The book that I picked for this project is called The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain by Terry Doyle and Todd Zakrajsek. I picked this book for many different reasons. This book goes in depth with the most basic things we overlook. In order to be successful you need to start from the bottom and work your way up. I was in search of a book that really targets the underlying issues a college student faces. This book is made easy for students to understand and apply to their life’s. It provides straightforward strategies on changing how we learn, study, engage with course materials, recall, etc. Most importantly, this is not another book talking about how we should manage time and certain skills we need to develop, although they are still important, this book is an easy read based off of research and studies about how the brain works in terms of studying that students can use to practice from. This book goes over topics such as “using all your senses” in which it talks about how when two senses or more are working together the learning and memory “get a boost” (Doyle/Zakrajsek 65). Below is a picture of the research findings.
How Did the Book Connect to My Goal?
Changing a certain behavior such as learning habits can be difficult to change but with reading this book it made you think about what you’re currently doing and how to change those ways for the better. I focused mainly on changing the ways I study and how I study. I wanted to focus on things that will better enhance my learning styles. I also focused on specific strategies that will help me learn an easier and a much more beneficial way. Change is a hard thing that most students encounter and don’t know how to deal with. When reading from a textbook I made sure to allow myself enough time to break apart the section of the chapter so that I’m focused on bits each day instead of cramming or learning everything at once. I also made sure that each night I would get at least 7 hours of sleep. Later on I’ll be explaining why sleep is so vital to learning as well as exercising.
Strategies From the Book:
In the book it says “some researchers suggest that inactivity is the biggest hazard for youth today, equivalent to what smoking was to the previous generation” (Doyle/Zakrajsek 53). The saying of this is “sitting is the new smoking”. If you think about it humans were made to be standing upright and not slouched over because your cardiovascular system and heart work much more effectively in that way. When sitting for a long period of time it has been shown to be bad for your physical health. When it comes to studying you’re much better off by walking around to learn the material better. Physical activity has such a great influence on concentration and memory.
To better understand this lets move further into talking about what happens in your brain when you exercise. Whenever we exercise we are exercising not just our body but our brain which is involved with our cognitive function. When you are walking you are making your heart and lungs work. This eventually will lead to delivering much more oxygen to the body and brain. Another thing about exercise is that it helps lift your mood. Whenever you exercise, your brain releases endorphins. If you aren’t familiar with endorphins they are “a chemical naturally released in the brain to reduce pain, that in large amounts can make you feel relaxed or full of energy”.
Another strategy from the book that I found really beneficial was sleep. We don’t realize how crucial having a good sleep is. It is one of the biggest if not the biggest factor of our learning. It affects everything we learn, our memory, studying, etc. “When you are sleep deprived, your ability to pay attention and learn new information is impaired, and your brain has trouble making memories for information that you need to remember, such as your course work” (Doyle/Zakrajsek 45). If you are getting less than the recommended amount of time for sleeping then you may have trickle with making decisions, problem solving, experiencing change, etc. Sleep is the key to our learning and problem solving skills.
Tracking My Progress:
I’ve seen a major difference within myself. It’s important to note that you cannot just become “perfect” at anything it takes time and effort. You just have to put your mind to it. Exercising releases your mind. Sleeping makes memory stronger in which it strengthens the connections between brain cells. Having a planner and writing your assignments down is a great way to set yourself up for success.
Obstacles and challenges:
Finding new ways to study and better enhance these learning styles or habits of lifestyles is a headache itself. On top of that a worldwide pandemic has arised. There was a lot of worrying added to this. The transition from in class lectures to online learning was a difficult one. But to be successful I had to continue what I was doing and still be aware of other things happening in life. It’s safe to say that I’m doing well in my classes as the semester is coming to an end. I learned a lot about myself and new ways to better enhance different learning styles.
Major Takeaways:
Many lessons have been learned. It taught me the most successful and beneficial ways to encounter learning. These “basic” strategies that don’t seem like they have any benefit really do and it shows. It affects your ability to learn and the goal for me was to better my learning. It definitely was difficult to start these new habits but if not now then when is what I asked myself. I really had to push myself through the tunnel to see the light. I definitely would say it was worth it. These strategies that I have learned will continue to be in use. This was truly a benefit for me and it should be for others. Each chapter of this book gives you insights on certain areas in which each is backed up by research.