🧠The Quest #23: How the brain learns

The Surprising Science of Learning, Free Courses and more

Hello Friends!

Greetings from Barcelona☀️. 

Many thanks for your feedback on the last edition of The Quest and on my new Creativity e-book. A special shout out to the following people: Joan in Mansfield, Mamen in Barcelona, Maria in Miami, Michaele and Barry in Bracebridge, Romy in Stuttgart, Connie in Toronto, Charlotte and Wendy in Singapore, Silvia in Rio, Ali in the US, and Delia in London 🙌.  

If you are joining The Quest for the first time, welcome to our weekly exploration of creativity, facilitation, and learning. 

You can catch up on last week’s edition on the future of learning and all past editions here.

How do we learn?

After a couple of months of online classes last year, my 16-year-old daughter started to call it computer jail. She dreaded sitting down in front of her computer all-day trapped in her room listening to her teachers. Like all humans, she has a natural love of learning. Just not that way. COVID has sparked a lot of discussion about how to make online learning more engaging.

But to answer this we must ask a deeper question first:

How do we learn?

A pretty obvious question, right? But traditional education is riddled with practices that have nothing to do with the way our brain works. Like teaching a fish to climb a tree as Albert Einstein once said. As creators, facilitators, and teachers, COVID gives us an opportunity to re-make education. So what do we need to understand about brain science to design better learning experiences?

This week🔎

• Brain Rules and the surprising science of learning

• Courses you need to know about

Let’s dive right in.

🧠Brain Rules

A book by molecular biologist John Medina. In it, he shares 12 “Brain Rules” stemming from what scientists know about how our brains work. It is written for non-scientists like me packed with lots of hilarious stories and concrete examples. He includes just enough explanation about the differences between areas of the brain like the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus to grasp basic neuroscience. In the book, there are a lot of surprising facts about the way learning works with big implications about how we design learning. I wrote a longer summary of the Brain Rules and what it means for course creators, facilitators, teachers – and even parents – here.

Short on time? Here’s the give-it-to-me-as-I-scroll-through-the-email version:

Brain Rule No. 1: The human brain is designed to 1) solve problems 2) related to surviving 3) in an unstable outdoor environment, and 4) to do so in nearly constant motion. That’s all good news.

2. Exercise boosts brainpower —> We learn better when we move.

3. Sleep well, think well —> Loss of sleep impairs learning.

4. Stressed brains don’t learn the same way —> Some stress boosts learning, chronic stress cripples it.

5. Every brain is wired differently —> Learning needs to be designed for multiple learning styles.

6. We don’t pay attention to boring things —> Optimal learning happens in 10-minute chunks infused with emotion and meaning.

7. Repeat to remember —> Powerful initial moments, real-world examples, and environment enhance memory.

8. Stimulate more of the senses —> Combining sound, sight, touch, and smell improves recall, problem-solving, and creativity.

9. Vision trumps all other senses —> Include colorful images, videos, or animation in presentations and teaching.

10. Music boosts cognition —> Studying music increases intellectual and social skills.

11. Male and female brains are different —> When ignored, education can create inequality.

12. We are powerful and natural explorers —> Learning is best when fueled by our natural curiosity.

For a deeper dive into the 12 Brain Rules read my summary, and visit the Brain Rules website.

How do the Brain Rules influence the way you design learning?

👀Spoilt for courses

Speaking of learning, there are about 50 online courses I’ve got my eye on. I’ve learned to reign myself in. Instead of immediately pressing the “Sign Me Up” button, I now put them sensibly on a wishlist.

Here are a few courses all led by amazing facilitators and experience designers who get how our brains learn that I want to let you know about.

• How to Film Your First Video with Cam Houser. March 23. *Free

• Activating Your Imagination with Miti Desai. April 2 – May 28.

• PYE Creative Catalyst, Mythic Wanderer with Nadia Chaney. April 13. *Free

• Online Experiential Learning Trainer with Romy Alexandra Solomon. April 15 – May 20.

Last week’s edition on the Future of Learning and Cohort-based courses (CBCs) sure generated a lot of excitement! Here are a few CBCs that are on my wishlist:

• Performative Speaking with Robbie Crabtree

• Part-Time YouTuber Academy with Ali Abdaal.

• Building a Second Brain with Tiago Forte.

What courses are you eyeing?

💭Quote of the Week

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do, and I understand.

Confucious (551–479 BCE)

Thanks for reading The Quest. I always love hearing your feedback and suggestions. Leave a comment below👇or hit reply to share your thoughts and ideas. Visit my website for ways we can work together here. 

If you are enjoying The Quest, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with anyone you think might like it. 

Until next week!

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