Learning with the Brain in Mind (Part 1)

Have you ever stopped for a second to think what you got out of your years in school? I guess most people would say that their chief benefit would have been given the numeracy and literacy skills essential for further education and ultimately, a career.

We believe that content learning has its place. That is, History, Geography, Biology, Physics etc are important fields of knowledge that collectively create an educational experience. The common image that comes to mind is that of 1 teacher droning on to a class of students, who would be assessed by written tests and examinations at a later date.

However, we look to a different kind of set of skills which perhaps been neglected, and whose importance has surfaced in the 1990s. Amongst what is popularly known as Soft Skills, we believe that 'Learning-to-Learn' is critical in ensuring that our learning effort is translated into positive results and experience. The importance of this skill cannot be understated as we spend all our lives learning: as infants, we learn to recognise the smell and voice of our mothers, in riding our bicycle, attending school and university, attending training courses in our working years.

Over the past 30 years, neuro-science advances since the famous 'split-brain' experiments of Roger Sperry, Gazzaniga and colleagues, have given a peek into how the brain stores and recalls information. While the physiological functions of the brain don't differ much across normal humans, applied psychology has also provided equally important insight into how individual preferences affect how information is first received, processed and communicated to others. Understanding and harnessing this Brain/Mind Connection is fundamental to Learning-to-learn successfully.

First, we need to know what the Brain needs to function:

• Oxygen-hungry organ: The Brain uses 20% of every breath that we take, making it the most oxygen-hungry organ in the human body. This suggests that well-ventilated rooms are best for studying. In our courses with students, we also tell them that they should take a few deep breaths, before they embark on a spurt of memory-intensive work. Aerobic exercise also brings in oxygen into the body, giving a boost to one's alertness.
  

• Stress is bad for the Brain: The Brain does not function well in conditions of stress. In fact, continued stress damages it. The human body reacts to stress by producing hormones that aid the 'fight-or-flight' instinct. Fantastic for our caveman days, but less so in the 21st Century. Continued presence of such hormones in the human body due to chronic stress, affects the effectiveness of the brain in storing and recalling information. This suggests that successful studying requires students to develop a positive attitude towards learning and their life in general. This would help them reduce stress levels yet remaining motivated enough to reach their goals.

• Brain Food: Along with oxygen, glucose (from sugar and carbohydrates) is also used as the Brain works. A basic application of this rule is never go to school on an empty stomach. Food that is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish is especially useful for producing alertness and concentration. I know because Ethan has been on a diet of Omega 3 supplements for the past 3 months and he can go on longer spurts of mental activity than before.

Bearing these neurological facts in mind, we can then provide our Brains with the best possible advantage when it comes to learning. We will continue learning about the other half of the Brain/Mind Connection in Part 2.

Noel Tan
Resident Philosopher

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