It would not be absurd to select educators based on fMRI scan results.

Introduction

The word ‘education’ spiritually and emotionally inspires both learners and educators, shaping mindsets, and fostering deep thinking, curiosity, resilience, and the transformative power of knowledge. Educators have increasingly focused on educational leadership in the context of knowledge transmission. With the emergence of technology, this process has evolved significantly. However, the fundamental aspect remains the transaction and communication between the learner's and teacher's brains, where neuroscience plays a pivotal role.

Educational leadership and neuroscience

Educational leadership is not only vital but must also exhibit a high level of conscientiousness in an era where neuroscience and digital learning compete in the knowledge transmission process to build a highly competent generation for the digital world.

Despite the recognition of educational leadership as a critical factor in schools, recent advancements in neuroscience have enabled novel approaches to studying leadership, allowing researchers to directly observe, analyze, and even influence the brain processes associated with it. Educational leadership, as a subfield of leadership, deserves greater emphasis because the neurocognitive development of learners begins at an early stage. Educational leaders must navigate a complex and ever-changing environment, requiring them to coordinate with teachers, students, parents, and authorities.

It would not be paradoxical to select educators based on fMRI scan results. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to assess differences in brain responses between a task condition and a baseline condition. Educational leaders with high levels of conscientiousness are better equipped to fulfill their duty to educate, as this trait is linked to the structure and function of the brain's prefrontal cortex (DeYoung et al., 2010). ?Furthermore, resting-state fMRI studies have revealed that conscientiousness is significantly correlated with functional connectivity between the anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Rueter et al., 2018). Interestingly, openness traits can be predicted from large-scale brain network functional connectivity (Dubois et al., 2018).

Leadership Style and the Network of Neurons

Neuroscience research has demonstrated that it is essential for educational leaders to possess a high degree of self-complexity (Cotter, 2001) to manage the intricacies of a dynamic, technology-driven learning world effectively. Furthermore, neuroscience can be used to gain a better understanding of leadership styles, as they result from the interaction of multiple regions or networks of neurons (Mi?i? et al., 2011). Zaki & Ochsner, 2012, observed educational leadership is underpinned by two distinct neural systems: experience sharing and metalizing. ?Again neuroscience research revealed that the inferior parietal lobule, posterior superior temporal sulcus, anterior insula, and anterior cingulate gyrus are associated with experience sharing, while mentalizing is linked to the temporoparietal junction, precuneus, and medial prefrontal cortex (Shama-Tsoory et al. 2009).

Furthermore, brain imaging studies have been conducted to explore the brain signal patterns associated with leadership styles, and even to classify and predict these styles. By measuring quantitative EEG (electroencephalography, which records the electrical activity of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp) signals from the frontal and temporal lobes, Balthazard et al. (2011) were able to classify transformational and non-transformational leaders with 92.5% accuracy.

Conclusion

However, good educational leadership is the amalgamation of complex factors involving neurons that develop from birth to adulthood, both as a learner and an educator. This requires a deeper understanding, as my experience as a teacher trainer (2010-24) has shown that only a few (perhaps less than 10%) educators truly desire to become teachers, even when they are acting as teachers in the real world.

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