Educational Neuroscience: Its Position, Aims and Expectations

An important issue in the discussion on educational neuroscience is the transfer of thought and findings between neuroscience and education. In addition to factual confusions in this transfer in the form of neuromyths, logical confusions, or neuro-misconceptions, can be identified. We consider these transfer difficulties in light of the way educational neuroscience is positioned in relation to the main fields involved: neuroscience, educational sciences and educational practice. A distinction between educational neuroscience as part of neuroscience, educational sciences and as an independent discipline will show that different types of questions are asked within these different positions. Distinguishing these positions will also shed light on the aim and possibilities to transfer knowledge and insights into educational practice and will elucidate the confusions in transfer. While educational neuroscience as part of educational sciences and as an independent discipline aims to directly connect to educational practice, be it in different ways, educational neuroscience as neurosciences does not have this goal or possibility.