Teachers鈥� beliefs matter for student learning鈥攂ut myths about the brain can be easily spread and hard to dislodge.
The vast majority of active and future teachers鈥攁nd 鈥攕till hold several fundamental misconceptions鈥攃ommonly dubbed 鈥�neuromyths"鈥攁bout how the brain works.
And those misunderstandings can hinder instruction, finds Kristin Simmers, a learning sciences researcher at the University of Connecticut. In a new who know how to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to brain science are also more likely to understand evidence-based teaching practices.
Rapidly evolving cognitive and neuroscience often gets misinterpreted, and the applications of such research overhyped for classroom instruction.
鈥淎 lot gets sold to teachers; you put 鈥榯he brain鈥� on something and it sells ... but I鈥檝e found that it鈥檚 not always accurate and it鈥檚 not always helpful,鈥� Simmers said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a teacher interested in the brain and learning, and you just are Googling, there鈥檚 a lot of inaccurate, non-credible information out there, and you are not equipped to kind of vet the information that鈥檚 being given to you.鈥�
Test your own knowledge of learning and the brain below, and get the real story behind some of the most common neuromyths. After filling out the quiz, you鈥檒l get a short summary of what the research says about each question and links to key studies. And, you鈥檒l be able to see where preservice teachers, educators, and the general public fell on these beliefs, based on Simmers鈥� new research and prior studies.
