Few topics spark as much excitement and confusion as the relationship between brain research and education. Since the rise of “brain-based learning” and colourful fMRI scans in PowerPoint slides at the turn of the century, it has been tempting. Many believe that science could finally prove what good teaching looks like.
However, as my good friend David Daniel and Donna Coch demonstrate in their new open-access book, Connecting Neuroscience with Education, that belief is misguided. Moreover, it’s potentially dangerous.
From “What Works” to “How to Think”
Their message is simple but crucial: education today cannot thrive without science. Yet science alone cannot steer education. Coch and Daniel do not call for more neuroscience in classrooms, but for better scientific literacy among teachers, school leaders, and teacher educators. They demonstrate that anyone seeking to apply brain research to enhance teaching must first comprehend what that research can – and cannot – reveal.
The book explains what a controlled study actually is and why effect sizes matter but can also mislead. It also explains why a brain image never proves that a method “works”. They also describe how teachers’ mental models can resist new insights. This is something every teacher educator will instantly recognise. New information often collides with existing beliefs. That friction makes change difficult but not impossible.
What makes this book stand out is that it goes beyond debunking neuromyths. Coch and Daniel offer a framework for thinking responsibly about scientific evidence. Not: “What does science tell me to do?” but rather: “How can I judge what is reliable and relevant for my students?” In doing so, they move the conversation from recipes to reasoning. They transition the dialogue from slogans to systematic thinking.
Bridging Disciplines with Humility
The book is part of UNESCO’s new Science of Learning and Teaching series. This series aims to bring science, education, and policy closer together. It does so without blurring the lines between them. That, perhaps, is its most important lesson. Bridging disciplines is essential, but it requires care, humility, and expertise.
At a time when schools are flooded with products claiming to be “evidence-based”, “evidence-informed”, or even “brain-friendly”, this short volume is a beacon of clarity. It reminds us that actual professional growth doesn’t start with the next big idea, but with the capacity to think critically about what we know and what we don’t.