Historical Review of Distance and Online Education from 1700s to 2021 in the United States
Learning Consortium , which included responses from 45 countries and 48 of 50 states in the United States , revealed very high interest by faculty , instructional designers , and professional development administrators in learning about the brain and opportunities to increase awareness about neuromyths and evidence-based practices related to the brain ( Betts et al ., 2019 ).
Table 5 . Principles of Mind , Brain , and Education Science ( Tokuhama-Espinosa , 2017 , n . p .)
Principle 1
Principle 2
Principle 3
Principles of Mind , Brain , and Education Science ( 2017 )
Human brains are as unique as human faces . While the basic structure of most human brains is the same ( similar parts in similar regions ), no two brains are identical . The genetic makeup unique to each person combines with life experiences ( and free will ) to shape neural pathways .
Each individual ’ s brain is differently prepared to learn different tasks . Learning capacities are shaped by the context of the learning , prior learning experiences , personal choice , an individual ’ s biology and genetic makeup , pre- and perinatal events , and environmental exposures .
New learning is influenced by prior experiences . The efficiency of the brain economizes effort and energy by ensuring that external stimuli are first decoded and compared , both passively and actively , with existing memories .
Principle 4 The brain changes constantly with experience . The brain is a complex , dynamic , and integrated system that is constantly changed by individual experiences . These changes occur at a molecular level , whether simultaneously , in parallel , or even before they are visible in behavior .
Principle 5 The brain is plastic . Neuroplasticity exists throughout the life span , though there are notable developmental differences by age .
Principle 6
There is no new learning without some form of memory and some form of attention . Most school learning requires well-functioning short , working , and long-term memory systems and conscious attention . However , procedural learning , habituation , sensitization , and even episodic memory can occur without conscious attention .
As technology continues to shape education , there are factors regarding technology , teaching , and learning for IHEs to consider . According to Battro and Fischer ( 2012 ) in Mind , Brain , and Education in the Digital Era :
Thousands of people now take courses online , making use of the tools of computers and the Internet , using communication technologies that were not available only a decade ago . What happens to brain and behavior with this rapidly evolving dynamic system of teaching and learning skills ? ( p . 49 )
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