A good teacher might have “theory of mind,” or insight into his or her students’ own mental states, which, in turn, influence student behavior. For instance, a teacher may know when students are bewildered, or inspired, and adjust instruction accordingly.
Medina questioned whether a technology can be developed to detect when a student is confused or inspired by a lesson and adjust instruction.
“Can you give a computer the gift of theory of mind?” he said. Such a tool would be a hardware/software combination that would involuntarily detect a puzzled student, determine where the gap in understanding lies, and then adapt in situ.
For more information on brain research and education, see:
The Science of Learning: How Current Brain Research Can Improve Education
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