My Fleep:
Education
Education
What is Learning? Can We Learn Better Than Apes Do?-Part 1
We can all Learn-and transform our brain in the process.
That's the message in this Interview-Part 1 (out of 2) from
Dr. James Zull, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at
Case Western University, Director of UCITE (The University
Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education), and
Professor of a Human Learning and The Brain class. Dr. Zull
loves to learn. And to teach. And to build connections. He
has spent years building bridges between neurobiology and
pedagogy, as a result of which he wrote The Art of Changing
the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring
the Biology of Learning, which shows how neurobiological
research can inform and refine some of the best ideas in
educational theory.
In that book, Prof. Zull added biological information to
David Kolb's Learning Cycle framework. David Kolb's
Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning
and Development book refers to human learning, but
Professor Zull tells that today, in his desk, he has
cognitive neuroscience papers and research that show that
apes go through the same 4 stages when they are learning a
new activity, activating exactly the same brain areas than
we do.
AF: What is Learning? Can apes really learn in the same way
we do?
JZ: Learning is physical. Learning means the modification,
growth, and pruning of our neurons, connections–called
synapses– and neuronal networks, through experience. And,
yes, we have seen that apes go through the same Learning
Cycle as we do, activating the same brain areas.
AF: How does Learning happen?
These are the 4 stages of the Learning Cycle. 1) We have a
Concrete experience, 2) We develop Reflective Observation
and Connections, 3) We generate Abstract hypothesis, 4) We
then do Active testing of those hypotheses, and therefore
have a new Concrete experience, and a new Learning Cycle
ensues.
In other words, we 1) get information (sensory cortex), 2)
make meaning of that information (back integrative cortex),
3) create new ideas from these meanings (front integrative
cortex) and 4) act on those ideas (motor cortex). From this
I propose that there are four pillars of learning:
gathering, analyzing, creating, and acting.
This is how we learn. Now, learning this way requires
effort and getting out of our comfort zones. A key
condition for learning is self-driven motivation, a sense
of ownership. To feel in control, to feel that one is
making progress, is necessary for this Learning Cycle to
self-perpetuate. Antonio Damasio made a strong point on the
role of emotions in his great Descartes' Error book.
AF: can we, as learners, motivate ourselves? How can we
become better learners?
JZ: Great question, because in fact that is a uniquely
human ability, at least to the degree we can do so. We know
that the Frontal Lobes, which are proportionally much
larger in humans than in any other mammal, are key for
emotional self-regulation. We can be proactive and identify
the areas that motivate us, and build on those. In other
words, the Art of the Learner may be the Art of Finding
Connections between the new information and challenges and
what we already know and care about.
If I had to select one Mental Muscle that students should
really exercise, and grow, during the schooling years, I'd
say they need to build this Learning Muscle. Learning how
to Learn. That might be even more valuable than learning
what we stress in the curriculum, i.e., the subjects we
teach.
AF: Do you think this is happening today in our schools?
JZ: I don't think so. First, of all, too many people still
believe that Education means the process by which students
passively absorb information. Even if many educators would
like to ensure a more participatory and active approach, we
still use the structures and priorities of another era. For
example, we still pay too much attention to categorizing
some kids as intelligent, some as not so, instead of
focusing on how they could all learn more.
Second, learning and changing are not that easy. They
require effort, and also, by definition, getting out of our
comfort zones. We need to try new things, and to fail. The
Active Testing phase is a critical one, and sometimes our
hypothesis will be right, and sometimes wrong. The fear of
failing, the fear of looking un-smart, is a key obstacle to
learning that I see too often, especially for people who
want to protect perceived reputations to such an extent
that they can't try new genuine Learning Cycles.
AF: Fascinating. Given what you just said, how do you help
your students become better learners?
JZ: Despite the fact that every brain is different, let me
simplify and say that I usually observe 2 types of
students, with different obstacles to learning and
therefore benefiting from different strategies.
... we continue this interview in Part 2
----------------------------------------------------
SharpBrains, http://www.sharpbrains.com , provides the best
science-based information, programs and support for Memory
and Brain Fitness. Dozens of publications, such as CBS,
Forbes, MSNBC, Seattle Times, Birmingham News, San
Francisco Examiner, New York Post, Oakland Tribune, and
more, have highlighted our organization and offerings.
We can all Learn-and transform our brain in the process.
That's the message in this Interview-Part 1 (out of 2) from
Dr. James Zull, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at
Case Western University, Director of UCITE (The University
Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education), and
Professor of a Human Learning and The Brain class. Dr. Zull
loves to learn. And to teach. And to build connections. He
has spent years building bridges between neurobiology and
pedagogy, as a result of which he wrote The Art of Changing
the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring
the Biology of Learning, which shows how neurobiological
research can inform and refine some of the best ideas in
educational theory.
In that book, Prof. Zull added biological information to
David Kolb's Learning Cycle framework. David Kolb's
Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning
and Development book refers to human learning, but
Professor Zull tells that today, in his desk, he has
cognitive neuroscience papers and research that show that
apes go through the same 4 stages when they are learning a
new activity, activating exactly the same brain areas than
we do.
AF: What is Learning? Can apes really learn in the same way
we do?
JZ: Learning is physical. Learning means the modification,
growth, and pruning of our neurons, connections–called
synapses– and neuronal networks, through experience. And,
yes, we have seen that apes go through the same Learning
Cycle as we do, activating the same brain areas.
AF: How does Learning happen?
These are the 4 stages of the Learning Cycle. 1) We have a
Concrete experience, 2) We develop Reflective Observation
and Connections, 3) We generate Abstract hypothesis, 4) We
then do Active testing of those hypotheses, and therefore
have a new Concrete experience, and a new Learning Cycle
ensues.
In other words, we 1) get information (sensory cortex), 2)
make meaning of that information (back integrative cortex),
3) create new ideas from these meanings (front integrative
cortex) and 4) act on those ideas (motor cortex). From this
I propose that there are four pillars of learning:
gathering, analyzing, creating, and acting.
This is how we learn. Now, learning this way requires
effort and getting out of our comfort zones. A key
condition for learning is self-driven motivation, a sense
of ownership. To feel in control, to feel that one is
making progress, is necessary for this Learning Cycle to
self-perpetuate. Antonio Damasio made a strong point on the
role of emotions in his great Descartes' Error book.
AF: can we, as learners, motivate ourselves? How can we
become better learners?
JZ: Great question, because in fact that is a uniquely
human ability, at least to the degree we can do so. We know
that the Frontal Lobes, which are proportionally much
larger in humans than in any other mammal, are key for
emotional self-regulation. We can be proactive and identify
the areas that motivate us, and build on those. In other
words, the Art of the Learner may be the Art of Finding
Connections between the new information and challenges and
what we already know and care about.
If I had to select one Mental Muscle that students should
really exercise, and grow, during the schooling years, I'd
say they need to build this Learning Muscle. Learning how
to Learn. That might be even more valuable than learning
what we stress in the curriculum, i.e., the subjects we
teach.
AF: Do you think this is happening today in our schools?
JZ: I don't think so. First, of all, too many people still
believe that Education means the process by which students
passively absorb information. Even if many educators would
like to ensure a more participatory and active approach, we
still use the structures and priorities of another era. For
example, we still pay too much attention to categorizing
some kids as intelligent, some as not so, instead of
focusing on how they could all learn more.
Second, learning and changing are not that easy. They
require effort, and also, by definition, getting out of our
comfort zones. We need to try new things, and to fail. The
Active Testing phase is a critical one, and sometimes our
hypothesis will be right, and sometimes wrong. The fear of
failing, the fear of looking un-smart, is a key obstacle to
learning that I see too often, especially for people who
want to protect perceived reputations to such an extent
that they can't try new genuine Learning Cycles.
AF: Fascinating. Given what you just said, how do you help
your students become better learners?
JZ: Despite the fact that every brain is different, let me
simplify and say that I usually observe 2 types of
students, with different obstacles to learning and
therefore benefiting from different strategies.
... we continue this interview in Part 2
----------------------------------------------------
SharpBrains, http://www.sharpbrains.com , provides the best
science-based information, programs and support for Memory
and Brain Fitness. Dozens of publications, such as CBS,
Forbes, MSNBC, Seattle Times, Birmingham News, San
Francisco Examiner, New York Post, Oakland Tribune, and
more, have highlighted our organization and offerings.