Rethinking the Classroom: Educational Neuroscience and Teacher Practice

Over the past three decades, advances in neuroscience and cognitive science have significantly reshaped our understanding of learning, cognition, and intelligence. The emergence of educational neuroscience has fostered interdisciplinary dialogue among educators, psychologists, and neuroscientists, with the shared goal of bridging the gap between brain research and educational practice.

Despite this progress, a persistent challenge remains: much of the existing literature continues to focus on cognitive mechanisms in isolation, with limited translation into actionable strategies for educators. At the same time, emerging perspectives emphasize the role of embodiment, affect, and environmental interaction in shaping learning processes, calling for more integrative and practice-oriented frameworks.

This Research Topic addresses a central and unresolved issue in the field: how to meaningfully translate neuroscientific knowledge into educational practice, particularly within teacher education and professional development. Teachers are increasingly exposed to “brain-based” approaches, yet often lack the tools to critically evaluate neuroscientific claims or to apply them effectively in diverse classroom contexts. As a result, a gap persists between theoretical models of brain functioning and their implementation in teaching and learning environments, sometimes contributing to the spread of neuromyths or oversimplified applications.

This collection aims to move beyond abstract discussion by focusing on concrete, evidence-informed practices that can support educators. It seeks contributions that not only advance theoretical understanding but also demonstrate how neuroscience can inform instructional design, classroom strategies, and teacher training. In doing so, it also encourages a re-examination of dominant conceptions of intelligence, moving beyond static, performance-based models toward more dynamic, embodied, and context-sensitive perspectives.

We particularly welcome submissions that:
• Propose or evaluate educational neuroscience-informed teaching practices or interventions
• Explore how teachers can be supported in interpreting and applying neuroscientific evidence
• Critically examine neuromyths and the misuse of brain-based claims in education
• Investigate embodied, affective, and environmental dimensions of learning in real classrooms
• Address teacher education and professional development in relation to educational neuroscience
• Adopt interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives

We encourage empirical, theoretical, methodological, and translational contributions, with a strong emphasis on bridging research and practice. Accepted manuscript types include: Original Research, Review, Systematic Review, Methods, Perspective, and Conceptual Analysis.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: neuroeducation, neuropedagogy, neuroscience and education, embodied cognition, intelligence, learning sciences, brain-based learning, educational neuroscience, teaching and learning, neuromyths, affective learning, interdisciplinary education

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.