Insights from the Frontier of Cognitive Neuroscience.
Cognitive psychology and neuroscience offer a framework for policy advice on improving poor students’ learning. The research is evolving and has limitations. In some areas it has concrete and counter intuitive implications, whereas in others it has little to offer or corroborates common sense. This body of research is most valuable for the early years of schooling, when dropout and repetition rates are often high. Research points to the seven pillars that support basic skills and efficient learning for the poor. Some are old staples of development efforts, whereas others are relatively new or have received insufficient attention in the past. The findings show how an understanding of human memory and thought can lead to new approaches in solving difficult problems. They link outcomes with time and methods used in classroom, health and nutrition, teacher cognition, and school management.