Whelp! School has officially started!! This is the beginning of my third week, and I'm already falling into a bit of a rhythm which is really good. One of the classes I'm taking this year is English 1A at our local community college. It's going really well so far. We've been learning about how our brains learn.
With the advances in technology, we are able to see exactly how we learn, and students can put this information to use as they learn. According to Dr. James Bibb, neurologists now understand enough about how the brain learns and the changes that take place in the brain to help students become better learners, both in college and in life in general.
We are now able to see that physical changes occur in the brain when learning. Brain cells form connections to each other when you learn something, and the more often you use those connections, the stronger they become and the easier it becomes to recall the information. In A User’s Guide to the Brain, Ratey refers to the formation and strengthening of these neuron trails as long-term potentiation.
But not only does true, long-term learning requires a lot of practice, it is also helpful to connect the information to other information the brain already knows. As you engage with the information, it becomes easier to remember. As Doyle reminds us, this is hard work but it results in true learning.
In addition, this hard work must continue over an extended period of time for it to truly stick around. You do not build muscle in one trip to the gym, neither will you truly learn information in one sitting. This principle is called by many psychologists the distributed practice effect.
Another insight that our increased knowledge of the brain provides is that preparation for learning is imperative. You have to eat properly in order to provide your brain with the nutrition it needs. According to Hallowell in the Harvard Business Review, the brain uses 25-30% of the body’s energy.
Not only is eating important, so is drinking. In order for the brain to properly produce hormones and neurotransmitters, the brain needs water. As Norman demonstrated in his article about the brain’s performance, hydration is incredibly important. Even a little dehydration can negatively affect the brain’s performance.
True learning can be accomplished by applying information in slightly different ways than originally taught. This principle is called transference in the Psychological Bulletin. By employing transference, the information already learned is tested and stretch. As the distance you transfer information increases, true learning begins to occur.
Another way to actually learn new information is by connecting it to information you already know. By creating these connections a more meaningful understanding of the information is achieved. When a subject is proving difficult to learn, it is usually simply because there are things you did not know previously about the subject. Once these gaps are filled, your brain has something to connect new knowledge to and learning becomes easier.
The main point of this chapter is that to learn you must put in the effort. Doyle reinstates the importance of interacting with the material in many ways in order to help your brain to make lasting connections. Learning in this way is tiring, but it is making physical changes in your brain that will help you immensely in the future.
And that was it! I cut a few things out to make it flow a bit better, but that's the general gist of chapter one. Definitely go and get the book if you found that interesting.
I'll be back next week with another post!
~ Anna
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