Learning Methods: Discoveries from Neuroscience
« The 21st century will be the century of the brain. » These prophetic words come from Jean-Pierre Changeux, one of the founding fathers of modern neurobiology—think of him as a 2.0 Dumbledore, minus the beard.
Just a few years after the “Decade of the Brain” (the 1990s) and driven by rapid technical progress in brain imaging and significant advances in molecular biology, we have gained more knowledge about the brain in the past 25 years than in all of human history.
These new insights offer valuable avenues for improving educational practices and training within companies. However, the digital age, while rich in many ways, also brings its own set of challenges. Understanding the brain presents a dual challenge: teaching better and learning better. So, how can we better understand the brain?
The senses, which generate emotions, are at the heart of neuroscience-based learning methods.
Rule #1: To capture your learners’ attention, focus on the senses and emotions.
Note: Emotion arises from sensory perception through our sense organs.
Attention is a valuable commodity in the age of information overload. Our brains are constantly being stimulated (or distracted), making the trainer’s job more challenging. Yet, attention is crucial in learning, as it is the first step towards effective memorization (take a look at the pyramid, we promise it’s not the Deathly Hallows).
Attention impacts both hard skills and soft skills. The quality of attention is predictive of performance and determines the level of well-being. What can be done? Neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene wrote: “Learning is choosing the model that best explains the data received by the senses.”
To capture attention, you need to play with the senses and emotions. The more senses are stimulated, the more attention you’ll grab from the learner.
Since the brain has highly specialized areas (one region processes images, another handles writing, for example), using multiple senses is highly effective in learning. Humans are primarily visual beings, but the combination of sound and images (such as on television or in video games) creates a nearly “hypnotic” effect on the brain. The more different senses are stimulated, the more activated and effective they become.
Are we losing you with all this theory? How about we move on to practical application (and the solution)?
Antonio Damasio, in Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, has demonstrated that cognition and emotions are closely linked. However, not all emotions have the same impact on the brain: some are positive and should be encouraged, while others are not. The example of stress is particularly interesting, as there is a direct link between the level of pressure (challenge) and the quality of attention. A certain level of stress is required to enhance attention, but if it exceeds a certain threshold, it becomes counterproductive.
Here too, Virtual Reality helps achieve this “flow.” It generates a sufficient level of emotion for better memory retention because the environment replicates real-world conditions, creating an illusion for the brain without inducing excessive fear of consequences. Indeed, Virtual Simulation offers an almost infinite “margin for error” where the sometimes intimidating gaze of others does not exist.
Rule #2: To motivate and enhance learning, focus on the senses and emotions.
By extension, emotions and senses contribute to a crucial boost in motivation, which is essential for effective knowledge (memorization) retention. Without memorization, there is no true learning. Emotions represent an affective state that marks a reaction to an element in our environment.
Whether positive or negative, emotions not only generate attention but also drive us to recreate pleasant emotions and avoid unpleasant ones. According to a PwC study, learners are up to 275% more confident in applying what they learned in a Virtual Reality training session when they are in real-life situations.
Moreover, emotions play a critical role in consolidating both hard and soft skills. They enhance the neural trace by engaging a key brain region for learning: the amygdala. Some scientific studies even aim to demonstrate the link between emotions and creativity. A study by Barbara Fredrickson shows that individuals exposed to positive emotions adopt more effective and creative strategies.
Learning to Learn and to Relearn
Rule #3: For optimal progress, ensure frequent repetition and feedback.
Who hasn’t heard their teacher exclaim, “Pedagogy is the art of repetition“? This is likely quite close to reality. Indeed, Bayesian brain theory (the scientific hypothesis suggesting that our brain can make statistical inferences from the information it gathers) posits that errors help us learn.
However, this technology is not intended to replace existing methods but to complement your Digital Learning strategy and training offerings.
Rule #4: Train Your Learners in a Safe Environment
Neuroscientists like Robert Pawlak and James R. Flynn have shown that the environment influences the quality of the learning process. A reassuring atmosphere allows the brain to function under optimal conditions. Just as the fear of failure and anxiety about being judged often lead to counterproductive stress, Virtual Reality allows Harry’s apprentices to practice in complete peace of mind.
