Impacto de ações de formação em neuroeducação junto a gestores pedagógicos e professores de adolescentes

Abstract

Students in the final years of elementary education, typically between 11 and 14 years old, find themselves in a transitional phase from childhood to adolescence. Characteristics of adolescence, such as reactivity to reward, tolerance to uncertainty, and experimental evaluations of value and risk, may be present. Understanding the neurobiological bases of these characteristics assists the teaching-learning process. Pedagogical innovation, also essential for the success of this process, presupposes a transformation of reality by proposing that students and teachers take a leading role in changing the way of teaching and learning. Neuroscience, in turn, contributes by suggesting changes that consider the neural processes important for education. Given that the knowledge brought by neuroscience seeks to optimize the potential of students within the classroom, and that the teacher is one of the main agents promoting neurobiological changes leading to student learning, it is of fundamental importance that pedagogical managers and teachers have at least a basic understanding of the neurobiological processes involved in learning, in order to adopt teaching practices and methodologies that qualify them. This knowledge becomes even more important in a context as challenging as teaching adolescents. Thus, the general objective of this project is to promote training actions in neuroscience applied to education involving educational managers and teachers from the final years of Elementary Education in Basic Education, and to evaluate the impact of the same on their knowledge of neuroeducation. For this purpose, educational managers linked to the Municipal Education Secretary (SEMED)/Uruguaiana were initially involved, and then, teachers from the final years of Elementary Education in Basic Education. Two main actions were proposed in this project: (i) training activities for educational managers in neuroscience applied to adolescent learning; and, (ii) training activities for teachers in neuroscience applied to adolescent learning. To evaluate the impact of the training actions, the research focused on the change in knowledge about neuroeducation among the participants, the identification of the presence of neuromyths among educators, and the effectiveness of the training in promoting an evidence-based understanding of brain functioning. Our research highlighted the critical importance of training in neuroscience for managers and teachers. We identified that neuromyths are prevalent among educators, and that training in neuroscience is effective in improving knowledge in neuroscience. The need for a critical approach in integrating neuroscience into education was highlighted by the teachers, echoing the importance of healthy skepticism and the evidence-based approach. The study also underscored the relevance of interdisciplinarity in teacher training, indicating that the integration of neuroscience with education can enrich pedagogical knowledge. This allows educators to create learning environments that maximize the cognitive and emotional potential of students. This study allowed the promotion of training in neuroscience applied to education involving educational managers and teachers from the final years of Elementary Education in Basic Education, and highlighted the positive impact of the same, which generated an improvement in neuroeducation knowledge.