Article

Neuroscience And Learning In Education

October 09, 2026

Neuroscience, Designs, and Teacher Training: Presences and Gaps in Course Descriptions

Neuroscience, Designs, and Teacher Training: Presences and Gaps in the Syllabi

Leandro Veríssimo Delcaro; Maria Fernanda Celli De Oliveira

DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202603164

Article derived from a Course Conclusion Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the E&S Magazine with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by Instituto Pecege for textual synthesis and organization.

Summary

Neuroscience applied to education offers essential tools for understanding cognitive development, but a gap has been observed between this theoretical knowledge and pedagogical practice. The study aimed to diagnose the presence of neuroscience and children’s graphic representation content in the curricula of Pedagogy courses, proposing the development of a digital scientific dissemination material to support teachers. The methodology was characterized as documentary research, with systematized analysis, of an exploratory nature and quali-quantitative approach. A bibliographic survey and a search for curricular matrices and syllabi on the official pages of higher education institutions were carried out. For data processing, metadata mapping in electronic spreadsheets was used, which allowed for frequency analysis and the identification of curricular gaps. The results indicated a scarcity of subjects that directly integrated neurodevelopment with the study of graphic representation, although general neuroscience topics were identified in part of the analyzed syllabi. As a final product, a digital guide was developed with practical guidelines based on the developmental stages proposed by Luquet, Lowenfeld, and Derdyk. The study provided an updated diagnosis of the curricular grids and offered a pedagogical tool to bring science closer to the school routine.

Keywords: Children’s drawing; Education; Curricular matrices; Neuroeducation; Pedagogy.

1. Introduction

Studies on neurosciences have been gaining momentum in the teaching and scientific community, being increasingly used by teachers seeking to improve pedagogical practices and enhance student performance. A quick search for the term “neuroscience” on Google showed approximately 3,780,000 results among books, articles, videos, and websites. Concurrently, Google Scholar registered over nine thousand publications on the subject in the year 2025, while Google Trends indicated that, in Brazil, public interest in the topic reached its peak popularity on March sixteenth, 2025. These indicators demonstrate the expansion of the field and its contemporary relevance.

Neuroscience is dedicated to the study of the interactions of the nervous system with factors internal and external to the organism, offering valuable contributions to assist educational practices. When applied to education, this knowledge field reinforces the understanding that each brain is unique and, consequently, learning processes occur in distinct ways in each student. This perspective drives the need to rethink didactic strategies, assessment methods, and the very curricular organization, aiming to meet the varied ways of learning present in a classroom.

Despite the significant theoretical contributions that have influenced teaching practice, it is observed that this knowledge is not always contemplatively included in the curricula of Pedagogy courses. This situation points to a possible gap between scientific production on brain function and the initial training of teachers, which may limit the application of this knowledge in the school routine. Previous investigations have already indicated this curricular fragility, with Grossi et al. (2014) identifying that only 6.25% of Pedagogy courses included subjects related to neurosciences. In a subsequent review, in 2019, the percentage increased only to 7.97% (Grossi et al., 2019), suggesting that, even with growing academic interest, the incorporation of neuroscientific content in teacher training remains limited.

In this context, children’s graphic expression emerges as a field of interest that directly dialogues with neuroscience and pedagogical practice. Children’s drawing functions as a form of sensitive listening and expression, allowing access to indicators of children’s neuro-motor and cognitive development. The progression from simple lines to narrative drawing reveals advances that contribute to the literacy process and the construction of mental representations. Literature indicates that the act of drawing mobilizes brain networks involved in language and the formation of narrative structures, in addition to activating the prefrontal cortex and strengthening executive functions such as planning and anticipating actions. Additionally, drawing favors positive emotional states and reduces indicators of anxiety (Lima and Lima, 2018), becoming a pedagogical practice with the potential to promote integrated learning between motor skills, cognition, and affectivity.

Considering the simultaneous relevance of neuroscience and drawing for the educational process, it becomes crucial to investigate how the discussion about children’s drawing and graphic representation, from the perspective of neuroscientific concepts, has been addressed in teacher training courses throughout Brazil. Neuropsychopedagogy, for example, is an essential field for understanding brain functions and neural plasticity in childhood (Avelino, 2019; Silva, 2020), while emotionally safe environments and artistic stimuli positively impact motivation and memory consolidation (Silva and Barbosa, 2023). The absence of explicit integration of these themes in teacher training represents a gap that may compromise the ability of future educators to apply this knowledge in the classroom.

Given the evident gap between advances in neuroscience and teacher training, as well as the undervaluation of the pedagogical potential of children’s drawing, this study is justified by the need to diagnose the presence and nature of these contents in Pedagogy curricula. Thus, the central objective of this project was to analyze the curricular grids and pedagogical documents of Pedagogy courses in Brazilian public institutions to verify the presence and nature of content related to neuroscience and the study of children’s drawing and graphic representation, seeking, in addition to theoretical contribution, to produce material for wide dissemination so that teachers could access the knowledge and content explored.

2. Material and Methods

The present study was characterized by its exploratory nature and quali-quantitative approach, with the purpose of deepening familiarity with the theme and formulating hypotheses about the insertion of neuroscience and design content in teacher training. It was based on the premise that teachers, in their training, might not have received systematic guidance on neuroscience and design, as indicated by Grossi et al. (2019). This hypothesis was tested through documentary mapping and analysis of the collected data.

The documentary research design was adopted, following the guidelines established by Gil (2002). This methodological choice was justified by the use of sources that demanded analytical treatment, such as curricular matrices and syllabi from higher education institutions. Documentary research allowed for the acquisition of necessary data from documents preserved in digital archives of public bodies and educational institutions, ensuring objectivity in the verification of curricular grids and eliminating the need for direct interaction with subjects.

The research universe comprised Pedagogy courses offered by Brazilian public higher education institutions that made information publicly available. The sample was selected to ensure regional representativeness. Only courses duly regularized with the Ministry of Education (MEC), whose syllabi and curricular matrices were accessible in digital format, were included. To preserve institutional confidentiality, data sources were identified only by city and state name.

The analyzed curricula were prioritized to be from after 2019, aiming to complement the investigations by Grossi (2014 and 2019). However, some documents dated from previous years but were kept in the analysis as they were considered recurrent by the institutions for the 2025 entrants. This selection sought to reflect the most updated situation of content offerings in the curricular grids.

The data collection steps were divided into two main moments. Initially, a comprehensive bibliographic survey was carried out on the relevance of neuroscience for learning and the importance of design for child development. Then, documentary research was conducted on the official websites of higher education institutions to analyze the course syllabi.

For the documentary research, specific keywords were used, such as “neuroscience and design”, “neuroscience and teacher training”, “neuroscience and learning”, “childhood drawing development”, and “importance of childhood graphic representation”. The searches were conducted on academic platforms such as Google Scholar and SciELO. To ensure the scientific validity of the analysis, the metadata mapping method was used, in accordance with institutional standards for this type of research.

The organization of the collected data was carried out using a spreadsheet on the Google Sheets platform. Each column of the spreadsheet represented a relevant piece of data for the research, including: “city / state”, “public / private”, “course name”, “year of the analyzed curriculum”, “keyword: drawing”, “keyword: graphic design”, “keyword: neuro”, “quantity of syllabi and disciplines analyzed”, “disciplines related to the study of neurosciences, neuroeducation or neurodevelopment”, “disciplines related to the study of drawing, child graphic design and the development of child graphic design”, “disciplines that relate child drawing to student neurodevelopment” and “observations”. The analyzed materials were stored in a folder on Google Drive for future verification.

For data processing, metadata mapping organized in spreadsheets was used. This technique allowed for frequency analysis and the identification of curricular gaps, according to the objective of diagnosing the presence and nature of the investigated content. The analysis was conducted in a way to identify patterns and absences in the curricula, without anticipating interpretations or results.

From an ethical standpoint, the project was not submitted for review by the Research Ethics Committee (CEP). This waiver of registration and analysis was based on Items II and VI of the sole paragraph of Article 1 of CNS Resolution No. 510 of 2016, as the research exclusively used publicly accessible information and scientific texts for the literature review, not involving the collection of data directly from human beings.

As one of the study’s objectives, a digital material for scientific dissemination was developed. This material was designed for teachers, with accessible language and practical recommendations, aiming to bring neuroscientific content closer to pedagogical practice. For the creation of this digital resource, the Canva platform was used, and its theoretical foundation was based on the condensation of information and extraction of images and figures from the works of Georges-Henri Luquet (1979), Viktor Lowenfeld (1997), and Edith Derdyk (2015), which served as the basis for content development.

3. Results and Discussion

This section of Results and Discussion details the research findings, interpreting them in light of the theoretical framework and the proposed objectives. Initially, the bibliographic survey that grounded the study is presented, followed by the documentary analysis of the curriculum matrices of Pedagogy courses. Finally, the development process of the digital material, which constitutes the final product of this work, is discussed. The results reveal an overview of the inclusion of neuroscience and children’s graphic design content in teacher training, identifying both the presences and the existing gaps in the investigated curricula, which allows for an in-depth understanding of the interface between pedagogical theory and practice.

Bibliographic Survey

The initial bibliographic survey demonstrated the intrinsic relationship between emotions and the teaching-learning process, as pointed out by Silva and Barbosa (2023). The authors conceptualized emotions as a complex system of chemical and neural reactions that form regulatory patterns for life preservation. It was found that positive emotions, such as joy and interest, enhance motivation, memory, and concentration, while negative emotions can inhibit learning. This perspective reinforces the importance of schools promoting emotionally safe environments, using resources such as stories, music, and arts to make content more meaningful and memorable, contributing to the integral development of students.

Neuropsychoeducation has emerged as an essential transdisciplinary field for understanding brain functions and neural plasticity in childhood, aiming at the prevention and rehabilitation of school problems (Avelino, 2019; Silva, 2019). Avelino (2019) highlighted that the first graduate course in the area, created in 2008 in Brazil, already offered significant contributions to pedagogical practices. This specialist collaborates in assessing students’ cognitive needs, proposing differentiated activities that respect each student’s individual pace. Neural plasticity, the basis of learning, requires stimuli in the early years of life for the development of future skills, highlighting the need for teacher training that includes this knowledge.

Silva (2019) investigated the contributions of neuropsychopedagogy to teacher training in the context of literacy, focusing on interventions for learning disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study emphasized the need to maximize the functional potential of each individual and consider the individuality of children in the teaching process, deconstructing prejudices and avoiding labels such as “lazy” or “incompetent”. Although neurosciences do not seek to recreate pedagogy, they validate teaching practices that respect brain function, making them more efficient. Avelino (2019) advocated for the inclusion of neuropsychopedagogy as a mandatory subject in undergraduate degrees to ensure the necessary support for students.

Executive functions (EF) were described as crucial cognitive skills for complex behaviors and adaptation to environmental changes, including planning, task monitoring, attention, abstraction, mental flexibility, self-control, and working memory (Hamdan and Pereira, 2009). These skills reach their maximum potential in adulthood but undergo significant neural modifications during adolescence. Niederauer (2019) observed that, during puberty and adolescence, the brain undergoes reorganizations, with a loss of dopamine receptors that can cause boredom and apathy. Thus, the adult’s role is to assist the adolescent in seeking options and resolving conflicts, promoting a supportive environment.

Conflict management in schools, a challenge inherent to the diversity of perspectives, was investigated by Lopes et al. (2024). The study revealed that 82% of educators and managers felt frustration and hope regarding conflicts, and only 37% of conflicts experienced by students in 2023 were fully resolved. Worryingly, 61% of educators still resorted to authoritarian punishments, indicating the urgent need for continuous training in more dialogical approaches, such as Nonviolent Communication (NVC). The authors proposed strategies based on scientific dissemination and continuous improvement of teaching, aiming for emotionally safe environments and the development of creativity (Silva, 2021; Silva, 2023).

In this context, children’s graphic expression emerged as a multifaceted language and an indispensable pillar in education, connecting the child to their lived experiences (Silva, 2025). Historically, drawing was used to measure cognitive ability and as a projective resource in personality tests, evolving into a consolidated tool in child psychological assessment and psychotherapy (Oliveira and Grubits, 2020). Drawing also acts as a facilitator of the bond between therapist and child, aiding in the reduction of feelings of discomfort and anxiety in hospital settings, as exemplified by the authors. This versatility of graphic expression has expanded it beyond the therapeutic context, making it a significant language in various scenarios.

Barbosa-Lima and Carvalho’s (2008) perspective corroborated the idea that children’s drawing is an assessment tool in Elementary Education, using the concept of “graphic narrative” to express constructed knowledge. Children draw what they know, not just what they see, transforming graphic representation into a symbolic way of objectifying knowledge and imagination. It was concluded that drawing is a valuable instrument for the teacher to identify the need to revisit topics and reinforce concepts, without using it to classify classes, but rather to promote conceptual construction. Santos (2013) added a psychological dimension, describing drawing as a form of thought where the inner and outer worlds confront each other, making it essential for understanding what the child wishes to convey.

Oliveira (2023) expanded the scope, relating the practice of drawing as a fundamental pedagogical resource for literacy in Early Childhood Education. Drawing allows the child to analyze and reference their daily activities, building a foundation for learning. It acts as an indicator of child progress and development, reflecting the ability to interact with the environment. During literacy, drawing serves as a channel of communication to express imagination, fantasies, joys, and fears, emerging as a significant language that authentically portrays the child’s worldview and daily experience. Graphic representation facilitates inclusion in the “literate world” and encourages the creation of hypotheses about the writing system.

The literature analysis confirmed the relevance and assistance that children’s drawing can offer in different contexts of basic education. From literacy to the assimilation of complex natural science concepts, drawing has proven to be a practical and effective tool for the global development of students, in addition to being a means of assessment and mediation across various age groups. The educator, therefore, has the role of stimulating the creative process and motivating the student, embracing the discussion that children’s drawing is a crucial channel for the child to access graphic symbols essential for reading and writing, also functioning as an important means of socialization (Santos, 2013).

Analysis of Obtained Data

The documentary analysis covered 31 course loads from 30 Pedagogy undergraduate courses and one Biological Sciences course, all from Brazilian public institutions, totaling 2,236 syllabi. The institutions were distributed regionally, with 6 in the South, 10 in the Southeast, 6 in the Center-West, 5 in the Northeast, and 4 in the North. Data collection was organized in electronic spreadsheets, mapping metadata such as city/state, institution type, course name, curriculum year, and the presence of keywords like “drawing”, “graphics”, and “neuro”. The analyzed curricula were selected to be post-2019, although some earlier documents were still recurrent for students entering in 2025.

In the initial search for keywords, the term “drawing” was found in 103 summaries, representing approximately 4.6% of the total. This broad search revealed that the concept of drawing was mainly addressed in the teaching of plastic arts, map drawing, experimental drawings, and fundamentals in History and Geography. The term “universal design” also appeared in the context of accessibility and inclusion, aiming to reduce learning barriers. In contrast, the word “graphics” had only 6 occurrences (0.3%), focusing on indigenous graphics and, to a lesser extent, on child development, based on the work of Edith Derdyk (2015). Notably, 29 institutions registered no occurrences of the term “graphics”.

The search for the prefix “neuro” resulted in 54 occurrences (2.4%) in the analyzed abstracts, with approaches that ranged between neurolinguistics, neurological and neuromotor development, neuroses, and typical and atypical neurodevelopment. A more in-depth analysis, focused on disciplines directly related to the study’s objective, identified 141 disciplines (approximately 6.3%) focusing on neurosciences. These disciplines were included in areas such as Special Education, Libras, Introduction to Psychology, Psychomotricity, Early Childhood Education, Language Teaching, Child Development in Non-School Settings, Psycholinguistics, Language Dysfunctions, and Supervised Internships, indicating a varied thematic distribution.

When comparing the data with previous studies by Grossi et al. (2014, 2019), which identified 6.25% and 7.97% of Pedagogy courses with subjects related to neurosciences, the present study found a prevalence of approximately 6% in the analyzed syllabi. This result corroborates the initial hypothesis that teacher training has not yet significantly incorporated neuroscience advancements, maintaining the gap between scientific production and pedagogical practice. It was observed that, although neuroscientific knowledge was present, it rarely appeared in the course titles, being treated under Psychology nomenclatures, such as “Cognitive Development” or “Biological Bases,” which suggests a more technical and less integrated approach.

The area of Special and Inclusive Education was the main focus of the neurodevelopment study, with 27 institutions explicitly addressing these topics. In these contexts, neurodevelopment was frequently approached from the perspective of disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities, and global developmental disorders. This concentration of neuroscientific knowledge in specific niches, rather than making it a basis for the overall development of students, aligns with the reflections of Avelino (2019), who warned about the risk of restricting this knowledge, limiting its broader application in teacher training.

In the refinement of the search for content on children’s drawing and graphics, 112 results (approximately 5%) were identified in the 2,236 syllabi. The objectives of these disciplines were focused on teaching plastic arts, research in art and education, knowledge production, language development, aesthetic education, teaching of human and natural sciences, history of education, fundamentals of literacy, development of teaching materials, didactics, and supervised internships. Although the largest number of occurrences was concentrated in Visual Arts (59 disciplines), drawing also manifested itself as a symbolic tool in literacy (33 disciplines) and spatial literacy (17 disciplines in Geography/Cartography), in addition to being used for quantitative recording and logical reasoning in Mathematics (10 disciplines).

Despite the multidisciplinary presence of drawing, no subjects were found that directly related students’ neurodevelopment to their drawing productions in their syllabi. However, ten disciplines established some relationship between children’s drawing production and neuroscience concepts, as in “Special Education”, “Psychology and Education”, “Art Teaching”, “Psychomotor Studies” and “Special Topics”. In these disciplines, the connection was established through bibliographies that addressed the psychoneurological processes of image formation, the development of higher psychological functions, or the integration of children’s artistic production to brain and cognitive functioning, according to works by Howard Gardner (1999).

The analysis of the bibliographic references present in the curricular matrices revealed the prominence of classic authors. Lev Vigotsky was cited 25 times, serving as a theoretical basis for disciplines of Psychology and Education, Literacy and Child Development, with emphasis on “The Social Formation of Mind” (Vigotsky, 2007) and “Imagination and Creation in Childhood” (Vigotsky, 2009). Alexander Luria was cited 14 times, mainly in Neuropsychology, Developmental Psychology and Literacy, with the work “Language, Development and Learning” (Vigotsky, Luria, and Leontiev, 2010). The absence of Luquet and Lowenfeld in the examined bibliographic references, despite their historical relevance for graphic representation, reinforced the gap in the dissemination of this knowledge in teacher training, while Edith Derdyk (2015) had some presence, highlighting a contemporary approach more sensitive to the body and gesture.

The central gap identified was the absence of disciplines that directly related neurodevelopment to children’s graphic productions in their descriptions. Although the theoretical basis of classic authors such as Vygotsky and Luria is essential for understanding higher psychological processes, their predominance seemed to reduce the discussion of contemporary neuroscientific concepts about learning and the significance of graphic representation and its phases in the analyzed curricula. The research limitations included the heterogeneity in the format of institutional documents, which made data systematization difficult, and the lack of distinction between mandatory and elective disciplines, which may have masked the actual exposure of undergraduates to the investigated topics. However, the regional representativeness of the sample contributed to a comprehensive diagnosis.

Production of Digital Material and Other Reflections

In the development process of the proposed digital material, a scarcity of articles directly relating children’s graphic expression and neurodevelopment in scientific literature was observed. This gap highlighted a fertile field for research, as drawing acts as a motivator and stimulator of fundamental cognitive and motor processes in working with children (Silva, 2025). The digital resource was created on the Canva platform, based on the condensation of information and extraction of images from the books that formed the theoretical basis, aiming to offer a practical and accessible guide for educators.

The selection of theorists to support the material prioritized approaches that offered support to the theme of drawing development. Georges-Henri Luquet (1979) was included for his pioneering work in classifying the four phases of drawing: Fortuitous Realism, Failed Realism, Intellectual Realism, and Visual Realism. These stages detail the child’s graphic evolution, from initial scribbles to representation with perspective and metric proportions, seeking to understand evolution from a cognitive perspective. The progression of drawing reflects biological and intellectual maturation, being a valuable indicator for educators.

Viktor Lowenfeld (1997) complemented this discussion by detailing the stages of child drawing development, linked to self-confidence and maturation. His stages include: Scribbling, Pre-Schematic, Schematic, Gang Age, and Pseudo-Naturalistic. These phases describe the evolution from disordered scribbles to controlled and named strokes, the first attempts at representing reality, the definition of the concept of form and the use of the baseline, to social awareness and self-criticism. Understanding these stages offers teachers a tool to identify the graphic and emotional development level of their students.

Edith Derdyk (2015) was selected for her contemporary perspective, which advocates for a procedural and non-linear view of graphic development, understood as a journey of “comings and goings”. Derdyk (2015) organized the development of children’s graphic expression through experiential content, such as Scribbling, Self-Discovery and the First Circle, the Phase of Diagrams and Combinations, Drawing Knowledge and Affective Hierarchies, Observation and Causality, and the Transition to Writing. This approach values the graphic gesture in a procedural and sensitive manner, allowing the child to access crucial graphic symbols for reading and writing, and functions as an important means of socialization.

Although Jean Piaget (2010) was an important reference, his ideas on the stages of cognitive development were considered together with the foundations laid by Luquet and Lowenfeld. According to Silva (2025), drawing expresses the development of child intelligence and graphic ability increases as cognition is expanded and stimulated. The correspondence between these authors allowed us to sustain that children’s drawing is not an isolated activity, but a manifestation of the child’s biological and intellectual maturation. The absence of Luquet and Lowenfeld in the examined bibliographic references, despite their historical relevance, reinforced the need to disseminate this knowledge to support teacher training.

Silva (2025) assumed that drawing is an indispensable pillar in education, connecting the child to lived experiences and highlighting the interest of educators and parents in graphic productions as fundamental to encouraging expression. Complementing these perspectives, Lima and Lima (2018) reinforced the essential relationship between the practice of drawing and neuroscience. For the authors, graphic representation integrates intellectual and emotional life, mobilizing neural networks that strengthen executive functions, such as planning and decision-making. In addition to acting as an emotional regulator, drawing was described as a “message for the future,” allowing the child to create memories that will serve as a basis for the later mastery of writing and other complex abstractions, evidencing its pedagogical potential.

In summary, the research results confirmed the initial hypothesis that Pedagogy curricula in Brazilian public institutions still present a limited insertion of neuroscientific content and a predominantly aesthetic approach to children’s graphic representation, dissociated from biological learning processes. The prevalence of only 6% of syllabi focusing on neurosciences and the absence of disciplines directly linking neurodevelopment to children’s graphic production demonstrate the persistence of a significant gap between advances in neuroscience and the initial teacher training. The developed digital material, based on Luquet, Lowenfeld, and Derdyk, seeks to fill this gap by offering teachers practical and accessible tools to integrate scientific knowledge about neurodevelopment and children’s graphic representation into the school routine, thus responding to the study’s central objective of diagnosing and proposing solutions for this curricular deficiency.

4. Conclusion

The present study aimed to analyze the curricular structures and pedagogical documents of Pedagogy courses in Brazilian public institutions, seeking to verify the presence of content related to neuroscience and children’s graphic representation. It was found that the insertion of neuroscientific content in curricula remained limited, with approximately 6% of the syllabi addressing the topic, frequently under the nomenclature of Psychology or Biology, and concentrated in Special Education. Regarding children’s graphic representation, a multidisciplinary approach was observed, but predominantly aesthetic, with scarce direct integration with neurodevelopment in the syllabus descriptions. The prominence of classic authors such as Vygotsky and Luria was noted; however, the absence of fundamental theorists for graphic representation, such as Luquet and Lowenfeld, in the examined bibliographies, evidenced a gap in teacher training. As a main contribution, the study offered an updated diagnosis of the curricular matrices and developed a digital guide with practical orientations, based on the drawing development stages proposed by Luquet, Lowenfeld, and Derdyk, aiming to bring scientific knowledge closer to pedagogical practice.

The research presented limitations stemming from the heterogeneity in the format of institutional documents and the impossibility of distinguishing between mandatory and elective disciplines, which may have masked the actual exposure of undergraduates to the topics. Furthermore, the analysis was restricted to public institutions, not encompassing the complete landscape of teacher training in Brazil. It is suggested that future investigations seek to understand how the absence of these topics impacts teachers’ daily classroom practice, with the aim of improving the support offered for the integral development of students. It is also recommended the need for curricular revisions that overcome the exclusive dependence on classic theoretical bases and incorporate contemporary dialogues on neuroscience and child graphism, valuing drawing as an indicator of neuro-motor and cognitive development.

Bibliographic References

Avelino, W.F. 2019. A neuropsicopedagogia no cotidiano escolar da educação básica. Revista Educação em Foco (11): 33-44.

Google Scholar, 2025 [Referência completa não encontrada no documento original]

Google Trends, 2025 [Referência completa não encontrada no documento original]

Grossi, M.G.R.; Lopes, A.M.; Couto, P.A. 2014. A neurociência na formação de professores: um estudo da realidade brasileira. Revista da FAEEBA – Educação e Contemporaneidade 23(41): 27-40.

Grossi, M.G.R.; Oliveira, E.S.; Aguiar, F.A. 2019. A neurociência na formação inicial de professores: uma investigação científica. Ensino em Re-Vista 26(3): 871-895.

Lima, E.S.; Lima, M.G. 2018. Neurociência na educação infantil: o significado do ato de desenhar. Paidéia: Revista do Curso de Pedagogia da Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, Sociais e da Saúde, Universidade FUMEC 13(20): 149-165.

Silva, E.V. 2020. Contribuições da neuropsicopedagogia para a formação docente: um olhar para as dificuldades de aprendiz

Article originating from a Final Coursework on Neuroscience and Learning in Education

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October 09, 2026

Neuroplasticidade, memória e aprendizagem: análise sobre o desenvolvimento cognitivo no Ensino Fundamental II

O estudo analisou o impacto de atividades lúdicas e cognitivas na estimulação da memória e no desenvolvimento cognitivo de estudantes do Ensino Fundamental II. O objetivo foi investigar os efeitos dessas atividades na memória operacional e de longo prazo, mapear estratégias de memorização, avaliar o engajamento e as reações emocionais dos alunos durante oficinas, e produzir recomendações pedagógicas baseadas em evidências neurocientíficas, a partir da percepção de fragilidades no aprendizado. A pesquisa fundamentou-se em contribuições teóricas da psicologia do desenvolvimento, da pedagogia e da neurociência, com destaque para autores como Piaget, Vygotsky, Lent, Kandel e Izquierdo. Metodologicamente, adotou-se uma abordagem mista, articulando procedimentos quantitativos e qualitativos, por meio da realização de oficinas pedagógicas baseadas em jogos cognitivos aplicados a estudantes do 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental II de uma escola pública em Vitória da Conquista – BA. Os resultados revelaram possíveis fragilidades relacionadas à memória de trabalho e à atenção dos estudantes, e as oficinas demonstraram potencial para estimular funções cognitivas e fornecer indicadores para o planejamento pedagógico. Concluiu-se que práticas pedagógicas fundamentadas em princípios da neurociência, que integram cognição, emoção e interação social, podem favorecer o aprendizado e contribuir para o desenvolvimento cognitivo e socioemocional dos estudantes, reforçando a necessidade de ampliar o diálogo entre educação e neurociência.

Palavras-chave: Cognição; Emoções; Estratégias de memorização; Funções executivas; Neurociência educacional.

Neuroscience And Learning In Education

October 09, 2026

Entre autonomia e dependência: impactos da inteligência artificial nos processos cognitivos de alunos de MBA online

A Inteligência Artificial tem transformado significativamente os processos de aprendizagem e produção de conhecimento, suscitando dilemas éticos e questionamentos sobre seu uso educacional. Investigou-se os efeitos do uso de ferramentas de Inteligência Artificial generativa sobre os processos cognitivos de estudantes de MBA na modalidade online, com foco na relação entre autonomia e dependência tecnológica. A pesquisa caracterizou-se como exploratória e utilizou dados secundários de um questionário aplicado por uma instituição de ensino, que buscou compreender a relação dos estudantes com tecnologias digitais. Os resultados indicaram elevada utilização das ferramentas generativas (81,5% dos mais de 2000 respondentes, com 50,5% de uso diário), acompanhada da percepção de dependência em tarefas que poderiam ser realizadas de forma autônoma. Observaram-se efeitos positivos, como aumento da autonomia nos estudos e estímulo à curiosidade, mas também indícios de redução do esforço mental e da confiança nas próprias habilidades cognitivas. Mais da metade dos participantes (57,3%) afirmou sempre verificar as informações geradas pela IA. Infere-se que a Inteligência Artificial na educação demanda abordagens pedagógicas que promovam o uso crítico, ético e equilibrado dessas tecnologias, especialmente por meio do desenvolvimento do letramento em IA, posicionando-a como apoio e não substituta das capacidades intelectuais.

Palavras-chave: Dependência Tecnológica; Educação Digital; Inteligência Artificial Generativa; Neurociência.

Neuroscience And Learning In Education

October 09, 2026

Pedagogical Strategies for Students with ADHD in Basic Education

The study analyzed the profile and difficulties of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the second cycle of Elementary School and High School in a private school in Barretos, São Paulo, and proposed pedagogical strategies based on neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogy to favor teaching and learning. A qualitative, descriptive-analytical research was conducted through documentary analysis of institutional records of 15 students diagnosed with ADHD or under investigation, many with comorbidities such as dyslexia, anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, and dyscalculia. The data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results showed that students with ADHD presented significant difficulties in attention, organization, planning, and behavioral control, directly impacting learning and associated with alterations in executive functions. The proposed strategies, such as task fragmentation, use of visual resources, environmental organization, active methodologies, and continuous feedback, demonstrated potential to favor the cognitive, emotional, and academic development of students. It was concluded that pedagogical practices based on scientific evidence contribute to a more inclusive education, promoting autonomy, engagement, and improvement in the academic performance of students with ADHD.

Keywords: Learning; Basic education; Inclusion; Pedagogical practices; ADHD.

Neuroscience And Learning In Education

October 09, 2026

Reference framework of competences in AI and a proposal for teacher training

The articulation between neuroscience and education for human development, allied to the relevance of prescriptive texts in the training of teachers in Brazilian higher education, motivated the investigation. The study aimed to investigate the potential of UNESCO’s Framework for Artificial Intelligence Competencies for Teachers (MRCP-IA) document for teacher training that prioritizes human development and, from this analysis, to present a proposal for its implementation in the Brazilian context, articulated with the principles of neuroscience. The research was characterized as descriptive, qualitative, and documentary analysis. For the analysis of the MRCP-IA, the theoretical-methodological framework of Sociodiscursive Interactionism was employed. The interpretation of the results was based on discussions from the Sciences of Work, Sociodiscursive Interactionism, Vygotsky, and the 12 principles of neuroscience listed by Amaral and Guerra (2022). The results indicated that the MRCP-IA positions Artificial Intelligence as the protagonist, assigning to the teacher the responsibility of dealing with it ethically and critically, but without detailing teacher training. Therefore, a proposal for teacher training for Pedagogy courses was formulated, considering the principles of neuroscience and Vygotsky’s historical-cultural perspective, emphasizing social interaction and the integral engagement of the teacher. It was concluded that continuing education, which respects brain individuality and promotes social interaction with the teacher’s bodily and emotional engagement, can effectively drive human development.

Keywords: Competencies; AI; Neuroscience; Pedagogy; Teacher work.

Neuroscience And Learning In Education

October 09, 2026

Neuroscience as a Guide in Natural Sciences Classes in Basic Education

Neuroscience is a powerful ally in understanding learning processes, although only one-third of teachers demonstrate familiarity with the subject, highlighting a gap that justifies public policies. In science education, the integration of neuroscience can favor the development of strategies to overcome learning barriers and improve academic performance in Brazil. Previous research had not addressed the use, benefits, and challenges of neuroscience in Brazilian basic education. The research aimed to verify how teachers have used neuroscience as a guide for science classes in basic education, understand the challenges in applying its concepts in teaching, and propose practical solutions, including a didactic sequence. To this end, a qualitative-quantitative, applied, descriptive, and field survey research was conducted with a sample of ten basic education science teachers. An online questionnaire with Likert scales was used to collect socio-demographic data and data on the use or non-use of neuroscience. Data analysis was descriptive, identifying patterns and trends with graphs and statistics. The results indicated that neuroscience was valued, but its practical application is not yet significant. Teachers who used it reported consistent positive impacts, while those who did not use it showed interest but faced training and working condition barriers. Despite the limitations, the study contributed to understanding the relationships between neuroscience and Basic Education, proposing training and collaborative programs between neuroscientists and educators, aiming to empower teachers to judge the quality and applicability of evidence.

Keywords: Learning; Science; Education; Basic Education; Neuroscience.