The Neurological Development of a Child and its Importance in the Context of Education

U posljednjim desetljećima velikom značaju u svim područjima znanosti pridonosi razvoj neuroznanosti, interdisciplinarne znanosti sa svrhom istraživanja aktivnosti mozga. Matične znanosti neuroznanosti su neurologija i neuropsihologija čije su znanstvene spoznaje otvorile put k oblikovanju i uspostavljanju neuroznanstvenih teorija te istraživanju aktivnosti mozgovnih struktura. Zbog interdisciplinarnog karaktera znanstvene spoznaje iz područja neuroznanosti se integriraju u temeljne odgojne i obrazovne znanosti kako bi se istaknula važnost neurološkog razvoja i aktivnosti mozga u kontekstu odgoja i obrazovanja. Neurološki razvoj djeteta, koji obuhvaća razvoj cjelokupnog živčanog sustava i njegovih struktura, započinje u embrionalnom razdoblju procesima neuronske migracije i formiranjem struktura središnjeg živčanog sustava – mozgovnih struktura. Proučavajući anatomiju središnjeg i perifernog živčanog sustava dolazimo do zaključaka i uzroka pojavljivanja neuroloških poteškoća. Ponašanje je prvi znak i izraz neurološke aktivnosti živoga bića te proučavanjem biološke osnove ponašanja, poput oštećenja ili traume mozga, ulazimo u znanstvenu teoriju neuropsihologije čiji je glavni značaj bolje razumijevanje neuropsiholoških poteškoća s kojima se dijete može susresti tijekom neurološkog razvoja. Povezivanjem spoznaja navedenih znanosti nastaje poseban prostor gdje se neuroznanstvene spoznaje prilagođavaju potrebama odgojno-obrazovnog procesa. Mozak, organ središnjeg živčanog sustava, instrument je procesa učenja i stjecanja znanja te polazeći od navedene činjenice integracijom spoznaja neuroznanosti i obrazovnih znanosti nastaje znanstveno interdisciplinarno područje – neurodidaktika. U osnovi zadaća neurodidaktike, nove paradigme učenja i poučavanja, je uspostaviti reformu pedagogije koja će se temeljiti na načelima konstruktivizma i teoriji učenja i poučavanja „primjerenom mozgu“ (engl. brain-based learning).The development of neuroscience, the interdisciplinary science whose purpose is to research brain activity, has in the last few decades contributed greatly to all areas of science. Scientific origins of neuroscience stem from neurology and neuropsychology, whose scientific findings opened a path towards shaping and developing neuroscientific theories, as well as conducting research on brain structure activity. Because of its interdisciplinary character, scientific findings from the field of neuroscience are integrated in the core educational sciences in order to emphasize the importance of neurological development and brain activity in the context of education. The neurological development of a child, which entails the development of the entire nervous system and its structures, begins in the embryonic stage with the processes of neuronal migration and the formation of structures of the central nervous system – the neural structures. By examining the anatomy of the central and peripheral nervous systems, we arrive at conclusions and causes of the appearance of neurological dysfunctions. Behavior is the first sign and expression of neurological activity of a living being, and by examining the biological basis of behavior, such as brain damage or brain trauma, we enter into the scientific field of neuropsychology whose main significance is in providing better understanding of neuropsychological dysfunctions that can affect a child during his neurological development. By connecting the findings of the above-mentioned sciences, a special space is created in which neuroscientific findings adapt to the needs of the educational process. The brain, the structure of the central nervous system, is an instrument in the process of learning and acquiring knowledge, on the basis of which, by integration of the findings from neuroscience and educational sciences, an interdisciplinary scientific area is developed – neurodidactics. The basic task of neurodidactics – the new paradigm of learning and teaching – is to establish the reform of pedagogy which will be based on the principles of constructivism and brain-based learning