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How We Learn

How We Learn

The New Science of Education and the Brain

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

In today's technological society, with an unprecedented amount of information at our fingertips, learning plays a more central role than ever. In How We Learn, Stanislas Dehaene decodes its biological mechanisms, delving into the neuronal, synaptic, and molecular processes taking place in the brain. He explains why youth is such a sensitive period, during which brain plasticity is maximal, but also assures us that our abilities continue into adulthood, and that we can enhance our learning and memory at any age. We can all "learn to learn" by taking maximal advantage of the four pillars of the brain's learning algorithm: attention, active engagement, error feedback, and consolidation.

The human brain is an extraordinary machine. Its ability to process information and adapt to circumstances by reprogramming itself is unparalleled, and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. The exciting advancements in A.I. of the last twenty years reveal just as much about our remarkable abilities as they do about the potential of machines. How We Learn finds the boundary of computer science, neurobiology, and cognitive psychology to explain how learning really works and how to make the best use of the brain's learning algorithms, in our schools and universities as well as in everyday life.

© Stanislas Dehaene 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

  • This is an absorbing, mind-enlarging book, studded with insights ... Could have significant real-world results.
    James McConnachie, Sunday Times

About the author

Stanislas Dehaene

Stanislas Dehaene is one of Europe's leading neuroscientists, and has been studying how education changes our brains for over thirty years. He is professor of Experimental Cognitive Psychology at the Collège de France, and director of the NeuroSpin brain imaging in Saclay. He is a member of seven academies and has received several international prizes, including the highest award in neuroscience, the Brain Prize. Dehaene's previous books, which have been translated into fifteen languages, include Consciousness and the Brain, Reading in the Brain and The Number Sense.
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