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The
Gatekeepers of Learning
by Steven Rudolph
December 15, 2007
While most people think of emotions as something separate
from the 'learning' part of our brain, you might be
surprised to know that the two have a very close and
interdependent relationship. In fact, the emotional part of
the brain functions as a filter or gatekeeper for learning.
By understanding something about these two aspects of the
brain, you can not only become a better learner, you can
also create experiences for your children to learn better
and faster.
Broadly speaking, there are three areas of the brain--the
cerebral cortex (where information is stored and processed),
the mid-brain (where emotions take place), and the brain
stem (which is responsible for our unconscious processes
such as breathing and heartbeat). When our senses perceive
something, that stimulus is first passed through the
mid-brain, which decides how to respond to it. Is it a
danger or threat such as an angry dog growling at you? Is it
something that will make you happy, such as a special gift
or a compliment? If so, the mid-brain turns on, and begins
processing, sending information to the cerebral cortex for
long-term storage. And when it does so, it also tags or
encodes that information with the emotions that were
associated with it. So, for instance, if someone
complimented you on your new haircut, your brain records who
gave you the compliment, what they said, how they said it,
where they said it, and how you felt about it.
This kind of dual tagging of information with emotions
creates a type of feedback loop. In the future, when the
stimulus appears, the associated emotions are also
activated. This is why, for example, if you are bitten by a
dog, the next time you see a dog, you feel frightened. Or if
you learn something from a dynamic and loving teacher, the
next time you encounter the subject content, you remember
more and feel positive about studying it.
Experiences that generate negative emotions have a negative
consequence on the learning process (see the Law of Learning
on 'Reduce Threat'). But nearly as bad are experiences that
don't generate any emotions! Emotions act as a type of
amplification that tell the brain, 'Hey, this is important!'
This then excites fields of neurons, which results in
long-term storage and recall. Therefore, when information is
presented to a learner and no emotions are stimulated, fewer
neurons are excited, and the information does not get
stored. This accounts for those times when we study
something uninteresting, and later are have almost no
recollection of what we have read. Or why we remember
something quickly and accurately because we had a deep
emotional response to an event when it happened.
One of the ways that we can help learners retain more is by
helping to engage their emotions when we present new
information to them. There are many ways to do this,
including the use of stories, humour, and music. Other
techniques include using visual imagery and connecting
information to things that are meaningful to the learner. We
can also immerse the learner in authentic, real life
experiences that involve all of their senses and different
types of intelligences. There is no formula and there is no
limit to the ways we can stimulate the emotions. But one
thing is for sure--it takes dedication to do this--we must
understand each learner, and which things turn his or her
emotions on.
So if you find your children are having a hard time learning
something, remember this Law of Learning-Engage Emotions,
and watch how turning on the mid-brain results in empowering
the mind.
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