By Betsy Hill and Roger Stark
Recent international studies examining teachers’ understanding of the brain and neuroscience have attracted significant attention. Surveys conducted across the U.K., Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands and China reveal persistent misconceptions among educators—findings that mirror earlier research in the United States. At the same time, reviews of teacher preparation programs show that many do not provide enough grounding in the basics of neuroscience or how scientific findings can inform classroom practice. This knowledge gap has implications for instruction, student outcomes and how educators select evidence-based tools for learning.
Common Neuromyths Teachers Believe That Can Harm Students
- We only use 10% of our brain. Incorrect. Brain imaging and neuroscience demonstrate that we use the entire brain; different regions are active at different times depending on the task.
- People are either right-brained or left-brained. Incorrect. Cognitive functions draw on both hemispheres, which work together across many tasks.
- Basic intelligence cannot be changed much. Incorrect. Cognitive abilities can be improved through targeted training and instruction that build underlying skills.
- Teachers should always adapt instruction to students’ preferred learning styles. Incorrect. The common learning-styles model (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) lacks solid evidence; improving cognitive processes is a more effective approach.
- Neuroscience is only for scientists; teachers don’t need to engage with it. Incorrect. Because the brain is the organ of learning, teaching without an informed understanding of how learning occurs is like designing a car without understanding engines.
Understanding these myths helps clarify what teachers do need to know about the brain and learning. The following principles are essential for classroom practice and curriculum design.
Key Neuroscience Principles Every Teacher Should Know
- Neuroplasticity: the brain is dynamic and continually reshapes itself. Classroom experiences physically change students’ brains, so effective instruction can harness this adaptability to support growth.
- Learning is biological: acquiring knowledge and skills involves forming and reinforcing connections among neurons within networks. Instruction must support the gradual strengthening of those networks.
- Memory matters: there are multiple types of memory (working memory, long-term memory, procedural memory), and different instructional strategies are required to support each type.
- Sleep and exercise matter: regular physical activity and adequate sleep substantially affect brain development and cognitive performance. Scheduling active time and supporting healthy sleep habits are important for learning readiness.
- Assess and build cognitive capacity: understanding a child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses—and intentionally developing cognitive skills such as attention, working memory and processing speed—can accelerate learning more effectively than focusing only on gaps in factual knowledge.
Practical Classroom Applications: Brain Training and Cognitive Tools
Once teachers understand these core principles, the next question is how to help students strengthen cognitive skills. In recent years, a variety of digital programs and apps marketed as brain-training or cognitive-training tools have become available. While not all tools are equal, many schools have adopted these programs for specific instructional goals. Below are common reasons educators integrate cognitive training into school routines and the benefits they often observe.
1. Students who are cognitively prepared are easier to teach
Programs that develop foundational cognitive processes—attention, working memory, processing speed, reasoning—help students approach classroom learning more efficiently. Research on the cognitive impact of poverty underscores that many learners arrive with underdeveloped cognitive skills. Targeted training can mitigate these differences and support classroom progress, enabling academic achievement to follow cognitive gains.
2. Motivation and engagement
Students often find traditional drills tedious. Well-designed brain-training games can make practice engaging and sustain motivation while reinforcing automaticity in basic skills. When practice is enjoyable, students are more likely to invest effort and maintain the persistence needed to master concepts.
3. Stress relief and emotional regulation
High levels of stress impede learning. Mindfulness apps and brief, focused games can help students identify emotions, practice calming strategies and reset attention. Short, low-stakes activities before or after tests, or during transitions, can reduce anxiety and improve focus for subsequent lessons.
4. Remediation for students with learning differences
Many districts use cognitive training as part of interventions for students with diagnosed learning disabilities. Alongside accommodations and strategy instruction, training that strengthens attention, memory and processing speed can bring students closer to grade-level performance and help narrow achievement gaps.
5. Challenging high-performing students
For advanced learners, cognitive training that scales in difficulty provides sustained challenge. Struggling productively on demanding cognitive tasks builds resilience and transferable problem-solving skills—qualities that benefit students as academic expectations increase.
6. Improved classroom behavior
Teachers frequently report that students who complete quality cognitive training demonstrate better self-regulation and class conduct. Training supports core executive functions—such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and planning—which contribute to improved behavior, greater cooperation and increased on-task work.
7. Promoting a growth mindset
Emphasizing that cognitive abilities can be developed reinforces a growth mindset: the belief that effort and targeted practice lead to improvement. Presenting cognitive training as a systematic way to strengthen the brain sends a clear message that intelligence is not fixed and that mistakes are opportunities for growth—an attitude that benefits learning and resilience over the long term.
About the Authors
Betsy Hill is President of BrainWare Learning Company, an organization focused on applying neuroscience to build learning capacity. An experienced educator, she has studied neuroscience and education with scholars in the field and has served as chair of the board of trustees at Chicago State University. She also teaches strategic thinking in the MBA program at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Betsy holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and an MBA from Northwestern University.
Roger Stark is Co-founder and CEO of BrainWare Learning Company. Over the past decade he has promoted comprehensive cognitive skills training and assessment that are practical and accessible. His work has focused on translating knowledge about the brain into effective tools to develop cognitive literacy. He led the team that developed a widely used cognitive training system and continues to advocate for scalable approaches that build students’ cognitive capacities.
Note: This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media organization that provides context for the shift toward digital curriculum in education.