How the Brain Learns

More educators are recognizing that research in cognitive neuroscience is providing exciting new insights into how the brain develops and learns. Because teachers are essentially “brain changers,” they realize that the more they know about how the brain learns, the more likely they are to be successful at helping their students succeed.

This field of inquiry explores how research findings from neuroscience, education, and psychology can inform our understandings about teaching and learning and whether they have implications for educational practice. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that recommendations for teaching practices have a foundation in solid scientific research.

This has numerous changes that reflect new advances in our understanding of the learning process. Specifically, I have

expanded the explanations of brain facts;

added a section on the importance of mindset;

added an explanation of how brain processing varies with the student’s age;

updated the section on memory systems, especially on emotional memory;

added the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model;

added a section on brain-training programs;

updated new research findings on how the explosion of technology may be affecting the brain;

significantly expanded the section on learning to read;

added a section on learning mathematics;

added a section on integrating the arts into STEM to produce STEAM;

added a new section on how technology is affecting students’ thinking;

added short descriptions of other thinking skills models;

added a section on the importance of telling students how their brains learn;

added a section on the flipped classroom model;

added several new Practitioner’s Corners;

updated the Resources section to include more Internet sites selected for their reliable information on the brain; and

added or updated more than 300 references, most of which are primary sources for those who wish to explore the actual research studies.

This continues to be an exciting time to be in education. Granted, never has society asked so much of its schools. At the same time, however, never have we known so much about how students learn and what we can do to make that happen successfully. This book opens the door to educational neuroscience in the hopes that educators will experience the joy of seeing more students reach their full potential.