Neuroscience of education: the basics of learning science

 

As an instructional designer, I think most readers have studied educational psychology as I have. But what happens to our brains during the learning process? And how can we as instructional designers utilize the mechanics behind it? This post will take you through the neuroscience in education.

Before we get started, I want you all to watch this three-minute video. If you cannot see the inserted video, click here for it. You'll notice that when we learn, our brain actually generates its own electrical current. That current not only activates our neurons but also awakens new ones even more. What this teaches us is that if we don't learn something new, that part of our neurons will never be awakened. In other words, keep learning so that we can keep our brains functioning healthily. Of course, this is the most basic theory. Neuroscientists will also be looking at the role of different brain regions and how memories are created, which we as instructional designers can learn later.

The process of learning is actually the process of neurons exchanging information and activating new neurons. How does knowing this theory help us? We need to know that learning, like working out, is very energy-intensive. Remember the cognitive load theory? Instructional designers should manage the workload in each lesson so that the learning activities in each lesson stimulate neurons to work, but don't exhaust them. That's what I'm trying to tell you: cognitive load is not just a theory, it's a scientific foundation.