The critical reflection of neuromyths in education

Abstract

The progress of neuroeducation in recent years has had an impact on the current understanding of education. As an interdisciplinary science, neuroeducation has provided great advantages over the description of neural correlates in the teaching-learning process, as well as in the detection of neuromyths. However its contributions are not lacking in a critical review from a philosophical perspective that goes beyond the purely neuroscientific questioning of the validity of the evidence. The main objective of this article is to point out the necessary critical acceptance of the neuroeducation results in order to avoid a neuroscientific colonialism as a challenge that educational theory must face up to. Firstly we will justify the introduction of neuroeducation in the current educational landscape. Secondly we will conceptualize neuroeducation and neuromyths in order to later on, through an argumentative and critical methodology, analyze the factors behind the acceptance of its discoveries. Thirdly, the Multiple Intelligences theory of H. Gardner will be analyzed in order to exemplify these factors. This analysis will allow us to observe how neuroscientific evidence or lack of them is not always sufficient to consider an educational theory pejoratively as a neuromyth. The discussion lies in the consideration of a lack of scientific evidence from the interdisciplinary dialogue of neuroeducation. Despite of the open debate on its neuroscientific and on its usefulness at the pedagogical level, Multiple Intelligences theory are in tune with the considerations of educational laws in recent years, which have had a significant impact on learning competencies, and on methodologies and evaluations that understand the human being from a holistic point of view, thus opening the door to dialogue with other sciences.