Brain Rules

I read John Medina’s book ‘Brain Rules’ after accidentally stumbling upon a recommendation by one of my colleagues. They made it sound like an interesting and inspirational guide to the way that the brain works with specific relation to teaching and learning so it was obviously a book that I should read.

Much of the content of Brain Rules was familiar to me but it is simply set out and not over-complicated so it provided an easy to read reminder of some points that I ought to be taking more notice of. Sections on topics such as memory and attention span were pretty stark reminders that lectures (which I give lots off) really ought to be designed taking into account the way that the brain works – for example, in 10 minute blocks with each block being on one point, clearly stated at the outset and then elaborated and reinforced.

I came away with a desire to take one of my lecture courses and to perform a complete re-design from first principles – I think this would be a very interesting process. However, in reality, time will probably only allow me to keep some of these ideas vaguely in mind as a general influence on the way I work.