ARTICLE: 6 ways to maximise your brain's ability to learn

Author: Mr Oscar Ifeanyi I. 

THE PROBLEM 

Every year, millions of students around the world start school excited about what they will learn, but quickly become disillusioned and discouraged when they get the idea that they are not as ‘smart’ as others. Parents and teachers inadvertently give out the message that academic ability is inborn—you either have it or you don’t. This myth that our brains are fixed and that we simply have or don’t have the aptitude for certain topics is scientifically inaccurate and dangerous. It limits the confidence and excitement of the student towards learning especially when he/she has been made to believe that they're not smart enough. 

 THE SOLUTION 

The following guidelines will help anyone to maximise the learning potential of their brains — whether they’re math-phobic or worried about other impediments to learning. 

1. Understand that your brain is always changing. 

“Every time we learn, our brain forms, strengthens or connects neural pathways,” writes Jo Boaler a Stanford University Mathematics Professor. This means that no one is stuck at birth with a limit on what they can learn.

2. Learn to embrace struggle, mistakes, and failure as part of learning. 

Students and teachers commonly believe that getting the right answer on a test shows that students are learning — this is not always the case. It is actually when students practice difficult things—problems which are just beyond their ability—that the brain works harder and imprints new knowledge. This also makes the knowledge more accessible later on. Continously practicing what they can already do well actually hinders students’ learning, while making mistakes on new projects and new academic work helps them focus on different ways of considering a problem, which strengthens learning. When teachers make the students understand that making mistakes and struggling with academic work are natural processes for learning and when the students become less afraid to try-out new things and methods even if they fail or make mistakes, the results will be a strong, long-lasting foundation of knowledge for the students. 

3. Change your beliefs about yourself, and your brain will follow. 

When you change your beliefs about yourself, it turns out that this will also change your body and brain. For example, if young kids learn that their success in school is tied to being smart rather than tied to effort, they may be less motivated to learn later on. A number of them will say "What's the point in trying, maybe I'm just not smart enough". The correct belief you should have is that "I am smart enough", "My Academic success is tied to my efforts and not my natural abilities". 

4. Try multiple approaches to learning.

Though it is important to have a growth mindset for learning (a growth mindset is the belief that knowledge isn’t fixed, but can be developed through effort and perseverance), it is also important to try new learning strategies. Multi-dimensional approaches to teaching and learning work best because they engage many areas of the brain at once, and communication between different brain areas aids in learning. Even math proficiency can be enhanced by seemingly unrelated knowledge or skills—like verbal skills or finger perception (the ability to identify our fingers without looking at them).

5.  Aim for flexible thinking rather than speed. 

Too often, teachers and learners think that being fast at something means you’re good at it. But, as research suggests, that’s not always true. It could also unnecessarily discourage potential scholars who give up early because they think speed equals competency. While some students thrive in timed tests and are adept at cramming for exams, it’s not likely their learning will stick. Instead, engaging with academic material in flexible ways, based on each students peculiarities over time is key to learning.

6. Collaboration is key

It’s crucial for schools to reinforce the idea that learning together is better than learning alone. As one study showed, working together instead of alone can make the difference between passing a difficult math class and giving up and failing the class. 

An important change takes place when students work together and discover that everybody finds some or all of the work difficult - It reinforces the idea “that learning is a process and that obstacles are common.” This realisation alone, eases mental stress and academic fears in the learners.