The Brain Myths Hiding in Our Classrooms

Imagine walking into a classroom in 2025. The walls are bright with colourful charts, students are solving math problems, and a teacher is passionately explaining a concept. 

Now imagine that same teacher believes students learn best if lessons match their “preferred learning style”—visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic. 

It sounds harmless. 

It even sounds scientific. 

But it’s wrong. 

And they are not alone.

A Snapshot of the Problem 

Earlier this year, we surveyed 26 teachers from across Maharashtra and beyond – teachers in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, teaching across private, government, and aided schools, teaching in schools and Universities. 

The goal was simple: find out how well teachers understand the brain and learning.  

The results were startling. 

Despite decades of research debunking popular “brain facts,” the average accuracy across ten common myths was only 23.4%.  

Meaning teachers were wrong nearly three out of every four times.  

And yet, on average, they rated their confidence at 4.35 out of 5.  

In other words, the less they knew, the surer they felt. 

These weren’t trick questions. They were statements many of us have heard since childhood: ideas that sneak into teacher-training modules, school workshops, and dinner-table conversations. 

What We Found 

Here are just a few of the myths that refused to die: 

• “We only use 10% of our brains.”  Nearly 70% of teachers believed this. 

• “Students learn better when taught in their preferred learning style.”  A staggering 96% endorsed this, despite overwhelming evidence that tailoring lessons to “visual” or “auditory” learners does not improve outcomes. 

• “The left brain is logical and the right brain is creative.”  Over 90% got this wrong, still picturing a split-brain classroom. 

• “Writing letters backwards is a common sign of dyslexia.”  85% misidentified this, missing the complexity of a real learning disorder. 

• “All deaf or hard-of-hearing children learn best visually.”  92% answered incorrectly, overlooking the diversity of communication strategies. 

• “Boys’ and girls’ brains are so different that they need to be taught differently.”  Almost 40% still believed this outdated stereotype. 

• “The brain stops developing by the teena ge years.”  More than 40% thought development ends in adolescence, ignoring decades of research on adult brain growth. 

• “Listening to classical music (like Mozart) boosts intelligence.”  85% bought into the ‘Mozart effect’, a myth long discredited. 

• “Doing simple coordination exercises (‘Brain Gym’) improves learning.”  Every single teacher—100%—fell for this one. 

This isn’t just a quiz gone wrong. 

These are the educators shaping how thousands of children learn, practice, and believe in their own potential. 

Why This Matters 

Neuroscience is no longer an ivory-tower discipline. It explains how sleep strengthens memory, why stress cripples attention, and how the brain keeps learning throughout life. 

When teachers rely on myths instead of evidence, they may: 

• waste time and resources on ineffective programs, 

• misdiagnose or overlook learning difficulties, and 

• unintentionally reinforce stereotypes about gender, ability, or intelligence. 

• 
  

In our survey, 77% of teachers had never received any training in neuroscience or educational psychology. 

 Without access to reliable knowledge, even experienced teachers (half of our sample had more than 20 years in the classroom) were as vulnerable to myths as novices. 

A Call to Action 

The solution isn’t to shame teachers. It’s to equip them. 

• Integrate neuroscience modules into teacher-training programs. 

• Offer continuous professional development that translates research into classroom practice. 

• Encourage critical thinking so educators can evaluate trendy “brain-based” interventions before adopting them. 

The science exists. The urgency is clear. What’s missing is a bridge between the lab and the lesson plan. 

The Bigger Picture 

Our brains are astonishingly adaptable. They thrive on evidence, not fads.  

If we want students to develop a love for learning, we must first give teachers the tools to understand the learning organ itself. 

Because the greatest myth of all would be believing that good intentions alone are enough. 

Let’s stop letting neuromyths teach our children. Let’s start giving teachers the neuroscience literacy they deserve. 

For those interested in more details, a research report can be found here.