Brain plasticity for visual words: Elementary school teachers can drive changes in weeks that rival those formed over years

Abstract This study aims to investigate the impact of vocabulary acquisition through short-term classroom learning and its relation to broader forms of vocabulary learning through long-term exposure in daily life. Through a two week of “learning sprint” in collaboration with a local elementary school and EEG-Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (EEG-SSVEP) paradigm, we assessed new vocabulary learning in first and second graders within their pedagogical environment. We then compared the results with the word frequency effect, a well-established phenonmenon that reflects long-term vocabulary learning. After two weeks of classroom instruction, newly acquired words elicited neural responses similar to those of high-frequency words, with the effect significantly correlated with children’s phonological decoding skills. Additionally, we successfully replicated the word frequency effect using the SSVEP paradigm for the first time. These findings highlight the potential of the “learning sprint” model for conducting neuroscience research in authentic educational settings, thereby fostering a stronger connection between education and neuroscience.