Rethinking Learning Environments Through the Lens of Neuroeducation

Prepared by the researche :  BENARBIYA FADOUA , MEKKAOUI ALAOUI CHAIMAE

DAC Democratic Arabic Center GmbH

Journal of Media Studies : Thirty-second Issue – August 2025

A Periodical International Journal published by the “Democratic Arab Center” Germany – Berlin

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Abstract

Learning is not just about absorbing facts; it also depends on how students feel. Research in neuroeducation, which blends neuroscience, psychology, and education, shows that emotional safety, social connection, and mental well-being are essential for effective learning. When students feel anxious or excluded, their brains shift into survival mode, making it harder to focus and remember. In contrast, a safe and supportive classroom helps the brain stay open to learning.

This article explores how teachers can apply simple, brain-friendly strategies to create positive, inclusive learning environments. By understanding how the brain responds to stress, emotion, and relationships, educators can support both the academic and emotional development of their students building classrooms where all learners feel connected, confident, and ready to grow

Introduction

In today’s classrooms, students need more than just facts and academic lessons to succeed. While learning subject content is important, research in education and neuroscience shows that emotional well-being, social interaction, and a sense of safety are just as essential for effective learning. When students feel anxious, lonely, or misunderstood, it becomes harder for them to concentrate, participate, or stay motivated. In contrast, when students feel safe, respected, and connected to both their peers and teachers, their brains are more open to learning. For this reason, creating a positive and supportive classroom environment is just as important as delivering the curriculum.

This is where neuroeducation the science of how the brain learns offers valuable insights. Neuroeducation combines knowledge from brain research, psychology, and education to help teachers understand how students think, feel, and learn. It shows that the brain does not function in isolation from emotions or social experiences. Instead, emotions, relationships, and mental states directly influence how students absorb and retain information. For example, stress can block memory and focus, while positive emotions and a sense of belonging can enhance cognitive performance.

When teachers apply the findings of neuroeducation in their classrooms, they can make simple but meaningful changes that improve both learning and classroom relationships. They can create spaces where students feel emotionally safe, socially included, and motivated to learn. These environments do not only help students improve academically but also support their emotional and social development.

In this article, we will explore how teachers can use practical strategies based on neuroeducation to build warm, inclusive, and socially rich learning environments. By doing so, teachers can help students become more focused, confident, and cooperative creating classrooms where both minds and hearts can grow.

1. theoretical framework

-What Is Neuroeducation?

Neuroeducation also known as educational neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that brings together knowledge from neuroscience, psychology, and education to better understand how people learn. It studies how the brain processes information, how emotions affect learning, and how learning environments can support brain development. The main goal of neuroeducation is to help teachers apply scientific knowledge about the brain to improve teaching and learning in real classrooms.[1]

The idea of connecting brain science to education began gaining attention in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as neuroscience research tools such as brain imaging (like fMRI) became more advanced. These tools allowed scientists to observe how the brain works during learning tasks, emotional responses, and social interactions. This new understanding helped researchers and educators realize that learning is not only a mental process but also a social and emotional one.[2]

–fMRI results for (A) subtraction vs. multiplication[3]

One of the early thinkers who helped shape this field is Howard Gardner[4], well-known for his theory of multiple intelligences[5]. He argued that traditional education focuses too much on logical and linguistic skills and ignores other important types of intelligence, such as interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence which are closely related to social and emotional learning. Gardner believed that understanding how different brains work can lead to more inclusive and effective teaching methods.

-Multiple intelligences

Another important figure is Kurt Fischer[6], founder of the Mind, Brain, and Education program at Harvard University. He worked to build strong links between neuroscience and classroom practices, emphasizing the importance of emotional support, developmental stages, and individual learning differences.

-The Importance of Safety in Learning

Research in neuroeducation strongly supports the idea that students learn more effectively when they feel emotionally and physically safe in the classroom. Emotional safety reduces stress and allows the brain to focus on exploration, memory, and critical thinking rather than defense and survival. One foundational thinker who helps explain this connection is Abraham Maslow,[7] best known for his Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow proposed that human motivation is organized in a five-level pyramid, beginning with basic physiological and safety needs and moving toward belonging, esteem, and finally self-actualization .the level at which deep learning and creativity become possible. According to Maslow, a student cannot fully engage in learning if they feel unsafe, excluded, or emotionally distressed, because their brain and body are preoccupied with meeting more urgent survival needs.

Maslow pyramid

Neuroscientific findings support Maslow’s theory. For example, brain research shows that when students experience anxiety, social rejection, or fear, the amygdala(the brain’s emotional alert system)is activated. This shifts brain function away from the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for focus, reasoning, and executive function. In simple terms, the brain “shuts down” its learning systems in order to protect the body from perceived danger. This is why a calm, respectful, and predictable classroom environment is essential—not only for emotional well-being but for effective cognitive processing. When students feel a sense of belonging, safety, and respect, their brains are more open to engagement, curiosity, and intellectual growth.

For teachers, this means that academic success begins not with lesson plans but with creating a secure emotional climate. Greeting students warmly, encouraging respectful communication, celebrating diversity, and responding to behavior with empathy are just some of the ways educators can build a brain-friendly classroom. As Maslow and modern neuroscience both suggest, emotional safety is not a luxury it is the foundation of all meaningful learning[8]

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang  [9] One of the most influential voices in the field of neuroeducation is Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, whose groundbreaking research bridges neuroscience, psychology, and education. Her work emphasizes that emotions are not separate from reason, but rather are deeply intertwined with thinking, memory, and decision-making. In her influential book Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience (2015), Immordino-Yang argues that all learning is fundamentally emotional. She explains that students do not absorb information in a purely logical or mechanical way; instead, they make meaning of knowledge through their emotional and social experiences. When students are emotionally engaged whether inspired, curious, or even empathetic their brains are more likely to retain and understand new information.

Through studies using brain imaging and classroom observation, Immordino-Yang shows that areas of the brain responsible for deep learning and reflection overlap significantly with regions that process emotion and social relationships. This means that teachers who build emotionally supportive classrooms are not simply making students feel good they are actually creating the neurological conditions for deeper thinking, personal relevance, and long-term memory formation. In practice, her research supports the use of storytelling(tools that are been used in Riyada-leadership programs in morocco), real-life connections, student choice, and culturally responsive teaching to engage learners on a personal and emotional level.

-How Emotions Affect Memory and Focus

Scientific research has shown that emotions play a major role in how students pay attention and remember information. One influential theory is Antonio Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis. Damasio, a neuroscientist, proposed that emotions create “markers” in the brain that help us make decisions and remember experiences. These emotional markers guide attention and help the brain store important information, making emotional learning more memorable than neutral learning.

Another key contribution to neuroeducation comes from the work of Joseph LeDoux[10], a neuroscientist known for his influential research on the amygdala—the brain’s emotional processing center. LeDoux’s studies, particularly in the 1990s, revealed that the amygdala plays a crucial role in detecting threats and triggering fear responses. When a person, including a student, feels threatened or under stress, the amygdala becomes highly active, signaling the brain to prioritize survival over learning. LeDoux found that in such situations, the brain’s resources are diverted away from the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex—areas responsible for memory formation, attention, and reasoning. As a result, students experiencing chronic anxiety, fear, or emotional insecurity may struggle to focus, absorb new information, or retain what they have learned.

This neurological insight explains why traditional classroom environments that rely heavily on pressure, punishment, or emotional detachment may unintentionally block learning rather than enhance it. When students feel unsafe—whether due to fear of failure, social exclusion, or harsh discipline—their brain literally prepares to “survive,” not to “understand.” LeDoux’s findings support the broader message of neuroeducation: emotions are not a distraction from learning; they are at the heart of it. Learning happens most effectively when students feel emotionally secure, supported, and connected to others.[11]

For educators, this means rethinking classroom practices and discipline strategies. Simple actions like building trusting relationships, reducing test anxiety, offering emotional support, and creating a non-threatening learning environment can help calm the amygdala and re-engage the brain’s learning systems. By applying LeDoux’s research, teachers can create classrooms where students are not only ready to learn but also able to retain and use what they learn in meaningful ways.

-How Social Interaction Supports Learning and Brain Growth

Learning is not only an individual activity .it is also a deeply social process. Working with others through group tasks or classroom discussions helps students develop both their thinking and social skills. One important theory in this area is Lev Vygotsky’s [12]Sociocultural Theory. Vygotsky argued that learning happens first through social interaction and then becomes part of the individual’s own thinking. He introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which shows how students can achieve more when they work with peers or teachers who guide and support them.

In addition, modern brain research shows that collaborative learning activates areas of the brain related to communication, empathy, and problem-solving. When students explain their ideas, listen to others, and solve problems together, their brains make new connections. This not only improves academic understanding but also helps build social and emotional intelligence. In both sociology and neuroscience, the message is clear: learning with others strengthens the mind and prepares students for real-world cooperation and teamwork.[13]

-How Stress Can Block Learning

Stress has a powerful impact on the brain and can significantly interfere with students’ ability to learn. In psychology, research shows that chronic stress activates the brain’s amygdala, which is responsible for emotional responses like fear and anxiety. When the amygdala is overstimulated, it can disrupt the activity of the prefrontal cortex the part of the brain responsible for concentration, decision-making, and memory. Psychologist Bruce McEwen [14]described how long-term stress leads to “toxic stress,” which harms brain development and weakens cognitive functions over time.

In the field of pedagogy, educators recognize that a stressful classroom environment caused by fear of failure, punishment, or lack of support can reduce motivation and block engagement. Progressive educational thinkers such as John Dewey have emphasized the importance of supportive, student-centered learning environments that reduce fear and encourage curiosity. When students feel safe and emotionally balanced, they are more likely to take risks, stay focused, and absorb new knowledge. Therefore, reducing stress is not just about well-being it is a critical step toward effective teaching and deeper learning

2. Why Emotions Matter in Learning

This idea is supported by Attachment Theory, developed by psychologist John Bowlby[15], which suggests that secure emotional bonds especially between children and caregivers create a foundation for healthy emotional and cognitive development. In the classroom, teachers can act as secondary attachment figures. When students feel emotionally connected to their teachers, they are more likely to feel secure, explore new ideas, and take academic risks, especially in emotionally demanding tasks like speaking a new language.

Similarly, the language teaching method Suggestopedia[16], developed by Georgi Lozanov, emphasizes the importance of emotional safety and positive suggestion in language learning. Suggestopedia creates a stress-free environment using music, relaxation techniques, and encouraging teacher-student interactions to lower affective barriers and stimulate memory. The method is built on the idea that learning is more effective when learners feel relaxed, supported, and emotionally open conditions that help regulate the amygdala and promote deeper cognitive engagement.

3. How Teachers Can Help(practical tools)

Teachers play a key role in shaping the emotional and cognitive climate of the classroom. Using insights from neuroeducation, they can create learning environments that support not just academic achievement, but also emotional safety, social connection, and brain development. Here are four important strategies that help make the classroom a positive and brain-friendly place:

a-Create a safe and kind space for learning

teachers can create a culture of kindness, acceptance, and emotional safety. This includes encouraging questions, welcoming mistakes as part of learning, and treating all students with respect. A safe classroom helps students stay relaxed, focus better, and feel confident enough to take academic risks.

b-Use group work and peer learning

The brain is a social organ it learns best through interaction and cooperation. When students work in groups, they engage in what Lev Vygotsky called social learning, which allows them to build understanding by discussing ideas, asking questions, and helping each other. This kind of collaboration not only improves cognitive development but also strengthens communication, empathy, and teamwork. By designing group tasks, peer teaching activities, and classroom discussions, teachers can turn social interaction into a powerful tool for learning.

c-Include mindfulness and quiet moments

Regular moments of calm help the brain regulate emotions and improve focus. Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing, short meditations, or quiet reflection, have been shown to lower stress levels and support attention. These moments activate the brain’s parasympathetic nervous system, which helps students stay balanced and calm. When included as part of the daily routine, mindfulness can make students more aware of their thoughts and emotions, and more ready to learn with a clear and focused mind.

d-Celebrate effort, not just results

Praising effort, strategy, and persistence helps build what psychologist Carol Dweck calls a growth mindset—the belief that abilities can improve with practice. Neuroscience supports this idea by showing that the brain is capable of change and growth (neuroplasticity) when challenged in supportive ways. When teachers recognize students’ hard work rather than only correct answers or high scores, they send the message that learning is a process. This builds resilience, motivation, and a love of learning that lasts beyond the classroom

4. Be a Role Model

Teachers are more than knowledge transmitters—they are powerful role models who shape students’ emotional, cognitive, and social development. When teachers consistently show patience, kindness, and respect, they do more than create a pleasant classroom they model essential social behaviors that students begin to adopt. This is supported by Albert Bandura’s [17]Social Learning Theory, which highlights that children learn not only by doing but by observing the actions, attitudes, and emotional responses of others, especially authority figures like teachers.

In the context of neuroeducation, such emotional modeling is critical. Brain science shows that students learn best when they feel emotionally safe and supported. Teachers who understand how the brain processes emotions, attention, and memory can better support students who face stress, anxiety, or different learning needs. For example, emotionally responsive teachers help students regulate their own emotions, which supports both behavior and academic performance.

sociologist Pierre Bourdieu [18]offers a deeper sociological insight into this dynamic. In his theory of habitus and cultural capital, Bourdieu explains how teachers unconsciously pass on values, expectations, and behaviors that match the dominant culture of the education system. Through daily interactions, body language, and language use, teachers communicate what kinds of knowledge, behavior, and “ways of being” are considered legitimate in school. This means that teachers don’t only influence what students learn but also how they learn to navigate power, identity, and opportunity in the classroom and beyond.

Teachers who are aware of Bourdieu’s framework might reflect critically on their own role: Are they reinforcing inequalities by favoring certain speech patterns or behaviors over others? Or are they actively creating inclusive, emotionally supportive spaces where all students feel seen and respected—regardless of their background? Combining neuroeducational awareness with sociological reflection allows teachers to address not only how the brain learns, but also whose experiences are valued in the learning process.

Additionally, Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences  as it is already mentioned states that students vary in their learning styles some thrive through music, others through hands-on activities or interpersonal dialogue. Teachers who recognize these differences and value diverse forms of intelligence help expand what is considered “smart” or “successful” in school. This reinforces both emotional confidence and cognitive growth.

conclusion

Incorporating insights from neuroeducation into classroom practice offers a powerful opportunity to transform how teaching and learning take place. As research continues to demonstrate, the brain does not operate in isolation from emotion or social experience. On the contrary, emotional safety, a sense of belonging, and meaningful relationships are foundational to effective cognitive processing, memory retention, and student motivation. Understanding the role of the amygdala, the impact of stress, and the influence of positive social interaction allows teachers to respond to students not only as learners but as whole individuals with emotional and psychological needs.

The contributions of thinkers like Joseph LeDoux, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, and Abraham Maslow show that fostering environments where students feel safe, respected, and connected is not a luxury it is a necessity. When teachers recognize that emotions are deeply tied to learning, they can create classrooms that are not only academically rich but also socially and emotionally nurturing. This involves using practical strategies such as cooperative learning, mindfulness, inclusive language, and positive reinforcement, all of which help reduce fear, support emotional regulation, and encourage active engagement.

Ultimately, the application of neuroeducation principles is not about adding more tasks to a teacher’s workload, but about rethinking the classroom as a relational and emotional space, as much as a cognitive one. A brain-friendly classroom supports long-term learning, promotes empathy and collaboration, and helps students develop the resilience and self-awareness they need beyond the school walls. In building such environments, educators become facilitators of growth not just academically, but in every dimension of their students’ lives.

Références :

Bandura, A. (s.d.). Social learning theory. Stanford University.

Bourdieu, P. (s.d.). Théorie de la reproduction : Éléments pour une théorie du système d’enseignement. Paris : Éditions de Minuit.

Covey, S. R. (2012). The leader in me: How schools and parents around the world are inspiring greatness, one child at a time. Free Press.

Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. Putnam Publishing.

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Freeman, J. (1992). Quality basic education: The development of competence. UNESCO – Bureau international d’éducation.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. Basic Books.

Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2015). Emotions, learning and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience. W. W. Norton & Company.

LeDoux, J. E. (1996). The emotional brain: The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life. Simon & Schuster.

Lozanov, G. (1978). Suggestology and outlines of suggestopedy. Gordon and Breach.

Mareschal, D., Butterworth, B., & Tolmie, A. (2013). Educational neuroscience. Wiley-Blackwell.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.

McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews, 87(3), 873–904.

Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques. (2002). Understanding the brain: Towards a new learning science. OCDE.

Schleicher, A. (2018). World class: How to build a 21st-century school system. OECD Publishing.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. 

[1] Educational Neuroscience.Denis Mareschal, ‎Brian Butterworth, ‎Andy Tolmie · 2013- Publisher:Wiley

[2] Understanding the Brain Towards a New Learning Science By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · 2002

[3] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/fMRI-results-for-A-subtraction-vs-multiplication-both-strategies-and-B_fig1_342985768

[4]Howard Earl Gardner is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University(1943.)

[5] This theory suggests human intelligence can be differentiated into the following modalities: visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythmic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and bodily-kinesthetic(Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice.Howard Gardner · 1993)

[6] Kurt W. Fischer was an educator, author, and researcher in the field of neuroscience and education. Until his retirement in 2015, he was the Charles Bigelow Professor of Education and Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Wikipedia

[7] Abraham Maslow was a prominent American psychologist best known for his Hierarchy of Needs theory. This theory suggests that human motivation is driven by a hierarchy of five levels of needs, with basic physiological needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top. Basic needs must be met before individuals can focus on higher-level aspirations

[8] Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education World Class .How to Build a 21st-Century School System .By Schleicher Andreas · 2018

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, associate professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the Brain and Creativity Institute and Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, lives in Los Angeles. Winner of the 2014 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Early Career Award[9]

[10] Joseph E. LeDoux is an American neuroscientist whose research is primarily focused on survival circuits, including their impacts on emotions such as fear and anxiety.

[11] Quality Basic Education: The Development of Competence.Joan Freeman, ‎International Bureau of Education, ‎Unesco · 1992

[12] Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was a Russian and Soviet psychologist, best known for his work on psychological development in children and creating the framework known as cultural-historical activity theory

[13] The Leader in Me.How Schools and Parents Around the World are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

By Stephen R. Covey · 2012

[14] Bruce Sherman McEwen was an American neuroendocrinologist and head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at Rockefeller University. He was known for his work on the effects of environmental and psychological stress, having coined the term allostatic load

[15] Edward John Mostyn Bowlby was a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attachment theory

[16] Suggestopedia, also known as Desuggestopedia, is a language learning method developed by Georgi Lozanov in the 1970s. It focuses on creating a relaxed and supportive learning environment to accelerate language acquisition through the use of positive suggestions, music, and other techniques

[17] Albert Bandura was a Canadian-American psychologist and professor of social science in psychology at Stanford University, who contributed to the fields of education and to the fields of psychology

[18] Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu’s contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence in several related academic fields