How the human brain works is a topic of considerable chatter, but not much in-depth discussion outside of neuroscience and psychology.
There is indeed an undercurrent of learning (that should perhaps be an over-current) regarding “brain-based” research, but very little understanding of what is happening in all those folds of gray matter. Whether you’re studying engagement, curriculum, or the cultural impact of mobile learning, it all starts in the brain.
But in pursuit of more direct study, neuroscience is stepping in, itself is becoming of a pedagogical mainstream artifact as educators stop guessing what might work, and head straight to the brain to figure out how it functions, and how best to leverage its natural inclinations.
Montessori schools and even trivium approaches in classic education all appeal to specific learning tendencies–the role of curiosity and play, and the need to establish one type of knowledge before acquiring another in a kind of hierarchy.
In the following discussion, Iain McGilchrist argues that the role of the brain is to make connections, essentially in support of cleverly manipulating the world around us.