“Pedagogy has a lot to do to adjust the way we educate with the way we evaluate.” David Bueno and Torrens (Barcelona, 1965), professor of biomedical, evolutionary and developmental genetics, and neuroeducation professor from the University of Barcelona, summarizes the educational paradox of our time: we give more and more technological resources to students in Spain, but their level in The PISA test fails. The author of The adolescent brain And Educate your brain [Grijalbo] He prefers to appear integrative rather than apocalyptic, defending the flexibility of evaluations. But he warns: when it comes to screens, we have gone too far.
Neuropedagogy is an increasingly popular discipline. Do we understand that educational success and brain morphology are inseparable?
There has been a sudden explosion of knowledge about the brain over the last 25 years, allowing us to delve ever deeper into its mechanisms. But there is another thing that worries me, and that is that “neuro” is in fashion. It’s a prefix that goes in front of anything, an almost commercial brand that in some cases makes sense but in others only serves to sell a product.
Does this refer to techniques and formulas that claim you can “hack” your brain to be more efficient and effective?
Not just for “hacking”: we often find what we call “neuromyths”, beliefs propagated by commercial interests but which are not based on any neuroscientific demonstration. An example is the famous “Mozart effect”. Children who listen to classical music will not be smarter, although they will develop other specific skills. But for that, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Mozart or Iron Maiden, I like it heavy!
Are we also increasingly aware of the importance of maintaining neuro-healthy habits to avoid disabilities in the future?
Yes, but it’s one thing to be aware of it and another to put it into practice. Older adults know the importance of having an active brain and exercising according to their age. But I don’t see it so much among young people, and that’s where we have to start. I still see many who don’t exercise, who drink alcohol excessively or who take drugs. In college we see students smoking marijuana, which is terribly toxic to the brain, and they know it because they study biology.
SPANISH
Does the notion of “cognitive reserve” come into play here? Can the brain be “strengthened” against the deterioration that will come with age?
A well-trained brain works based on the connections that neurons make between each other throughout life, depending on how we use it and with what intensity. A mentally active person, who studies and learns, who is aware of the current events around him, who socializes, has a brutal stimulus. Playing sports, listening to music, watching theater, reading… will generate many more connections. And since you lose neurons as you age, it will take you much longer to realize this. You can gain a decade of brain quality of life, which is a lot.
Does delegating functions to devices, stopping memorizing routes or calculating in our head because the cell phone does it, reduce our cognitive reserve?
Yes, if we don’t change these tasks for others that mentally value us in another way. If we take the opportunity to do something else when we don’t need to use our brains thanks to technology, there is no problem. Should students use chatGPT AI or not? If they use it to mindlessly copy what you tell them, it impairs brain function. But if they use it as a basis to improve and go further, there is no problem.
You maintain that there is no danger in the use of technology but in its abuse. How to clearly mark the limits?
If we talk about children, until the age of 6 or 8, they should not use digital technology at all, except in specific moments like when using the digital whiteboard in their classroom. In no case should this be the main instrument of learning, nor should it be fun, nor should they be parked and not be a nuisance. They must play the classic game: the brain must learn through all the senses, interacting with the real, physical, natural and social environment. Then, between ages 8 and preteens, half an hour to an hour would be reasonable use. Finally, in adolescence, between one hour and two hours. Beyond that, this can be considered abuse.
David Bueno and Torrens. Grijalbo.
How do you promote the introduction of digital devices in Spanish classes?
If they use it when and how they need it, that’s a plus for me. It opens their minds to an outside world that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. But that doesn’t mean the digital whiteboard can replace the early childhood education teacher. He does not sing songs, he does not read stories, he does not transmit by voice, he has no non-verbal communication… When “one computer per computer” programs were created in Spain, student”, we see educational centers that do not release them if necessary. But in others, they open them on the table at eight in the morning and don’t put them out until three. What are you missing there? The look of your teacher, his throwing paper balls… all those healthy things.
Hence the paradox of “digital natives”, who in reality do not have any more skills because they have only learned to use the simplest applications?
I borrow the expression of Francesc Pedró, a philosopher of education whom I know well, to say that they are in reality “digital orphans”, because we, the adults, have not been able to teach them well . We think that because they were born with the iPad under their arm, they will know how to use it, but we also need to learn when, where and why.
Has there been an educational decline in the capacity for written comprehension and logical-mathematical reasoning after the arrival of screens?
Yes, and we are already starting to get the data. Reading on digital media makes comprehension difficult and requires much more energy from the brain to focus attention. On the written page, on the contrary, the sentences do not change place. In your notes, the sentence that was in the middle of the page will still be there next week. There is no roll which forces the brain to constantly move around and leaves less attention for thinking and understanding.
Has it been possible to quantify the loss of academic level, as evidenced by Spain’s decline in classifications such as PISA?
Comparisons are treacherous. There have been more cultural and social changes than technologies. Current generations may have a slightly lower score, but their empowerment capacity has improved. In my time, memorization prevailed: on the day of the exam, you had to write it down exactly as it was in the book. Your ability to make decisions has been mutilated. Now we see teenagers getting involved in social movements, it’s a good sign of maturity.
Can we compare ourselves to anyone? Yes, with Portugal, a country with which we have absolute permeability. And it improved a lot on the PISA tests. I recently met former minister Nuno Crato, who was involved in this change, and he said to me: “Do you know what the secret is? That we have not changed the educational project for 20 years.
Indeed, Portugal leads Spain in reading and mathematics. What was the minister referring to?
Have an evolving curriculum within a general education system that remains stable. Here, the tendency is to change something almost every time there is a change of government. So it looks like we are working! And it’s not so much because of the screens as because the teachers feel comfortable. There is no need to rethink everything every six years. And this stability is transmitted to the students. I would plead for a State pact for Education, which would be updated and adapted to the reality of each territory, but retaining at least some common and stable bases.
Will we have to go back to school and get the traditional book?
We should go back a bit and use more paper and pencil, even at university. Almost everyone already comes with a laptop or tablet and asks you to download the slides that you are going to project on the Virtual Campus. And if the text doesn’t arrive, they sometimes complain about having to write! Digital has its advantages, but a balance must again be sought. The subtle movements of the wrist and fingers when writing by hand activate more neural networks and allow for better retention of knowledge. When you write your notes, you force your brain to reinterpret what is written there, thus better correcting this learning.
Are new generations suffering from a “loss of emotional vocabulary”, as psychiatrists warn, which affects mental health?
But adults are also very emotionally illiterate. I went to an all-boys religious school, and when someone got hurt and cried, the teacher’s typical expression was, “Men don’t cry.” We have castrated ourselves emotionally, always pretending to be strong, but we all have weaknesses. If you don’t recognize your emotions, you won’t be able to manage them. And if we haven’t educated ourselves emotionally well, digital technology makes things even more difficult. We will not tell them to their faces all the atrocities recounted on social networks. We need to rationalize our emotions, and this shows in mental health. An emoticon is not the same as seeing the face of the person you are talking to.
Is there a need for stricter regulation of social networks to avoid any abusive exposure, particularly among young people?
I think so, we’re going to need some sort of controlling regulation, especially for cell phones, knowing that ultimately it’s the parents who will have to decide. But not mandatory regulation. This brings us closer to an authoritarianism which, for me, is in no way desirable.
