#Teaching

A new wave of research is redefining what it means to be an effective learner in the classroom, highlighting that cognitive flexibility — the ability to adapt thinking and behavior in response to changing rules and environments — is what most clearly distinguishes child innovators from diligent rule-followers. As discussed in a recent Psychology Today feature (“How to Teach Kids to Break the Rules Intelligently,” psychologytoday.com), scientists and educators are coming to realize that while adherence to instructions has often been prized in traditional academic contexts, it is students’ adaptive thinking skills that pave the way for true innovation.

The latest research on creativity highlights a groundbreaking insight: fostering cross-domain thinking can transform ordinary minds into highly innovative ones, reshaping how parents and educators approach children’s learning. According to a new feature in Psychology Today, experts are now urging a shift from traditional, siloed education towards cultivating abilities that span multiple fields, arguing that this approach mirrors the habits of the world’s greatest thinkers and inventors (Psychology Today). This revelation holds significant potential for Thailand, where educational reform and national innovation are pressing priorities.

A wave of recent research is challenging long-held beliefs about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), questioning whether the condition is truly a lifelong, biologically fixed disorder and whether the medical model that has dominated diagnosis and treatment actually serves those affected. With global ADHD diagnosis rates soaring and stimulant prescriptions at record levels—mirrored by rising numbers in Thailand—the debate over what ADHD is and how best to help children and adults affected is more urgent than ever. These new perspectives could have a profound impact not only on clinical practice in the West but on the evolving approach to ADHD in Thailand, where both awareness and skepticism about the condition are growing rapidly.

Neuroscientists have recently made a significant breakthrough in our understanding of how the brain creates and stores new memories, uncovering previously unknown “rules” for how neurons encode fresh information. This discovery, reported by MedicalXpress in April 2025, opens the door to improved treatments for memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and offers fresh insights into how we learn and remember—two functions at the very heart of Thai society’s emphasis on lifelong education and wellbeing (MedicalXpress, 2025).