How People Learn

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

What if we have been wrong about learning? Learning may have more in common with marketing than we thought. Looking at marketing and learning's common root, How People Learn shows L&D professionals a new way of thinking about learning by exploring what happens when we learn. It considers applications from AI, marketing and ethics and is informed by psychology and contemporary neuroscience in order to show L&D professionals how to design training with their employees in mind so that training makes a real difference to skills, capabilities, performance and development, rather than being a waste of time, money and resources. Using the author's '5Di model', How People Learn demonstrates how to define, design and deploy training in a user-centred way so it works both for and with employees. It also includes guidance on what training resources to create when employees are actively searching for learning content. Using this book, L&D practitioners will be able to use pull and push techniques to provide content that people use and experiences that transform their behaviour. From how to use simulations, storytelling and anticipation to the importance of observation and status, this book gives L&D professionals everything they need to build effective training programmes and learning experiences. With a foreword by Dr Roger Schank, the Chairman and CEO of Socratic Arts and Executive Director of Engines for Education, and case studies from companies such as BP and the BBC, this is an urgent read for learning professionals.

Products, technologies, and workplaces change so quickly today that everyone is continually learning. Many of us are also teaching, even when it's not in our job descriptions. Whether it's giving a presentation, writing documentation, or creating a website or blog, we need and want to share our knowledge with other people. But if you've ever fallen asleep over a boring textbook, or fast-forwarded through a tedious e-learning exercise, you know that creating a great learning experience is harder than it seems. In Design For How People Learn, you'll discover how to use the key principles behind learning, memory, and attention to create materials that enable your audience to both gain and retain the knowledge and skills you're sharing. Using accessible visual metaphors and concrete methods and examples, Design For How People Learn will teach you how to leverage the fundamental concepts of instructional design both to improve your own learning and to engage your audience.

Products, technologies, and workplaces change so quickly today that everyone is continually learning. Many of us are also teaching, even when it's not in our job descriptions. Whether it's giving a presentation, writing documentation, or creating a website or blog, we need and want to share our knowledge with other people. But if you've ever fallen asleep over a boring textbook, or fast-forwarded through a tedious e-learning exercise, you know that creating a great learning experience is harder than it seems. In Design For How People Learn, you'll discover how to use the key principles behind learning, memory, and attention to create materials that enable your audience to both gain and retain the knowledge and skills you're sharing. Using accessible visual metaphors and concrete methods and examples, Design For How People Learn will teach you how to leverage the fundamental concepts of instructional design both to improve your own learning and to engage your audience.

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

Whether you''re a parent, grandparent, teacher, therapist or other significant caregiver, I''ve written this book for you and the children you care for. My goal is to help children understand how people learn, enabling you all to view learning and studying in a whole new way. Many of the concerns related to a child''s academic results, cognitive skills and wellbeing in school will fade away once complex brain processes are better understood and managed. After reading this book together, both children and adults will have the confidence and information required to discuss topics like What happens when you learn?, Why does your brain ignore boring things?, How can we organise learning for better thinking?, and How can we stop the process of forgetting? I hope you enjoy the book! - Olimpia Mesa Through neuroscience stories, Olimpia Mesa, an expert learning designer and mother, unravels how a human brain learns and what to do about it to help your children become smarter, better and happier learners. The book draws on ideas from brain science without being academic about it. It is written in a way that will engage and interest children between the ages of 6 and 12, inviting them on a journey that they will find constantly fascinating. Olimpia Mesa is a leading expert and consultant on brain-based learning design. She is the president of Instructional Design Ltd., a company behind hundreds of successful corporate and educational programs. In addition to consulting with Fortune 500 organisations on learning projects, Olimpia is the founder of Book to Courses(tm) Online School whose main goal is to teach authors how to transform a nonfictional book into online academies or apps. "Well done on an excellent guide to help children use their brains more effectively and also giving parents and teachers a way of working and supporting children''s learning. I loved the lay-out and the visuals. I thought the series of exercises and challenges were very age appropriate and accessible. The way it ends with the brain-challenges is great and gives children and real programme to follow and challenging questions at every stage.Well done on a very clever and thought provoking piece of work!" -Dr. Martin Fitzgerald, Lecturer in Education and Human Development, LIT, Ireland "This book is an important reminder of the basics of human behavior and learning while educating children for a better world. It succeeds in capturing many important aspects of developing brains in processing information and everyday experiences from the very early years of childhood. The parents are supposed to act as mentors all along. In fact without the support of adults the great potential laid out in the book is not completely met. I highly recommend this book for all families who aspire to inspire children to learn to learn and to maintain and develop their inborn skills to be curious and creative." -Jukka Kangaslahti, PhD in educational Sciences, Senior Advisor at European Parliament, Finland "Children will discover activities that challenge them to go outside the book and actually build the concepts they are reading about. Learning challenges will allow them to take the lessons from the book back into their homes and classrooms and notice how their life changes as they experience learning differently. Thus the book itself comes alive and becomes a gateway - bridging new insights with practical application, all in a fun, engaging way."-Alis Anagnostakis, Executive Coach (PCC), Australia "We all learn every day, but how learning happens is often a mystery. The book takes us on an adventure to uncover the secrets of learning. In a manner that is accessible to both children and adults alike, it invites us to explore the magnificent human brain and how to ensure it works effectively...What I like most of all is the accessibility to complex information - a simplicity that is very powerful."-Davin Willows, Director of Admissions and Advancement, ISB, Belgium

For centuries, experts have argued that learning was about memorizing information: You're supposed to study facts, dates, and details; burn them into your memory; and then apply that knowledge at opportune times. But this approach to learning isn’t nearly enough for the world that we live in today, and in Learn Better journalist and education researcher Ulrich Boser demonstrates that how we learn can matter just as much as what we learn. In this brilliantly researched book, Boser maps out the new science of learning, showing how simple techniques like comprehension check-ins and making material personally relatable can help people gain expertise in dramatically better ways. He covers six key steps to help you “learn how to learn,” all illuminated with fascinating stories like how Jackson Pollock developed his unique painting style and why an ancient Japanese counting device allows kids to do math at superhuman speeds. Boser’s witty, engaging writing makes this book feel like a guilty pleasure, not homework. Learn Better will revolutionize the way students and society alike approach learning and makes the case that being smart is not an innate ability—learning is a skill everyone can master. With Boser as your guide, you will be able to fully capitalize on your brain’s remarkable ability to gain new skills and open up a whole new world of possibilities.