The human brain is a unique organ in the body that controls all we do or think. Neurons in different parts of the brain communicate with each other, and the more frequently they interact with one another, the stronger that connection grows. Scientists have named these connections in various ways, but the simple version is bumps, bubbles and lollipops.
Learning changes the physical structure of the brain by organizing and reorganizing it over the lifetime of the brain. Different parts of the brain are ready to learn at different times in the life cycle. When two neurons fire together, sending off impulses simultaneously, the connections between them — called the synapses — become stronger, which is why we say “when neurons fire together, they wire together.” Millions of neurons must fire together and wire together for a coherent memory of one thing, so this concept is often hard for us to grasp.
As we journey together to understand our brain and learning, it is important to remember that no two brains are exactly alike, and that learning is an individualized process. The bumps, bubbles and lollipops of the synaptic connection that allows our brains to learn and relearn through neuroplasticity, is a wonderfully intricate process. Understanding learning and embracing how we can become better learners is our goal on this educational journey. Life is about learning and if you change your brain, you change your life.
Our first step on this journey is an overview of the learning process. While we know that learning is an intricate process, it is also a very important part of our everyday life, and forming memories makes us form connections to others. In other words, understanding the process of learning helps us understand how to connect to others, to our society, and to our world. Each of us is always learning, and this process is ongoing throughout our lifetime.
To make the best of the learning experience requires us to have a willingness to embrace the process of growth and engage in the process of learning. When we have an open mindset to growth — also known as the growth mindset — we are more likely to embrace new things and become smarter, while performing better in life. When we have a closed mindset, we accept that we cannot learn more in an area of our life, and we introduce limitations to our potential.
Growth Mindset simply embraces a willingness to try again. It is the power of YET. When we are willing to try again, despite falling or failure, this introduces a new concept of retasking to the brain, and allows more engagement and more firing of the synapses together to form new ways of approach, and leads to creativity and innovation. Embracing the concept that “old dogs” can learn new tricks allows us to grow and change throughout our lifetime just like a newborn learning for the first time. Although the process may feel a little more cumbersome to us when we are mature, if we are open to learning, we will learn. It is never too late! Go grab a lollipop and embrace the experience of learning once again. How many licks does it actually take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Donesa Walker, M.Ed. BCCS, is the owner of LearningRx Shreveport. Contact Donesa at: dwalker@learningrx.net.