Neuro-Informed Learning: The Next Frontier

Introduction

As the epicenter for learning activities, the brain is the coordinator of all actions associated with collecting information, organizing it, storing it, and eventually re-organizing it for application in the real world. And yet, to date, little has been known about what happens within the brain during learning activities. We have operated based on a black box set of assumptions that results in researchers testing inputs and outputs but lacking a true understanding of what happens between those two endpoints. However, the fields of neuroscience and cognitive science, along with neuro-technology engineers, have simultaneously been studying the brain and developing apparatus that allow us to understand what is happening in the brain in real-time during learning. The implications of these capabilities and a deeper understanding of learning are boundless. Still, preparation for how this knowledge will change the way education and training are developed, delivered and how learners will regulate their own learning experiences will need to evolve. Accordingly, this chapter will delve into four key areas: (1) Research and theories; (2) Cognitive readiness and comprehension; (3) Neuro-technology data and what we can learn from it; and (4) the necessary evolution of teachers to facilitators and the development of personalized learning pathways. Ultimately, this chapter aims to provide the reader with a vision of the future of learning that will be informed by highly complex, real-time neuro-data that will allow learning experiences to be personalized to learners’ needs, capabilities, emotions, and goals.