Learning, Education, and Neuroscience

Here's a useful chart detailing how to use Google and Google Scholar to get the specific results you need for research projects. Good for students, researchers, and writers.

Researchers from the University of Queensland have had a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience which reports that immature neurons are required for learning, while the process of retrieving memories is not dependent upon the presence of immature neurons. One of the researchers, Dr. Jana Vukovic of UQ's Queensland Brain Institute commented, “There are ways to encourage the production of new neurons – including physical exercise – to improve learning," indicating that there are practical applications of this research.

There are some very cool ideas in this article and I look forward to being able to experience these learning opportunities.

'A growing body of evidence, . . . suggests that the most significant thing about college is not where you go, but what you do once you get there."

This is the primary reason I espouse competency-based education programs that allow students to progress in each subject naturally, as they master the material.

It would be wonderful if psychiatric medications could be better targeted to the conditions they treat /and/ have fewer side effects.

Zak has found a hormonal explanation for a phenomenon that lies at the heart of social behavior, and in so doing gives us a scientific rationale for engaging in social and familial activities, such as exchanging hugs, singing in groups, or just enjoying time with friends and family.

We start our educations by learning the alphabet song and various nursery rhymes, yet somewhere early in our educational careers most of us put learning songs away, deciding that they are only suitable for children. This article about how a professor at UC-San Francisco helps medical students and residents learn the complex information they need in order to save lives reminds us that music can help us all learn better.