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The Gatekeepers of Learning
by Steven Rudolph
December 15, 2007

While most people think of emotions as something separate from the 'learning' part of our brain, you might be surprised to know that the two have a very close and interdependent relationship. In fact, the emotional part of the brain functions as a filter or gatekeeper for learning. By understanding something about these two aspects of the brain, you can not only become a better learner, you can also create experiences for your children to learn better and faster.

Broadly speaking, there are three areas of the brain--the cerebral cortex (where information is stored and processed), the mid-brain (where emotions take place), and the brain stem (which is responsible for our unconscious processes such as breathing and heartbeat). When our senses perceive something, that stimulus is first passed through the mid-brain, which decides how to respond to it. Is it a danger or threat such as an angry dog growling at you? Is it something that will make you happy, such as a special gift or a compliment? If so, the mid-brain turns on, and begins processing, sending information to the cerebral cortex for long-term storage. And when it does so, it also tags or encodes that information with the emotions that were associated with it. So, for instance, if someone complimented you on your new haircut, your brain records who gave you the compliment, what they said, how they said it, where they said it, and how you felt about it.

This kind of dual tagging of information with emotions creates a type of feedback loop. In the future, when the stimulus appears, the associated emotions are also activated. This is why, for example, if you are bitten by a dog, the next time you see a dog, you feel frightened. Or if you learn something from a dynamic and loving teacher, the next time you encounter the subject content, you remember more and feel positive about studying it.

Experiences that generate negative emotions have a negative consequence on the learning process (see the Law of Learning on 'Reduce Threat'). But nearly as bad are experiences that don't generate any emotions! Emotions act as a type of amplification that tell the brain, 'Hey, this is important!' This then excites fields of neurons, which results in long-term storage and recall. Therefore, when information is presented to a learner and no emotions are stimulated, fewer neurons are excited, and the information does not get stored. This accounts for those times when we study something uninteresting, and later are have almost no recollection of what we have read. Or why we remember something quickly and accurately because we had a deep emotional response to an event when it happened.

One of the ways that we can help learners retain more is by helping to engage their emotions when we present new information to them. There are many ways to do this, including the use of stories, humour, and music. Other techniques include using visual imagery and connecting information to things that are meaningful to the learner. We can also immerse the learner in authentic, real life experiences that involve all of their senses and different types of intelligences. There is no formula and there is no limit to the ways we can stimulate the emotions. But one thing is for sure--it takes dedication to do this--we must understand each learner, and which things turn his or her emotions on.

So if you find your children are having a hard time learning something, remember this Law of Learning-Engage Emotions, and watch how turning on the mid-brain results in empowering the mind.

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