Usha Goswami (Nature Reviews Neuroscience | AOP, published online 12 April 2006; doi:10.1038/nrn1907)
Brain-based learning in schools At a recent conference held to mark the launch of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education at the University of Cambridge1 , teachers reported receiving more than 70 mailshots a year encouraging them to attend courses on brain-based learning. Similar phenomena have been reported in other countries2 . These courses suggest, for example, that children should be identified as either ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ learners, because individuals ‘prefer’ one type of processing3. Teachers are told that the left brain dominates in the processing of language, logic, mathematical formulae, number, sequence, linearity, analysis and unrelated factual information. Meanwhile, the right brain is said to dominate in the processing of forms and patterns, spatial manipulation, rhythm, images and pictures, daydreaming, and relationships in learning3. Teachers are advised to ensure that their classroom practice is automatically ‘left- and right-brain balanced’ to avoid a mismatch between learner preference and learning experience3. This neuromyth probably stems from an over-literal interpretation of hemispheric specialization.