Sir

Your Editorial “Bringing neuroscience to the classroom” (Nature 435, 1138; 200510.1038/4351138a) and News Feature “Big plans for little brains” (Nature 435, 1156–1158; 2005), on the emerging connections between education and cognitive neuroscience, are both hopeful and critical at once. There is currently a strong emphasis on the need for research findings to be both immediately available, and directly applicable to the classroom. This inadvertently sets high expectations which, if not met, could lead to the quick erosion of this developing field.

I believe it is time to think about the interactions between education and cognitive neuroscience in broader terms. In addition to conducting research projects such as those described in your Editorial and News Feature, it is now essential to begin integrating the teaching of scientific evidence from cognitive neuroscience into teacher-training and further-education programmes. This would facilitate the creation of a ‘researcher-practitioner’ model in the field of education. The US National Science Foundation centre at Boston University and the LearnLab project, as described in your News Feature, have made a start in this direction, but more of these types of projects are needed to create the basis for fruitful exchanges and collaborations between cognitive neuroscientists and educational practitioners.

The ‘science of learning’ needs to strengthen its conceptual backbone and put forth a broad set of aims, while permitting development to occur. If this is done, rejection on the basis of ‘lack of direct application’ can be avoided and rich outcomes anticipated.