Adapting Middle Level Educational Practices to Current Research on Brain Functioning

More has been learned about brain functioning in this past decade than in the entire history of human inquiry. One U.S. Presidential Committee even labeled the 1990's "the decade of the brain" (Rennie, 2002) and that research continues into the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, applications for much of that research are often slow to be revealed, for the more that is understood about the brain, the more of its mystery we discover. Has recent research produced new insights about brain functioning which can be applied to education? Does a better understanding of how the brain functions help educators in their work with young adolescent learners? This article outlines a positive response to these questions by considering how some current educational issues could be informed in light of current research evidence, including recent brain imaging studies conducted by cognitive neuroscientists at Oxford University.