Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has yielded a more comprehensive understanding of brain function. Some of these diagnostic techniques include the event-related potential, which depicts brain electrical activity, and magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, which are particularly sensitive to the delineation of brain areas. These techniques provide an insightful look at cognitive processes that are not readily studied by behavioral measures such as surveys or reaction time. The advances in neuropsychological research have greatly added to the understanding of top-down and bottom-up processing. However, top-down and bottom-up processing is a neglected issue in education even though it is a critical component in language, attention, object recognition, and problem solving. This article defines top-down and bottom-up processing, explains their relevance to education, and describes how the metacognitive lesson on top-down and bottom-up processing is used in the classroom. (Contains 4 figures.)