EVO 2013. Neuroscience in Education. Week 4

One basic principle about the brain is that brains are wired differently.Every brain is different partly because our experiences wire our brains differently.What we do and learn in life physically changes what our brain looks like—it literally rewires it.The various regions of the brain develop at different rates in different people.
No two people’s brains store the same information in the same way in the same place.The single most important factor in learning is the existing networks of neurons in the learner’s brain.What do we call the existing neuronal networks? PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.Prior knowledge is physical. It builds as brains physically change and it is held in place by physical connections. We know that prior knowledge is the starting point for the formation of new knowledge, that is, no new knowledge is built from scratch.Prior knowledge is the beginning of new knowledge.From a brain perspective, this means that the existing neuronal networks are very important for new learning to take place.

How Does Students' Prior Knowledge Affect Their Learning

These are funny videos under the title "I'm Listening to My Students"

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What Makes It Easy for Your Brain to Learn?

Choice in Projects

Studying for Tests

What Makes It Hard for Your Brain to Learn at School?