Hey there and welcome to this deep dive on how our brains learn,
especially in this tech saturated world we're living in.
You guys sent in some excerpts from chapter three, Learners,
and whoa, it is dense but fascinating.
Thankfully we have expert speaker here
to help us unpack it all.
So are you ready to have your mind blown about how we learn?
I'm ready, let's do it.
This chapter really digs deep into how our brains
are wired for learning.
And it's way more than just memorizing facts.
OK, so let's get into it.
The first thing that really struck me
was how social our brains are.
I mean, obviously we know we're social creatures,
but the research in here takes it to a whole new level.
Oh, absolutely.
The authors talk about this idea of shared intentionality.
Basically our brains are hardwired to not only understand
other people's perspectives, but also
to reflect on our own intentions and then evaluate outcomes
based on these social norms.
It's this crazy dance between individual thought
and then shared understanding.
It's really what makes us different.
So wait, it's not just about me knowing what you're thinking.
It's also about us having this shared goal
and feeling like we're on the same page.
Exactly.
And think about how crucial that is for collaboration,
for building trust.
It explains why feeling understood is so rewarding to us.
It literally lights up our brains in a way
that's similar to physical pleasure.
No way.
That's wild.
And speaking of brains, Leading Up the Chapter also
mentions that physical pain and social pain,
they activate similar areas in the brain.
So heartbreak really is that real.
It just goes to show how deeply rooted social connection is
to us as humans.
It's as basic as our response to physical stimuli.
We as humans are wired to connect, to learn from each other,
and to be deeply affected by those social interactions.
Which makes a lot of sense.
No wonder we learn and thrive in these engaging environments.
And we just shrivel up in boring lectures.
Our brains are craving that social interaction to really learn.
Right.
And that actually leads us to the next point, brain plasticity.
The chapter really challenges this idea
that we're stuck with the brain we're born with.
Throughout our lives, our brains are always
forming new neural pathways as we learn and adapt.
And this is especially true when we're younger.
It's like our brains are rewiring themselves
based on what we experience.
So if we're in an enriching environment,
like a classroom that's full of creative projects
and discussions, those experiences
are actually changing our brains for the better.
Yeah, exactly.
Think about it like this.
Every interaction, every experience, even every book
we read, it's like we're shaping the landscape of our brains.
These things actually shape the physical structure
of our brains.
They're creating new connections and strengthening
the ones that are already there.
And this concept of brain plasticity,
this whole idea that our brains can rewire themselves,
it's especially relevant when we think about how technology
impacts our brains.
Oh, totally.
There's always this debate about whether tech
is good or bad for us.
Like, is all this screen time really
going to turn our brains to mush?
I've definitely wondered about that.
Yeah, and the chap says it's not that simple.
It's not really about rotting our brains.
It's more like it's changing them.
Technology is literally shaping how our brains work
and not always in the ways we might think.
OK, so how IS tech changing our brains?
I remember the chapter mentioned some pretty interesting
studies about that.
Yeah, so one study looked at expert violinists,
and they found that these violinists actually
have more gray matter in certain areas of their brains
compared to other musicians.
Really?
Yeah.
Specifically in the motor cortex,
which controls fine motor skills and the cerebellum, which
is all about coordination.
It's like their brains physically adapted
to the demands of playing the violin at such a high level.
So the areas of their brains that
are responsible for those intricate finger movements
actually got bigger because of how much they practice?
Exactly.
It just goes to show how our brains can really
adapt to whatever we're doing.
And these changes, they're not just
limited to physical skills either.
The chapter also talked about this study
on London cab drivers.
Oh, yeah.
I think I've heard about this.
Don't they have to memorize crazy detailed maps of the city
to get their licenses?
Exactly.
They have to know every single street, every back alley,
like the back of their hand.
And the research actually found that these cab drivers have
larger hippocampi compared to the general population.
And remind me, what's the hippocampus again?
It's the part of our brain that's
responsible for spatial memory and navigation.
Oh, right.
OK, that makes sense.
So is this more proof that our environments, even
our tech environments, can shape our brains?
Exactly.
It's like our brains are always rewiring themselves
based on what we expose them to,
whether that's playing an instrument, navigating a city,
or even just scrolling through social media.
Which I guess brings us to a super important point
about technology's impact on learning attention.
In today's world, we are constantly
bombarded with notifications, updates, information,
all fighting for our attention.
The chapter calls this continuous partial attention.
Continuous partial attention.
So instead of giving our full focus to just one thing,
our brains are bouncing back and forth between a million
things at once.
Yeah, exactly.
And that might seem like it's efficient,
but the chapter argues that it can really
mess with our ability to focus and really process information.
It's almost like we're just skimming the surface of information
instead of really diving deep.
I feel that.
You know, it's like, I'll start one task,
then I see a notification, I click on it,
then I'm on another tab, and then suddenly I've
gotten nothing done.
Yeah, it's so common these days, especially
with how connected we are.
But it just makes you wonder how being
in that constant state of partial attention,
how is that changing the way we learn,
especially for younger generations who've grown up
immersed in technology?
And that actually is the perfect transition
to the next section, digital natives.
I'm so curious to hear what the chapter has
to say about how kids are handling this tech-filled world.
Yeah, so one really interesting idea
is this thing called skills inversion.
Skills inversion, what is that?
So basically it means that a lot of times students are actually
more tech savvy than their teachers.
They've grown up with smartphones and tablets
and the internet literally at their fingertips, which
makes sense.
They are digital natives, after all.
But I'm curious, how does this whole skills inversion thing
actually play out in the classroom?
Well, it creates a really interesting dynamic.
The chapter talks about how this generation of learners,
they really thrive on collaboration,
on creation, on actively solving problems.
They're not content just sitting back
and absorbing information.
They want to engage with it, really get in there
and make it their own.
So instead of looking at all this technology as a distraction,
maybe we should be thinking about how
to use it in a way that actually works
with how they learn best.
Exactly.
And it goes way beyond just using devices in the classroom.
It's about really rethinking the entire learning experience.
Creating ways for students to use their digital fluency
to solve real world problems, to work together on projects
that actually mean something, to basically become
these active architects of their own learning.
I love that active architects of their own learning.
That's so much more empowering than just sitting there
and listening to a lecture, totally.
And it really gets to the heart of what
this chapter is all about.
This need for a huge shift in how we think about education
in the 21st century.
It's time to move away from memorizing facts
and taking standardized tests and move
towards stuff like critical thinking and creativity
and collaboration and digital literacy.
It's about giving them the tools they need, not just
for the jobs that exist right now,
but for jobs that we haven't even thought of yet.
Exactly.
It's about preparing them for a world that is constantly
changing and evolving.
Wow, this has been eye-opening.
I feel like I need to go back and rethink everything
I thought I knew about learning.
Me too.
It really makes you realize we're all lifelong learners
and that the world of learning is always changing.
And speaking of changing this deep dive,
wouldn't be complete without talking about the ethics
of all this technology, especially when it comes
to young people.
The chapter uses this phrase, digital dossiers, which
honestly sounds kind of creepy.
Yeah, it's a little unsettling, right?
Yeah.
It refers to how everything we do online, our social media,
our search history, all of it creates this digital footprint
that can have real consequences in the real world.
So what I post online today could come back to bite me years
from now when I'm applying for jobs
or trying to build a professional network.
Exactly.
And for young people who are still figuring out who they are
and navigating all those social situations,
it can feel even more intense.
It makes you think, what's our responsibility as a society
to protect kids' privacy when so much of their lives are online?
Right.
That's exactly the kind of conversation
we need to be having.
The chapter doesn't give us easy answers,
but it really pushes us to think critically
about how technology is impacting learning,
how it's impacting trialed.
And what it means to be human in this digital world.
Those are some deep but very important things to think about.
And on that note, I think we've officially
finished our deep dive into learners.
It's been quite the journey.
And like any good journey, we're left
with more questions than answers.
So to everyone listening, we'll leave you with this.
If our brains are always adapting and tech is always evolving,
what does that mean for the future of learning?
What kind of world do we want to create for ourselves
and for the generations after us?
Keep those questions in mind, and until next time,
happy learning.