There is a neuron in your brain that will respond only to pictures of Jennifer Aniston - provided you have had prior visual exposure to the actress. That neuron does not respond to pictures of Bill Clinton or Halle Berry. Only Jennifer. I used the story to explain the almost ridiculous plasticity of the organ. There is no such thing as Jennifer Aniston in our evolutionary history - she was born in 1969, for heaven's sake - but we are flexible enough to devote an entire cell to her if we have previously encountered her in some fashion.
John MedinaThe brain remembers the emotional component of an experience better than any other aspect.
John MedinaDon't start with the details. Start with the key ideas, and in a hierarchical fashion, form the details around these larger notions.
John MedinaIf you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you would probably design something like a classroom.
John MedinaThe brain cannot multitask. Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth. The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially, one at a timeโฆTo put it bluntly, research shows that we canโt multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing information-rich inputs simultaneouslyโฆStudies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task. Not only that, he or she makes up to 50 percent more errors.
John Medina