Geschreven door Francine Smink | December 30, 2015
The brain is hip. We hang on every word neuropsychologists say in talkshows, we read books about our brain, in our free time we exercise to stimulate our brain, we are interested in mindfulness and meditation, and we watch how patients undergo an MRI scan in hospital dramas on TV.
Brain research and brain learning
Thanks to scientific brain research, our knowledge about what happens in the brain keeps on growing, and we have a better grasp of Alzheimer’s and dyslexia, for example. But also of how people learn and how you can get more out of that. It has been scientifically proven that you learn more if you are in a good mood. Your brain produces dopamine, which results in better performance. Also, we now know that the brain is not fully developed at 25, that it is a construct because glial cells are able to constantly make new connections between neurons. And we also know that mirror neurons cause you to learn if you see someone doing something for the first time.
Principles of brain learning
American scientist John Medina, among others, wrote a very readable book about brains and learning. In Brainrules he distinguishes a dozen principles, that he presents in an accessible way and he presents it in videos. The Dutch BCL Institute (brain-focused learning institute) formulated six principles on the basis of scientific insights. You will recognise these immediately in TrainTool’s trainings. As specialists in the field of learning and developers of subject matter, we naturally use scientific insights to increase the learning efficiency of our trainings.
1. Power of repetition
The power of repetition is not a new finding, but it was confirmed by scientific research. In addition, we now know that repetition is not only useful for cognitive tasks, but also for skills. By practicing a sales talk or a consultation a lot, you will remember the way to do it better and you will master it more easily.
2. Supporting emotions
Information that is linked to an emotion, takes root better because the brain makes more connections. Learning from a book does not really relate to an emotion, but it does if you see a video, or when there is a competitive element to it. Every teacher who has used a game-based Kahoot quiz in their classroom, will know this (see also https://getkahoot.com).
3. Use of senses
The more senses you use while learning, the better the information is stored in the brain. An online training with images, sound and exercises is a fantastic tool for learning, precisely because it stimulates the senses.
4. Building on existing knowledge
New knowledge that can be linked to existing knowledge in the brain, falls unto fertile ground. This is why we closely connect our trainings to the participants’ daily practice.
5. Doing it yourself and discover it yourself
Discovering, making connections and giving meaning to your actions yourself, will contribute to the learning process. This is why our adage is ‘Practice, practice, proof!’ with an emphasis on practice twice, and it is encouraged by our new self assessment feature. Only when the participant is satisfied with his or her recording based on objective standards, he or she shares it to receive feedback.
6. Focus
Example videos of a good consultation over the phone or interview will achieve focus on the part of the participant. Important: brain research has shown that the brain functions better with a clear goal in mind. In addition, the mirror neurons do their thing: seeing gives you the feeling of doing it yourself. And, finally, a focus on the results that you want to achieve will also contribute to the learning effect. Therefore, our emphasis on proof.
Interested in the specifics of brain learning in our training? React or get in touch!