For years, teachers, pedagogy researchers and governments have tried to solve a persistent problem: why do some students have so much trouble with mathematics, despite all the efforts to improve education? A new study from the United Kingdom could well change our gaze on this difficulty, by suggesting an answer where it was not expected: in the brain itself.
Researchers from the University of Surrey have recently shown that a gentle, painless and non -invasive brain stimulation could improve mathematics performance of certain students. Yes, you read that right. And no, it’s not about science fiction.
Education: a brain case as much as an environment?
For a long time, educational reforms have mainly targeted teachers, manuals or teaching methods. But according to Professor King Cohen Kadosh, director of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, these efforts could be incomplete if they ignore a fundamental factor: the neurobiology of the learner.
« An increasing number of research shows that biological differences in the brain sometimes explain better performance differences in math than social or environmental factors He explains.
In other words, our ability to learn mathematics does not only depend on school or family context, but also on our brain wiring. And good news: this wiring is not frozen.
The principle: send a slight electrical noise to the brain
For their study, the researchers recruited 72 young adults and divided them into three groups. All have passed mathematics tests before the experiment, in order to establish a starting base.
The participants then carried electrodes placed on the scalp, which diffused very low electric currents in precise regions of the brain. The method used is called transcranial stimulation by random noise (tRNS), and it is completely painless and without risk, according to the researchers.
Two areas of the brain have been targeted:
-
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), known for its role in learning, working memory and problem solving.
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The posterior parietal cortex (PPC), involved in the treatment of quantities and mathematical reasoning.
Each day for five days, participants received 30 minutes of stimulation while they resolved mathematical exercises.
© Lakshmiprasad S/ISTOCK
Stunning results for “disconnected” brains
But the study, published in
PLoS
Biology, did not stop there. Before the tests, the researchers had also evaluated the natural brain connectivity of the participants, that is to say the way in which the areas of the brain “communicate” between them.
And this is where the results become fascinating:
- In participants with low connectivity between DLPFC and PPC – a profile often associated with learning difficulties – stimulation has had the most spectacular effect.
- Their ability to solve mathematical problems has improved significantly, much more than in other groups.
According to the researchers, TRNs would help slightly increase the activity of “tired” or little active neurons, bringing them closer to the activation threshold necessary to learn effectively. It is a bit like giving a little electric boost to a too shy brain.
Towards a more personalized education… and more equitable?
Far from offering a magic wand to transform everyone into math engineering, this technology nevertheless opens a new promising path to help students in difficulty.
« By combining neuroscience, psychology and pedagogy, we can develop tools that adapt to the brain of each learner. This could reduce educational inequalities, but also future gaps in employment, health and income “, Underlines Professor Kadosh.
A finding all the more important since, according to the authors, nearly one in four adults in developed countries has skills in mathematics comparable to those of a seven -year -old child. A worrying figure in a world where careers linked to science, technology and economics are increasingly dependent on digital skills.
And tomorrow, a stimulation helmet on each desk?
Obviously, we are not yet prescribing electrodes in classrooms. But this study – published in the journal PLoS Biology – provides solid data on the plasticity of the brain, and on the way in which targeted interventions could improve learning.
The idea is not to replace teachers or teaching methods, but rather to complete traditional education with personalized solutions, which take into account the biological specificities of each student.
After all, if a simple electric signal can help some brains learn better … Why not explore it more?
