4 learning neurosystems – Teaching Magic Post

by Staff

Understanding how the brain really learns has been a scientific challenge for millennia.

Based on the recent progress of neuroscience and its application to learning, there is an emerging model of the way the brain learns and it is different from all that was expected. It is suggested that the brain does not have a learning system but rather four integrated systems – each with its own memory model and unique accompaniments.

8 learning neurosystems

Each system uses different types of cells and processes. Before educators can embark on new practice pedagogies which comply with 21^st The century requires, we must understand very clearly how the brain learns and remembers.

Learning neurosystems refer to specific brain systems that work together to help us acquire, treat and apply new knowledge and skills. Understanding these systems is important for teaching because it helps us to design lessons that align with the way the brain learns naturally. Here are some of the key neurosystems involved in the learning process:

1. Attention system

• Explanation: This system is responsible for helping us focus on information and filtering distractions. Without attention, learning cannot take place effectively.
• Related brain areas: Prefrontal cortex (for decision -making and concentration) and parietal lobe (for awareness).
• Class council: Activate the attention of students with engaging hooks (such as stories, visuals or questions) and use strategies such as shaking and movement breaks to help focus.

2. Memory systems

Learning depends on two types of memory:

• Working memory: Where we temporarily and handle information (such as resolving a mathematical problem).
• Long -term memory: Where knowledge and skills are permanently stored.
• Related brain areas: The hippocampus (for the storage of memories) and the prefrontal cortex (for working memory).
• Class council: Use rehearsal, narration and practice to help students move information in long -term memory.

3.

• Explanation: Strong emotions – positive or negative – can make memories stick. The more emotionally charged a lesson, the more the students are likely to remember them.
• Related brain areas: Amygdala (emotional process) and hippocampus (connects emotions to memories).
• Class council: Create a positive learning environment and connect lessons to personal interests and students’ experiences to stimulate commitment.

4. Motivation and reward system

• Explanation: This system encourages us to look for and repeat behaviors that feel enriching. Dopamine, a chemical of the brain, plays a key role here.
• Related brain areas: Nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex.
• Class council: Offer clear objectives, rewards (such as praise or monitoring of progress) and choices to motivate students.

5. Language and symbol system

• Explanation: This system manages our ability to treat, interpret and respond to language, which is part of learning for many subjects.
• Related brain areas: Broca area (speech production) and Wernicke area (language understanding).
• Class council: Use clear language, provide visual aid and encourage discussion to strengthen language understanding.

6. Sensory treatment systems

• Explanation: These systems take information from our senses (seen, sound, touch, etc.) and help the brain interpret it. Multisensory learning improves understanding and retention.
• Related brain areas: Occipital (vision) lobe, temporal lobe (hearing) and sensory cortex (Touch).
• Class council: Incorporate activities that involve visual aid, practical experiences or music to activate several senses.

7. Executive function system

• Explanation: This system is essential for planning, problem solving, control of impulses and decision -making – important for higher level reflection.
• Related brain areas: Prefrontal cortex.
• Class council: Teach skills such as setting objectives, organization of tasks and self-monitoring to strengthen the executive function.

8. Social learning system

• Explanation: Humans are wired to learn from others by observing, collaborating and imitating. Social interactions help strengthen a more in -depth understanding.
• Related brain areas: Mirror of neurons (help us “reflect” the actions of others) and the prefrontal cortex.
• Class council: Use group projects, peer teaching and discussions to encourage cooperative learning.

The wild and crazy brain

The brain starts life with around 80% of its cells being neurons. This percentage decreased until the mid -1920s when it stabilized at around 7%. In an apocalyptic night between 8 and 10 years old, the brain prunches more than 30% of its neurons. The total number of cells in the brain remains almost constant at around 1 Billion. At the end of the 1920s, we ended up with less than 90 billion neurons.

This emerging model of the way the brain learns confronts anecdotal and urban myths associated with thought, recall and learning. The solution focuses on emerging research surrounding the interaction between neurons (7 to 8% of brain cells), astrocytes (76% of brain cells) and brain waves activity. This model also incorporates the role of dendritic thorns and their possible Memristic qualities, and how they can answer many questions surrounding the nature of the storage and recovery of memory that take place in tandem with structures in the brain known as hippocampus, amygdal and gyrus.

We must straighten what neurosciences indicate the brain functionality to us and how we can use it for a set of teaching and learning capacities which focus on the creation of appropriate knowledge bases, encouraging the development of conceptual understanding frameworks. These can then be applied to creatively develop new ideas and concepts (innovation) and applications (ingenuity) in the form of new products, systems and environments.