Educational neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that bridges neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogy to enhance how we understand and support student learning. Every class, assignment, and experience literally shapes the human brain. This page explores the major components of the discipline and highlights research-based principles that affect learning in the classroom.
Focuses on the brain's development, structure, and function. It helps educators design lesson plans that align with how the brain processes and stores information.
Examines mental processes responsible for cognition and behavior. It explains how the environment, genetics, and perception affect students' learning capacities.
Addresses the art and science of teaching. Educators apply strategies that acknowledge emotional, social, and cognitive development stages in every classroom.
The brain is built for learning through novelty, patterns, questions, and relationships. Movement, emotion, developmental pacing, and cultural climate all influence how students learn and behave. Educational neuroscience encourages teaching practices that reflect this complexity.
Physical activity increases brain function, memory access, and cell growth—boosting learning and mood.
Students learn best when they feel physically safe and emotionally supported.
Children and adolescents develop cognitively at different rates, which influences behavior and readiness.
Positive, communicative, and inclusive school environments foster stronger learning outcomes.
The hippocampus, which encodes long-term memory, can generate new neurons even in adulthood.
Marian University
3200 Cold Spring Road
Indianapolis, IN 46222-1997
(317) 955-6000
Get in touch and we'll talk to you soon. #GoKnights⚔️
Visit myMU