LEARNING "THEORY" MEANS BRAINS ARE AT WORK
WHY BRAIN-BASED LEARNING THEORY AND ITS EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
The essential answer to this question rests on the essential knowledge about brains: They all work just about the same way in terms of taking in a vast variety of sensual
stimuli (called, information when speaking about learning) and processing it through almost
infinite neuronal connections before, and after, the stimuli reach the places where "storage" most likely
takes place. An example is easily understoood when one "sees" an accident, say between two
automobiles. One can easily recognize that movement, color, noise, climate conditions,
and emotions, among other possible factors are involved. And, these factors become the
source of a multitude of stimuli that the brain begins processing practically immediately.
The first entry of the accident into the brain is most likely through the eyes, although
there may have been precursors that were processed by other regions of the brain: Sound
of squealing tires and horns going to the audio cortex. The weather will have, already,
been processed by the brain even involving the emotional center, the limbic system. Anyone
can imagine the possibilities of this sort of thing.
Several articles are listed below.
We start with a few on episodic memory. You will find other references on this
kind of memory plus summaries of other brain studies on my
Research articles on the brain and memory page. Other brain study online reports, summaries and reflections
can be found under the several categories listed below. Explore at will! And, LEARN!!
Episodic Memory (Memory of events)
Return to Foreign Language
Education home page
Central to the information processing of this hypothetical incident is the concept of
the episode, a term that reflects the type of memory that underlies all of the processes
mentioned above. It is called, episodic memory, and is the most powerful of a human's
memory capabilities. Should a person, having seen such an accident, relate this at
a later time to another person, that person's episodic memory would begin to flood
his/her consciousness and the person might, for example, compare one tale with a personal
incident that was immediately recalled upon hearing some of the details of this hypothetical
event/episode. (The event is the accident, itself; the episode is the entirety of the
factors mentioned above, plus all other possible factors depending on the experiences
of the witness to the accident.
Given that learning requires input of one kind or another to the brain, we offer the
perspective that, once this information enters the brain, regardless the type of
sensual transmission (oral, aural, touch, etc.), the human brain is going to go through
the same sort of processing that was described, briefly, above. Learning "theory,"
that postulates a certain method or means of learning by human beings, must take
into account this essential human characteristic. Episodic memory, then, which is critical
to the connection of humans to their past, should be central to any pursuit of understanding
how the brain's functions support any theory about learning or does not.
Brain Areas of Episodic Memory
(Many areas are involved)
Context & Episodic Recall
(Textuality of events)