The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning

Absolutely the best book I've found on teaching adult students, and particularly for understanding the connections between the cognitive neurosciences and education. Zull is a biologist and also leads a university faculty development program, so his insights into neurobiology and pedagogy are well-informed and well-supported by research. Yet Zull manages to do so in clear and direct language, with many excellent examples from his own experiences as a professor. Some in education are wary of rushing to apply basic research in neuroscience in classroom settings. Zull shows just how much we have learned in recent decades, and how it reinforces or augments many current teaching practices.

James Zull takes readers deeply into the learner-centric world in this self-effacing and appealing approach to a highly technical subject, and he offers something for anyone interested in understanding how we learn. Those new to training-teaching-learning will find well written summaries of the elements of successful learning sprinkled throughout the book: knowing how to avoid overwhelming learners with too much information; understanding the importance of building on what learners already know; and helping them retain what is learned through emotional engagement, stories, and opportunities to reflect upon and apply what they have learned. More experienced trainer-teacher-learners will benefit from those summaries and from Zull’s show more explanations of how the human brain functions in the learning process. For those who are familiar with Cliff Atkinson’s "Beyond Bullet Points" and Daniel Pink’s "A Whole New Mind," the insights into how the brain works will deepen their appreciation for those writers’ work and suggest additional ways to incorporate Atkinson’s and Pink’s ideas into successful training-teaching-learning efforts. show less

This book is about current discoveries in biology about how the brain works, how it changes with learning, & what this might mean for teaching. Practice, practice, practice & reflect.