef-
forts to prevent ESL.
Methodology
The article is based on a review of literature entailing a search conduct-
ed in the PsycINFO, ERIC, Proquest, Science Direct and Google Scholar,
Proquest Dissertation & Theses Global databases. Key words used in the
literature search were: neuroscience in education, neuroeducation, educa-
tional neuroscience, early school leaving, dyslexia, brain changes in ado-
lescence, brain functioning etc. For the purposes of this article, we mainly
took scientific papers and some online scientific books into consideration.
Changes in adolescents’ brain and the implications for teacher
practice
Several MRI-facilitated studies conducted in the past years have investigat-
ed the way the structure of the brain develops during childhood and adoles-
cence (e.g. Paus, 2005; Casey, Tottenham, Liston, & Durston, 2005). Studies
carried out on large groups of subjects show there is increased white mat-
ter and decreased grey matter density in the frontal and parietal cortices
throughout adolescence (e.g. Barnea-Goraly et al., 2005; Giedd et al., 1999;
Reiss, Abrams, Singer, Ross, & Denckla, 1996; Sowell, Thompson, Tessner,
& Toga, 2001; Sowell, Peterson, Thompson, Welcome, Henkenius, & Toga,
2003). This increase in white matter seems to be linear across all brain are-
as, with changes in grey matter density appearing first in the brain’s senso-
ry and motor regions followed by the rest of the cortex, and finally the tem-
poral cortex (Gogtay et al., 2004). Two brain regions consistently shown
to undergo continued development during adolescence are the prefrontal
cortex and parietal cortex. The continuing structural changes occurring
in these brain regions during adolescence (negatively) affect the cognitive
abilities – executive functions – that rely on how such regions function, re-
gions like selective attention, decision-making, voluntary response inhibi-
tion and working memory (Jensen & Nutt, 2014). Each of these executive
functions has a role in cognitive control, for example inhibiting impulses,
filtering unimportant information, holding in mind a plan to carry out in
the future etc. Prospective memory (the ability to hold in mind an intention
160
