Learning to learn: what neuroscience tells us about learning

Different discoveries that reveal how the human brain works when learning.

We all know what it means to learn, but sometimes we find it difficult to understand how to teach how to learn or how to learn to learn. To this end, in recent years, neuroscience has brought to people's attention the cognitive processes that are involved in learning. the cognitive processes that are set in motion in the acquisition of knowledge..

In this article we will see what brain-focused research tells us about how people learn to learn.

How does the human brain learn?

Neuroscience tells us that the brain doesn't learn by repeatingbut that information is consolidated by "doing", by moving, creating, exciting us. The cortex is a motor organ, and the child requires play and movement to discover, explore and, therefore, learn. Likewise, we consolidate information better when we relate to others and there is an emotional involvement. As Jan Amos Comenius said; "everything that produces contentment in learning reinforces the memory".

Education should aim to enhance the best of each individual, to help us to be more creative, to put passion and soul into what we do and to develop us socially and emotionally. develop socially and emotionally.. And for this, it is important that both teachers and families take into account the following points.

Knowledge of the brain

Knowing and understanding the functioning of the different cortical structures that work in the learning process will help parents and teachers to understand how the brain works.will help us, parents and teachers, to accompany our children and students in their studies in the best possible way.

Teaching them to take a break during their study every 15-20 minutes to perform Brain Gym exercises or an activity of a certain physical intensity for 5 minutes will help them to reactivate their executive attention system. In addition, the latest research on the brain reflects that including dynamics such as Mindfulness or yoga in the classroom enhances many factors associated with the so-called executive functions. The latter are in charge of fundamental cognitive systems for school, such as attention, self-control, working memory or cognitive flexibility, among others.

2. Cooperation

It is essential to have a vision of teamwork between school and family. Enabling contacts between teachers and parents through meetings or coffees, can enhance a more fluid communication and promote a deeper knowledge of the students. Another interesting aspect could be to rely on family members as facilitators or collaborators within the classroom dynamics, which could become a great resource for teachers.

Within the classroom, this cooperation can also be possible between students, by supporting each other.by supporting each other. Create "travel companions", where two children can be each other's reference for things such as writing in the agenda or taking material home.

Motivation

Creating the spark of curiosity in them is important to get them going and keep them interested. Make them understand why they are studying what they are studyingTo do this, use contextualized learning, with laboratory practices, outdoors or with centers of interest that awaken their desire to learn. Supporting learning with audiovisual material, documentaries, excursions and games will foster their enthusiasm and desire to learn.

4. Connection

Connecting and empathizing with our child or pupil is the basis for them to feel secure in the path of their training. Being able to see them, feel them, understand them, will make it easier to accompany them in the academic environment. If we have a child who is having difficulties, and we make them see that we understand how they feel, we calm them down and pick up on their discomfort, it will help them to feel felt and it will be easier for them to begin to trust themselves, with our help.

An example

Let's apply all this advice to a practical case.

Ander is a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with ADHD. He comes to our Vitaliza cabinet because his family says that at school he has a lot of problems to stay calm, even bothering his classmates. He never writes down the tasks in his diary and forgets half of the material.. All this is generating constant reproaches at home and at school, negatively affecting his motivation to go to school and his mood.

Children like Ander are often misunderstood, labeled as lazy, absent-minded or disruptive. It is important to understand that these children regulate themselves through movement and need it to calm down. Sometimes, they make real efforts to remain still and quiet, but when they do not succeed, they feel great frustration, they feel great frustration..

Allowing them a movement adapted to the classroom, such as sending them to the secretary to get some material, making them responsible for distributing the books or letting them tidy up the reading space during the school session, can be a good solution for these children to make the movement they need. Cooperating between the family and the school to follow the same guidelines in both environments and that within the classroom, Ander has a travel companion where both go over the agenda at the end of the day, will help him to structure and organize himself better.

Generate dynamics in the classroom that require the participation of Ander and his classmates, working through projects chosen by them. Combining these sessions with videos, experiments and games will help to increase the attention span of these children. If, in addition, this child receives the understanding of the teacher and his family, who, when he makes a mistake, puts himself in his place, connects with the emotional state he is experiencing and helps him to redirect his energies, Ander and many others like him will have a promising future.

Author: Anabel de la Cruz Psychologist-Neuropsychologist, specialized in perinatal psychology at Vitaliza.

Bibliographical references:

• Bona, C. (2015) The new education. PLAZA & JANES EDITORES.
• Cortés, C. (2017) Look at me, feel me. Strategies for the repair of attachment in children using EMDR. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer.
• Guillén, J.C. (2015). Neuroeducation in the classroom: From theory to practice. Spain: Amazon.
• Siegel, D. (2007) The developing mind. How relationships and the brain interact to shape our being. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer.
• Siegel, D. (2012) El cerebro del niño. Barcelona: Alba Editorial.