Introduction

The brain, the most powerful learning tool that a student brings to the classroom, is highly complex and something of a mystery. In recent years, scientists have made unprecedented progress toward unlocking the secrets of how our brains learn, driven in part by remarkable new technologies and techniques for imaging the brain's activity.

Background Knowledge: Neuroscience for Kids, a Web site for students and teachers, includes a concise and informative overview of brain imaging techniques.

• Scientists are using this new knowledge to address many questions that concern educators, students, parents, and policymakers: How does the brain work during learning?
• Under what conditions do we learn best?
• Why do some people learn differently from others?
• Is everyone’s brain built the same way?

Even when scientists explore learning directly, the educational significance of scientific research is rarely self-evident. In this chapter, we forge connections between neuroscience and the classroom by interpreting brain research from an educational perspective. We show how this research can illuminate and refine our understanding of differences between learners. These insights help us understand our students better and tailor learning experiences in ways that will maximize their opportunities to progress.