“Everything having to do with human training and education has to be re-examined in light of neuroplasticity". (Norman Doidge, author of "The Brain That Changes Itself”).
What is neuroplasticity? It is the understanding that experiences are able to change our brains, and that our brain’s structure and capacity are not fixed. The eminent neuroscientist, Dr Michael Merzenich, widely known as “the father of neuroplasticity”, recently shared the $1million Kavli Prize for his contribution to this understanding.
Neuroplasticity offers the prospect of new ways to improve learning and education, physical rehabilitation, mental illnesses and addiction.
An excellent infographic explaining neuroplasticity has been produced by Alta Mira, a San Francisco rehabilitation and recovery centre.
The infographic includes this comment about education:
Neuroplasticity & Education
We are already using neuroscience to improve education. The world’s first application of neuroplasticity to education is the Fast ForWord program, developed by Dr Merzenich and three other neuroscientists.
The thinking and listening exercises in this program have already been used by over 2.5 million students in thousands of schools around the world to improve their ability to learn and read.
Fast ForWord exercises simultaneously develop students’ language and thinking skills, including processing speed, memory and attention.
Here is the complete infographic from Alta Mira.
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