The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning by
Neuroscience tells us that the products of the mind--thought, emotions, artistic creation--are the result of the interactions of the biological brain with our senses and the physical world: in short, that thinking and learning are the products of a biological process. This realization, that learning actually alters the brain by changing the number and strength of synapses, offers a powerful foundation for rethinking teaching practice and one's philosophy of teaching. James Zull invites teachers in higher education or any other setting to accompany him in his exploration of what scientists can tell us about the brain and to discover how this knowledge can influence the practice of teaching. He describes the brain in clear non-technical language and an engaging conversational tone, highlighting its functions and parts and how they interact, and always relating them to the real world of the classroom and his own evolution as a teacher. "The Art of Changing the Brain" is grounded in the practicalities and challenges of creating effective opportunities for deep and lasting learning, and of dealing with students as unique learners.
Causal Learning: Psychology, Philosophy, and Computation by
Understanding causal structure is a central task of human cognition. Causal learning underpins the development of our concepts and categories, our intuitive theories, and our capacities for planning, imagination and inference. During the last few years, there has been an interdisciplinaryrevolution in our understanding of learning and reasoning: Researchers in philosophy, psychology, and computation have discovered new mechanisms for learning the causal structure of the world. This new work provides a rigorous, formal basis for theory theories of concepts and cognitive development,and moreover, the causal learning mechanisms it has uncovered go dramatically beyond the traditional mechanisms of both nativist theories, such as modularity theories, and empiricist ones, such as association or connectionism.
Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West by
Western and East Asian people hold fundamentally different beliefs about learning that influence how they approach child rearing and education. Reviewing decades of research, Dr Jin Li presents an important conceptual distinction between the Western mind model and the East Asian virtue model of learning. The former aims to cultivate the mind to understand the world, whereas the latter prioritizes the self to be perfected morally and socially. Tracing the cultural origins of the two large intellectual traditions, Li details how each model manifests itself in the psychology of the learning process, learning affect, regard of one's learning peers, expression of what one knows and parents' guiding efforts. Despite today's accelerated cultural exchange, these learning models do not diminish but endure.
The Elements of Learning by
This engaging and helpful book is both a thoughtful celebration of the learning process and a practical guide to becoming a better student. Written by the authors of the acclaimed Elements of Teaching, it is designed to help students of all ages--particularly high school and college students--attain their full potential for success in any area of study. James M. Banner, Jr., and Harold C. Cannon explore the qualities needed to get the most out of education: industry, enthusiasm, pleasure, curiosity, aspiration, imagination, self-discipline, civility, cooperation, honesty, and initiative. For each of these elements they offer general reflections, useful suggestions, and a description of a fictional student who either embodies or lacks these qualities. The second part of the book helps students understand the environment in which they learn, by focusing on such topics as teachers, the curriculum, ways of learning, and the transition from school to college. The core points of the text are reinforced by answers to questions that haunt students, as well as tips on what to do to become the best student possible. Throughout, the authors encourage students to consider learning as part of their lives and to be active participants in their own education.
Handbook of Adult Development and Learning by
Adult development and learning have always existed as two separate fields of study, with development falling under psychology and learning under education. Recent advances in theory, research, and practice, however, have made it clear that an important reciprocal relationship exists between them: advances in development frequently lead to learning, and conversely, learning quite often fuels development. The synchronicity between development and learning is responsible for positive changes in many capacities, including insight, intelligence, reflective and meta-cognition, personality expression, interpersonal competence, and self-efficacy. This synchronicity is also leading to the growth of a new discipline at the borders of adult development and learning. The Handbook of Adult Development and Learning is the first to bring together the leading scholars from both adult development and learning to explore what will form the foundation for this new discipline--the latest research at the intersection of these fields. It examines six major aspects of their intersection: foundations, key areas of integration, the self system, higher reaches of development and learning, essential contexts, and specific applications. An introductory chapter explains why it is so important to recognize and fuel the growth of this new discipline. Subsequent chapters review the latest theoretical and empirical literature and provide a rich itinerary for future research.This handbook is a must-read for all who promote optimal aging. It will be an invaluable reference for scholars in development and education, as well as rich resource for policy makers and practitioners, such as corporate executives and human-resource personnel.
Handbook of Contemporary Learning Theories by
Mowrer and Klein have long been making contributions to the field of contemporary learning theories. Their first two-volume set included chapters authored by many of the leading researchers in the field of animal learning and focused primarily on Pavlovian theory and instrumental conditioning. These impartial texts were an important addition to the field and remain widely cited. Over the last decade research on the nature of the learning process has evolved considerably. The research in this new volume represents the cutting-edge contributions of first rate authors and co-authors. These 14 chapters deal with the theoretical perspectives concerning the nature of the learning process, as well as the innovative research that supports these positions. This text is bound to be invaluable to both students and faculty of psychology and related disciplines, as well as to outside scholars.Key features include: * an introductory chapter describing general theories of learning and the causes of the shift to more specific, contemporary theories; * five chapters detailing the research and theories of the nature of Pavlovian Conditioning; * four chapters dealing with the current thinking and research on the nature of instrumental operant conditioning; * three chapters describing the link between learning and physiology; and * a concluding chapter detailing the application of learning theory to abnormal psychology.
Handbook of Intellectual Styles by
This book is a masterly attempt to bring order and cohesion to a field that for many years has been riven with claims and counterclaims. The editors and authors are to be congratulated for addressing a very complex task so helpfully. John Biggs, PhD Honorary Professor of Psychology University of Hong Kong If you are interested in intellectual styles people's preferred ways of processing information then this book belongs on your bookshelf. Richard E. Mayer, PhD Professor of Psychology University of California, Santa Barbara "For more than half a century, the construct of style whether designated as cognitive, thinking or learning has been in or out of fashion in the history of psychology and education. The editors of the present Handbook have invigorated the style construct in the form of intellectual styles, and have brought together a distinguished international panel of chapter authors who offer up-to-date surveys of the assessment, development, correlates, and educational and organizational applications of intellectual styles. For those seeking to familiarize themselves with current theory and research in an intellectually exciting field, the present Handbook is essential.?" Nathan Kogan, PhD Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology New School for Social Research, New York, NY The concept of intellectual styles has had a controversial history based on diverse philosophical and theoretical foundations. Most recently, the idea of intellectual styles?an umbrella term that covers such closely related constructs as cognitive styles, learning styles, teaching styles, and thinking styles has gained momentum as an explanation for why different people succeed in different professional and organizational settings. Previously, it was thought that high-achievers simply had more innate abilities than their less successful peers, but research has shown that individuals have different intellectual styles that are better suited for varying types of contexts and problems. Based on the most current and expansive research, this handbook is the first to provide a comprehensive review of research on the construct of intellectual style, from its foundations and development, to its relations to allied constructs, its roles in school and job performance, its applications in various populations, and its future.. This understanding of intellectual styles as a valid concept for both individuals and groups has far-reaching implications for researchers in cross-cultural psychology, multicultural education, organizational behavior and work performance, and many other academic disciplines, as well as practitioners in education and beyond. Key Features: Provides a comprehensive review of intellectual styles from multiple perspectives Written for students and scholars in diverse academic arenas, as well as practitioners in education and other fields Includes contributions from researchers from diverse disciplines, such as psychology, business, education, and health sciences
Introduction to Theories of Learning by
Defines learning and shows how the learning process is studied. Clearly written and user-friendly, Introduction to the Theories of Learning places learning in its historical perspective and provides appreciation for the figures and theories that have shaped 100 years of learning theory research. The 9th edition has been updated with the most current research in the field. With Pearson's MySearchLab with interactive eText and Experiment's Tool, this program is more user-friendly than ever. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers should be able to: Define learning and show how the learning process is studied Place learning theory in historical perspective Present essential features of the major theories of learning with implications for educational practice Note: MySearchLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab, please visit: www.mysearchlab.com or you can purchase a ValuePack of the text + MySearchLab (at no additional cost).
Psychology of Learning and Motivation, v. 71 by 
The Ship of Thought: Essays on Psychoanalysis and Learning by
Learning is the most basic means by which we can change oursleves. Of all the activities of the mind, learning is perhaps the most fundamental, yet one of the most provocative and difficult to understand.In this fourth volume of the Encyclopaedia of Psychoanalysis, ten new essays by an interdisciplinary array of educationalists, psychoanalysts and academics confront head-on the many problems associated with the mystery of learning. What is learning? How are ideas 'transmitted' from the mind of one person to the mind of another? What makes a good teacher?Like all the preceding volumes in The Encyclopaedia of Psychoanalysis, ideas and opinions are presented from a contrasting variety of viewpoints within contemporary psychoanalytic theory. Individual chapters are devoted to the theories of learning implicit in the work of Freud, Jung, Klein, Bion, Winnicott, and Lacan. Other topics explored in this extremely comprehensive and thought-provoking collection include: how to teach 'psychoanalytically'; the relationship between learning difficulty and 'writer's block'; and the problems inherent in teaching psychoanalysis itself.
Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments by
Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments describes the most contemporary psychological and pedagogical theories that are foundations for the conception and design of open-ended learning environments and new applications of educational technologies. In the past decade, the cognitive revolution of the 60s and 70s has been replaced or restructured by constructivism and its associated theories, including situated, sociocultural, ecological, everyday, and distributed conceptions of cognition. These theories represent a paradigm shift for educators and instructional designers, to a view of learning as necessarily more social, conversational, and constructive than traditional transmissive views of learning. Never in the history of education have so many different theories said the same things about the nature of learning and the means for supporting it. At the same time, although there is a remarkable amount of consonance among these theories, each also provides a distinct perspective on how learning and sense making occur. This book provides students, faculty, and instructional designers with a clear, concise introduction to these theories and their implications for the design of new learning environments for schools, universities, and corporations. It is well-suited as a required or supplementary text for courses in instructional design and theory, educational psychology, learning, theory, curriculum theory and design, and related areas.
What the West Can Learn from the East: Asian Perspectives on the Psychology of Learning and Motivation by
A volume in Research in Multicultural Education and International Perspectives Series Editors Farideh Salili and Rumjahn Hoosain, The University of Hong Kong Education, East and West, is today mostly Western in orientation. Asian perspectives remain relatively unrepresented in curricula, pedagogy and administrative structures. This volume has brought together authors researching in Asia who redress this imbalance and describe what the West can learn from the East. Topics covered include conceptions of and approaches to effective learning and teaching, self-regulated learning, perceived causes of success and failure, valuing of education, peer influences and classroom behavior, creativity, teacher commitment, class size, motivation, future goals, and other influences on effective learning. Shared insights from the research and theorizing presented should provide a fascinating perspectives for educators and administrators charged with providing cutting-edge, research-based educational best practices in diverse cultural and social environments internationally.
The Routledge International Handbook of Learning by
As our understanding of learning focuses on the whole person rather than individual aspects of learning, so the process of learning is beginning to be studied from a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines. This handbook presents a comprehensive overview of the contemporary research into learning: it brings together a diverse range of speciali
Technology Enhanced Learning and Cognition by
The use of technology in learning has increased dramatically. Training and education is now utilizing and almost integrated with the World Wide Web, podcasts, mobile and distant learning, interactive videos, serious games, and a whole range of e-learning. However, has such technology enhanced learning been effective? And how can it better serve training and education?E-learning must be 'brain friendly', so it optimizes learning to the cognitive architecture of the learners. If technology enhanced learning promotes the formation of effective mental representations and works with the human cognitive system, then the learners will not only be able to acquire information more efficiently, but they will also remember it better and use it. Technology should not be the driving force in shaping e-learning, but rather how that technology can better serve the cognitive system. This volume, originally published as a special issue of Pragmatics & Cognition 16:2 (2008) and partly in Pragmatics & Cognition 17:1 (2009), explores the research frontiers in cognition and learning technology. It provides important theoretical insights into these issues, as well as very practical implications of how to make e-learning more brain friendly and effective.
Role of Contextual Interference and Mental Engagement on Learning by 
The Wiley Handbook on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning by
The Wiley Handbook on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning charts the evolution of associative analysis and the neuroscientific study of behavior as parallel approaches to understanding how the brain learns that both challenge and inform each other. Covers a broad range of topics while maintaining an overarching integrative approach Includes contributions from leading authorities in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, associative learning, and behavioral psychology Extends beyond the psychological study of learning to incorporate coverage of the latest developments in neuroscientific research