Creating 'Optimal Learners'

Have you ever taught a student who was naturally curious and attentive, self-directed and diligent, focused and innovative in his or her schoolwork? These students might be called 'optimal learners.' But why are they so rare? Why do so many students who are perfectly capable of developing curious minds and good study habits fail to do so?

Perhaps one reason is because traditional classroom practices fail to take full advantage of both the biological design of the human learning system and the psychological framework of optimal learning behaviors. The human brain and central nervous system is the optimal learning system of the universe. Human beings have been naturally selected over thousands of years precisely because of our capacity to learn and solve problems. Our very survival depended upon our ability to acquire new skills and knowledge.

Human sensory, motor, affective (emotional), and cognitive regions of the mind/brain/body design interact and develop to better understand and experience the world around us. This interdependent physiology of mind, brain, and body is specifically designed for optimal learning.

Yet as teachers, don't most of us teach only to what we think of as the mind? But humans do not learn only with their minds. Some cognitive psychologists believe as much as 80% of human learning is unconscious and registered primarily through sensory and emotional neural pathways. Therefore, shouldn't we teach with the entire human organism in mind, since the entire organism is learning when we teach?

The first half of this lively and accessible workshop looks at recent findings in the neurosciences and suggests how movement, emotion, and memory formation in the brain influence the learning experience.

In the second half of 'Creating Optimal Learners', we will examine what researchers in the field of Educational Psychology have discovered about optimal learning behaviors. Significant bodies of research reveal that Optimal Learners rely upon specific learning behaviors and possess specific beliefs regarding the concepts of intelligence, learning challenges, problem-solving, and motivation. Optimal learners also use meta-cognitive strategies to acquire and retain knowledge and skills. One study suggests that the use of meta-cognitive strategies plays a greater role in school performance than any other single factor.

When we combine the learning capacity of our natural biological apparatus with the psychology of optimal learning beliefs and behaviors, isn't it possible that we can make a better fit between the nurture of our teaching and the nature of the way the human mind/brain/ body naturally learns? Come see how Optimal Learners are created.