Neuroscience and the Northern Ireland Curriculum: 2020, and the warning signs remain

ABSTRACT

In recent years, neuroscience and brain-based approaches to education have started to feature prominently in the rationale for radical educational reform, both in terms of policy and practice. Revelations about what way the brain works, it seems, is a common point of interest for neuroscience and education alike. Out of these common interests there are now entire disciplines in their own right, such as ‘mind, brain and education’ and ‘neuroeducation’, which are collaborative disciplines formed at the boundaries of common points of interest between the brain sciences in general and education. This paper seeks to examine the credibility of the science inherent in this collaboration, with a particular example found in the guise of the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum, devised and implemented from 2003 onwards by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). The paper will also invoke a philosophical notion known as the mereological fallacy, to offer a conceptual critique of the curricular changes in Northern Ireland.

KEYWORDS:

• Neuroscience
• neuroeducation
• brain-based learning
• CCEA
• Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Cited as Howard-Jones et al. (2007).

2. Robert Sylwester is primarily an educationalist, but his recent research interests have been in unifying ideas in neuroscience and education; hence his description as a neuroeducationalist.

3. Saying that learning is more effective when connections are made, leaves this statement open to interpretation. That is, are the connections within subjects? Or does CCEA mean that the connections are at brain level? In any case, the notion that either definition of ‘connections’ leading to more effective learning requires supporting evidence. CCEA provides none.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

William H. Kitchen

Dr William H. Kitchen is a Mathematics and Physics Lecturer at Stranmillis University College, Belfast. His research interests include Wittgenstein's philosophy and it's applications to education, mythbusting in education, mathematics pedagogy, and general educational philosophy. He is the author of two books, and is currently writing a third book on educational myths.