> Context • The 4E approach proposes an alternative framework for understanding cognition and learning. However, its application to the study of education in the 21st century is incipient. > Problem • What are the challenges of 21stcentury education in the field of cognition and learning? How can the 4E approach be implemented in educational processes? > Method • This introduction outlines the challenges of 21st-century education and the progress that the 4E approach has made in the different perspectives presented in the contributions of this special issue. > Results • Today, we find a limited but growing number of studies on the 4E approach applied to education. We argue that the 4E approach presents a propitious field for the challenges of education in the 21st century, especially for the understanding of teaching and learning in socio-material and technological environments, as well as new research tools that support theories of learning with empirical evidence. > Implications • A better understanding of the constructivist perspectives on the application of 4E in education can guide future research in education as well as novel teaching methodologies.