Learning begins at birth. Step by step, we learn to eat,
drink, talk, walk and much more. We learn new things day by day. But we cannot
remember everything. But we still remember some songs and poems we sang when we
were little. We did not study those things with difficulty. Things used in
everyday life. There must be a reason for that. Everything we learn first goes
into short-term memory. What we learn goes into long-term memory through
practicing. Better learning does not always require more effort or more time.
Only
need is a good method. What is this method? How to learn as effectively
and efficiently as possible? What is
human brain? How it learn?
brain and
learning
We all learn throughout our lives.
We learn how to read, write, and speak and many other things. We all learn
throughout our lives. We learn to read, write and speak and much more. But very
few people know how to learn correctly. We can even do our O/L, A/L and
graduate. But that does not mean that we know the right way to learn. At a 2010
meeting of neuroscience experts, Dr. James Bibb of the University Of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center said, “We have accumulated
enough knowledge about the
mechanisms and molecular underpinnings of cognition at the synaptic and circuit
levels to say something about which processes contribute”
What happens in my brain when I am learning?
We learn with the help of our
brain. We have approximately 86 billion brain cells. When we learn something
new, the brain changes physically. When we learn something new, some of our
brain cells connections with other brain cells to form new networks of cells,
this new network of cell represent the new learning that has taken place. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity . If we
regularly use or train this newly learned information, the connections between
brain cells become stronger and it became easy to recall that information. That
memory become long term memory.
When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade I used
to read my textbooks every day. And sang songs many times. So even today I have
a memory of those songs and characters like Nayana, Kusum ...
Long-term potentiation
"In neuroscience, long-term potentiation (LTP) is a persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity. These are patterns of synaptic activity that produce a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons. The opposite of LTP is long-term depression, which produces a long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_potentiation)
When any new information becomes a
more permanent part of our memory, we can easily get it when we need it, even
if we don't need it for weeks or months, when we need it.
PREPARING TO LEARN
Brain use body energy. Therefore
the healthy balance diet is essential for learning. The brain uses body energy.
It is therefore essential to learn a healthy balanced diet. It causes if we
miss our diet, it make the brain work less efficiently.
Not only food but also water is
essential for learning. Neurons store water in their vacuoles. Water is
essential for the proper functioning of neurons. According to Norman (2010),
“Dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness, poor concentration, and reduced
cognitive abilities. Even mild levels of dehydration can impact school
performance.”
Sleep is an essential factor for
learning and remembering. The brain is a machine. It needs rest, otherwise it
will weaken.
CRAMMING
Cramming is working hard to absorb a large amount of information in a short period of time. It is mostly done by students in preparation for upcoming exams, especially day before the exam. It's not good. It makes you
tired. It does not allow the brain to build permanent memories. Attempting to
recall information that has not been properly verified can lead to confusion
between all the information.
REFERENCES
1
Anderson, J. R., & Pavlik, P. I. (2008).
Using a model to compute the optimal schedule of practice. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Applied, 14 (2), 101–117.
2
Armstrong, L., Ganio, M. S., Casa, D. J., Lee,
E. C., McDermott, B. P., Klau, J. F., . . . Lieberman, H. R. (2012). Mild
dehydration affects mood in healthy young women. Journal of Nutrition, 142 (2),
382–388. Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/12/20/jn.111.142000.abstract
3
Barnett, S. M., & Ceci, S. J. (2002). When
and where do we apply what we learn? A taxonomy for far transfer. Psychological
Bulletin, 128, 612– 637.
4
Begley, S. (2011, January 3). “Can you build a
better brain?” Newsweek. Retrieved from
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/01/03/can-you-build-abetter-brain.html
.
5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_potentiation
