How We Learn Dr. Shelley Howell

How Humans Learn

From Eyler, J. (2018). How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching. West Virginia University Press.

Joshua Eyler, in his book How Humans Learn, presents us with some of the ways humans learn. He examines research in several fields such as developmental psychology, anthropology, and cognitive neuroscience to look into the science behind learning. Here’s what he found.

Research shows us...

We learn through curiosity.

Curiosity is a survival mechanism and part of our evolutionary history.

We learn when we ask questions and listen to the answers.

We construct meaning out of our own experiences; curiosity leads us to different experiences with different meanings.

We learn through sociality.

Being with and learning from others is a survival mechanism.

A sense of belonging to a community is important for learning.

Collectively building knowledge together enhances learning.

We learn through emotion.

Emotion gives meaning to social interactions.

Cognition and emotion work together. Learning is disrupted when emotions take over.

We learn through authenticity.

To learn effectively, what we are learning needs to be relevant to us.

Hands-on experiences are most effective.

We learn through failure.

Reacting to failure is a survival mechanism.

Having a growth mindset, grit, and resilience are keys to success.

Physical needs must be met for learning to be effective.

What happens when we learn?

Every time we learn something new...

The structure of our brain changes.

Our brain cells make new connections with each other...every time.

The more we practice at something, and the better we get at it, the stronger the connections become.

If we don't practice something, we begin to lose the connections for it in our brains.

We learn best when...

We teach it to others.

We connect it to something we already know.

We practice retrieving it.

We talk about it with others.

We write about it.

We think deeply about it.

How Adults Learn

What is an adult?

Before we can learn about adult learning theories, we need to have a clear understanding of what we mean by the term adult. Legally in the United States, an adult is one who is 18 years of age or older. But adults differ from children in more than just age.

Adults are experientially, qualitatively, and neurologically different from children. The adult learning theories of Malcolm Knowles, Jack Mezirow, and David Kolb guide us in understanding how adults learn.

Go to How Adults Learn to learn more about how teaching adults is different than teaching children.

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