Translator: Vanessa M. Vargas Trejo Reviewer: Emma Gon
Good afternoon.
Yes now. I am María Laura
and I come to talk a little about what happens today.
We could say that today we feel almost bombed.
We could say, sometimes invaded
for all this question that has to do with the so-called neurosciences.
Not a day goes by,
a single day, where we read in the newspapers,
even in daily magazines,
some news in reference to the neurosciences.
Sometimes even certain instruction manuals come
where it would be so easy, if we learn it, it would be already.
The truth is that this prefix “neuro”, seems to give some scientificity
everything that precedes him and is not always the case.
We are used to thinking that everything that comes with this prefix
It is already, it is absolutely believable.
The question is whether we can always take it as something like that. It is not.
The truth is that we could say that since the 90s more or less
even this is constituted as the millennium of the brain.
And yes, the brain and our entire nervous system is a mystery.
When I ask my students: How do you think we made the decision?
– If we can call it this way–
of what we forget, of what we remember,
of what we learn.
How do we do this so that it is forgotten and retained in our mind.
And my students immediately say: “Ay profe! What happens is that surely
It has been something significant or has had a meaning for us.
Then we learn it. “
And that’s exactly where something like this comes to mind
Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ti-ru-ri-ra Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ta-ra-ra Fru-fru
Sam-ba-la-la Ei-ti-ra Ei-ca Michi-pirulina Cachi-meri Frau-frau-frau
When I say that, they look at me a little weird.
Raise your hand, who thinks that I am able to repeat it exactly the same?
Who thinks that I really can not say it like that again?
We’ll see.
The idea is just, try to answer this big question.
Promising partnerships, possible changes between neuroscience and education.
Everything we have learned in these 10, 20, even 30 years
for education has been very important.
But there would be three large nuclei,
or at least for those of us who are researching in the area of education,
extremely important to consider and that may be promising
for the development of new educational contexts.
One of those refers to genetics and the environment,
another has to do with critical periods and sensitive periods,
and the last one is that of cerebral plasticity or neuronal plasticity.
Each of these questions surrounding these investigations in these three areas
can give us some answers, and if this direct transfer is feasible
of the results of research in neuroscience to the educational field.
Let’s start with the first one,
the one that has to do with genetics and the environment.
The question is always this: Are we what we are because of what we bring?
or are we what we are because of what the environment can give us,
for the possibility of the environment?
Today research shows us that it is an interplay
between what we bring and what is given to us Sometimes around hope.
Maybe there is something genetically determined but that the environment can improve.
So that’s where we can say that the human being is a framework
what we bring, what we are given, and what is …
Much was said about this word: “the ecological contexts”
where we belong Not only our family, our closest circle,
but also our near and not so close contexts,
immediate and not so immediate. And that’s where education appears.
Education can be a privileged context
to collaborate, favor, develop what we bring
and that maybe it is not well taken advantage of.
The second of the great mysteries of our brain
is this critical period or sensitive period.
Today we know that the critical period is a period that goes from the moment
in which the gestation takes place until more or less the two or three years of life.
Argentine researchers, perhaps not so recognized but who work hard,
they talk about the first thousand days.
If one does a quick calculation it would be about two or three years.
That would be a period where it occurs
the greatest development of our connections, of our circuits.
Where little words appear like synaptogenesis, myelination.
Those strongest synapses are those that remain, others stay in the way.
And these first two years of life, almost do not receive influence
neither of education, nor of the environment.
It is the period where all the bases that have to do with the senses are felt.
This occurs to later produce much more complex cognitive processes.
And that’s where we can talk about “sensitive period”.
It is there, where also the researchers, many Argentines,
They talk about the famous seven thousand days. Not a thousand days
It is the period where the brain and our entire nervous system
is eager to learn.
It is likely that the influence of an environment, of an educational context,
something motivating, teaching, education
lead to favor what was brought, and can empower it.
Then we talk about between the three and about nineteen.
So much so and so much.
This is very encouraging for education because this is the time to think:
What are we adults doing? Not only as teachers but as dads,
as an adult society, to favor and make our children fall in love,
to our teenagers What are we offering?
And the third issue of the neurosciences to be taken in education
It is the famous period of neuronal or cerebral plasticity.
And this concept is more than hopeful.
Those of us who trained years ago, we formed with a teacher saying:
“Neuron that dies can not regenerate again”, and that is totally true.
What we did not know 20 years ago is that as a species we have possibilities
of new neurons being born,
and purely and exclusively, in a place that has a lot to do
with learning and memory as, for example, it can be the hippocampus.
So it is very hopeful and banishes that from which
“What you do not learn as a kid you do not learn more”.
Today we talk about education in older adults.
Of people doing university careers, for whatever reason, at age 60.
Extremely valuable.
Then we can think that learning
that thought models, generates new circuits,
It gives new movements inside our brain.
And the emotions. How much more emotions.
Emotions have been forgotten for a long time.
There was talk of cognition and emotion separately
as if they were not completely overlapped.
Emotions have their neural basis.
And there, right there is where I think again:
Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ti-ru-ri-ra Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ta-ra-ra Fru-fru
Sam-ba-ra-la Ei-ti-ra Ei-ca Michi-pirulina Cachi-meri Frau
Did it work out the same?
What sense does that have for me? What does it mean?
Apparently none until I remember that, when I was 8 or 9 years old,
I created that song, or we created that song with a great friend. Her name was Laura.
That it was going to make us stay together throughout our lives, wherever we were.
She took another path, I another. But hey, I had the song.
So these things that we think we do not know how to understand,
that continue to give this imprint of mystery
to what we are, to our nervous system.
And if this is what we think we can not stop taking
another of the advances of the neurosciences in relation to education,
as is the concept of, in terms of neuroscience “executive functions”.
And as for what is education, we speak of “metacognition”.
Those are functions, they are only human aspects.
We do not share it with any other species.
We are the only ones capable of thinking about ourselves.
And reflect on ourselves.
“Executive functions” is the possibility that we have to start an activity
at will, to be able to regulate, monitor, go reviewing.
Find different roads to achieve the same solution.
“Metacognition” implies knowing about how I know, how I learn,
and be able to go self-regulating.
And on that path emotions also have a lot to do.
Therefore, they are two issues that make us human beings.
So, we can think that there have been many advances in terms of content.
Neurosciences have allowed education
Appropriate some issues.
But it is not, it has not been and it will not be a direct transfer
from what happens in a laboratory to what happens in a classroom.
And it is there, where those of us who are trained in education
we must participate and we must defend.
Spaces must be created, call transdisciplines,
where we create a common language, neuroscientists and teachers.
Create meeting spaces, create bridges, say scholars,
where very murky waters pass, but clarify them.
These meeting spaces, where the overalls
of neuroscientists are confused with the teachers’ dust.
And we can all be talking the same language.
Because really, the brain is a mystery, but it must contribute,
nothing more, nothing less, to build humanity.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
Good afternoon.
Yes now. I am María Laura
and I come to talk a little about what happens today.
We could say that today we feel almost bombed.
We could say, sometimes invaded
for all this question that has to do with the so-called neurosciences.
Not a day goes by,
a single day, where we read in the newspapers,
even in daily magazines,
some news in reference to the neurosciences.
Sometimes even certain instruction manuals come
where it would be so easy, if we learn it, it would be already.
The truth is that this prefix “neuro”, seems to give some scientificity
everything that precedes him and is not always the case.
We are used to thinking that everything that comes with this prefix
It is already, it is absolutely believable.
The question is whether we can always take it as something like that. It is not.
The truth is that we could say that since the 90s more or less
even this is constituted as the millennium of the brain.
And yes, the brain and our entire nervous system is a mystery.
When I ask my students: How do you think we made the decision?
– If we can call it this way–
of what we forget, of what we remember,
of what we learn.
How do we do this so that it is forgotten and retained in our mind.
And my students immediately say: “Ay profe! What happens is that surely
It has been something significant or has had a meaning for us.
Then we learn it. “
And that’s exactly where something like this comes to mind
Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ti-ru-ri-ra Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ta-ra-ra Fru-fru
Sam-ba-la-la Ei-ti-ra Ei-ca Michi-pirulina Cachi-meri Frau-frau-frau
When I say that, they look at me a little weird.
Raise your hand, who thinks that I am able to repeat it exactly the same?
Who thinks that I really can not say it like that again?
We’ll see.
The idea is just, try to answer this big question.
Promising partnerships, possible changes between neuroscience and education.
Everything we have learned in these 10, 20, even 30 years
for education has been very important.
But there would be three large nuclei,
or at least for those of us who are researching in the area of education,
extremely important to consider and that may be promising
for the development of new educational contexts.
One of those refers to genetics and the environment,
another has to do with critical periods and sensitive periods,
and the last one is that of cerebral plasticity or neuronal plasticity.
Each of these questions surrounding these investigations in these three areas
can give us some answers, and if this direct transfer is feasible
of the results of research in neuroscience to the educational field.
Let’s start with the first one,
the one that has to do with genetics and the environment.
The question is always this: Are we what we are because of what we bring?
or are we what we are because of what the environment can give us,
for the possibility of the environment?
Today research shows us that it is an interplay
between what we bring and what is given to us Sometimes around hope.
Maybe there is something genetically determined but that the environment can improve.
So that’s where we can say that the human being is a framework
what we bring, what we are given, and what is …
Much was said about this word: “the ecological contexts”
where we belong Not only our family, our closest circle,
but also our near and not so close contexts,
immediate and not so immediate. And that’s where education appears.
Education can be a privileged context
to collaborate, favor, develop what we bring
and that maybe it is not well taken advantage of.
The second of the great mysteries of our brain
is this critical period or sensitive period.
Today we know that the critical period is a period that goes from the moment
in which the gestation takes place until more or less the two or three years of life.
Argentine researchers, perhaps not so recognized but who work hard,
they talk about the first thousand days.
If one does a quick calculation it would be about two or three years.
That would be a period where it occurs
the greatest development of our connections, of our circuits.
Where little words appear like synaptogenesis, myelination.
Those strongest synapses are those that remain, others stay in the way.
And these first two years of life, almost do not receive influence
neither of education, nor of the environment.
It is the period where all the bases that have to do with the senses are felt.
This occurs to later produce much more complex cognitive processes.
And that’s where we can talk about “sensitive period”.
It is there, where also the researchers, many Argentines,
They talk about the famous seven thousand days. Not a thousand days
It is the period where the brain and our entire nervous system
is eager to learn.
It is likely that the influence of an environment, of an educational context,
something motivating, teaching, education
lead to favor what was brought, and can empower it.
Then we talk about between the three and about nineteen.
So much so and so much.
This is very encouraging for education because this is the time to think:
What are we adults doing? Not only as teachers but as dads,
as an adult society, to favor and make our children fall in love,
to our teenagers What are we offering?
And the third issue of the neurosciences to be taken in education
It is the famous period of neuronal or cerebral plasticity.
And this concept is more than hopeful.
Those of us who trained years ago, we formed with a teacher saying:
“Neuron that dies can not regenerate again”, and that is totally true.
What we did not know 20 years ago is that as a species we have possibilities
of new neurons being born,
and purely and exclusively, in a place that has a lot to do
with learning and memory as, for example, it can be the hippocampus.
So it is very hopeful and banishes that from which
“What you do not learn as a kid you do not learn more”.
Today we talk about education in older adults.
Of people doing university careers, for whatever reason, at age 60.
Extremely valuable.
Then we can think that learning
that thought models, generates new circuits,
It gives new movements inside our brain.
And the emotions. How much more emotions.
Emotions have been forgotten for a long time.
There was talk of cognition and emotion separately
as if they were not completely overlapped.
Emotions have their neural basis.
And there, right there is where I think again:
Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ti-ru-ri-ra Clic-Clac-Cloc Ta-ra-ra Ta-ra-ra Fru-fru
Sam-ba-ra-la Ei-ti-ra Ei-ca Michi-pirulina Cachi-meri Frau
Did it work out the same?
What sense does that have for me? What does it mean?
Apparently none until I remember that, when I was 8 or 9 years old,
I created that song, or we created that song with a great friend. Her name was Laura.
That it was going to make us stay together throughout our lives, wherever we were.
She took another path, I another. But hey, I had the song.
So these things that we think we do not know how to understand,
that continue to give this imprint of mystery
to what we are, to our nervous system.
And if this is what we think we can not stop taking
another of the advances of the neurosciences in relation to education,
as is the concept of, in terms of neuroscience “executive functions”.
And as for what is education, we speak of “metacognition”.
Those are functions, they are only human aspects.
We do not share it with any other species.
We are the only ones capable of thinking about ourselves.
And reflect on ourselves.
“Executive functions” is the possibility that we have to start an activity
at will, to be able to regulate, monitor, go reviewing.
Find different roads to achieve the same solution.
“Metacognition” implies knowing about how I know, how I learn,
and be able to go self-regulating.
And on that path emotions also have a lot to do.
Therefore, they are two issues that make us human beings.
So, we can think that there have been many advances in terms of content.
Neurosciences have allowed education
Appropriate some issues.
But it is not, it has not been and it will not be a direct transfer
from what happens in a laboratory to what happens in a classroom.
And it is there, where those of us who are trained in education
we must participate and we must defend.
Spaces must be created, call transdisciplines,
where we create a common language, neuroscientists and teachers.
Create meeting spaces, create bridges, say scholars,
where very murky waters pass, but clarify them.
These meeting spaces, where the overalls
of neuroscientists are confused with the teachers’ dust.
And we can all be talking the same language.
Because really, the brain is a mystery, but it must contribute,
nothing more, nothing less, to build humanity.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
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