NEUROPLASTICITY AND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE: PSYCHIATRIC PERSPECTIVES ON CLASSROOM LEARNING

Abstract

Neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to reorganise its structure and function in response to experience, provides a vital framework for understanding learning as a dynamic biological and psychological process. This chapter examines neuroplasticity from an integrated psychiatric and educational perspective with a specific focus on classroom teaching strategies and implications for educational psychology. It highlights how learning, memory, and skill acquisition are rooted in adaptive neural reorganisation, while emphasising that stress and anxiety can either facilitate or disrupt these processes depending on their intensity, duration, and context. The chapter analyses brain-compatible learning environments, active and multisensory pedagogies, and the role of emotional safety in supporting healthy brain development. Challenging fixed notions of intelligence, it presents neuroplasticity as the biological basis of growth-oriented learning and explores the close relationship between mental health, motivation, and educational outcomes. Drawing on the Indian educational context, the chapter illustrates how neuroplasticity-informed teaching practices can reduce learner anxiety, enhance engagement, and promote holistic and humane education, contributing to broader goals of human development and nation-building