Why are so few learners “Wired whizzes”  ?

A few people just have poor wiring – a combination of poor genes and poor environment. Their ability to learn is limited.  These learners will not be in main stream schooling.

The next group are those that are not interested in learning.  There is nothing wrong with the wiring they’re just not using it and not motivated to try.

But the majority of learners just simply don’t know what to do or do the wrong things out of ignorance.

A common mistake made by learners when writing tests and exams is to  “pull an all nighter”.

Learners believe that  maximizing the time they spend stuffing information in, will translate into the ability to regurgitate more information out.

But the brain doesn’t work like that.  You have to follow the rules to “take a book “ out of the “library”

The mammalian brain (thallamus) seems to play a very important role.  The thallamus receives all the inputs from the body (packages) outside and can call on information from that has  already been stored in the thinking part of the brain (cortex). The thallamus then holds this information.  It can only juggle a certain amount of information before it starts to drop bits of information.

So when learners are studying, the thallamus  is working hard, holding the new ideas  and seeing how they relate to what is already known.   It quite literally has its hands full……….

 

Normally what happens is  when things quieten down a bit,  then the thalamus can send the  new information to the cortex of the brain for storage.  Scientists are still trying to figure out the details of how information is ulimately stored in the brain.    What they do know is that when a memory is formed new proteins are synthesized and connections are made.

A learner pulling an “all nighter”, fails to give the thallamus the necessary down time.  So the memories are  never stored in long term memory, which means very little of the new stuff is available .  The test or exam is written  relying on what the thallamus is able to hold at that moment in time, which often times is not enough.   A common cry following an all night study session is “I don’t know what happened, I just went blank”.

Continue to “Why learners are so ignorant”  or   return to “Few learners do their part“