Neuroscience, in its interface with education, has revealed the brain mechanisms underlying learning to read, revealing a universe of possibilities for improving pedagogical practices. Recent studies have demonstrated that the human brain is not a “blank slate”, but a highly structured organ, capable of adapting and modifying itself in response to environmental stimuli, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity (Dehaene, 2012).
In the context of literacy, neuroplasticity manifests itself in the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural networks to recognize and process writing symbols. This reorganization occurs mainly in specific areas of the left hemisphere, such as the ventral occipitotemporal region, responsible for letter identification and phonological decoding (Dehaene, 2012).
Neuroscience discoveries have significant implications for education, especially literacy. Understanding the brain mechanisms involved in reading allows the development of more effective teaching methods, which take into account the particularities of brain functioning and the different phases of learning to read (Dehaene, 2012).
Reference :
DA SILVA PINTO, Miriam; RODRIGUES, Fabiano de Abreu Agrela. Literacy from the perspective of neuroscience. Latin Science, v. 6, no. 1, p. 4603-4627, 2022.
