Brain Rules

How many of you would like to achieve peak performance at home, school, and/or work? I will assume the answer is something like, “Well, Duh!” And parents probably want their children to achieve in school. Are you and/or your children achieving peak performance now? If not, what can you do?

John Medina, a molecular biologist/researcher, thinks he has the answers. He has gathered them together in his book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. The text of the book is a pretty easy, breezy read. But if reading seems like too much bother, Medina has included a DVD which is basically a video “Cliffs Notes” version of the text that is very amusing. Can’t (be bothered to) find a book? No worries. Medina also has a website [http://www.brainrules.net/] which provides the same material in yet other formats including tutorials and newsletters, among others. Medina wants to make sure you have no excuse for not getting the information on making the most of your brain.


For those of you who are unable to exert yourself beyond reading this blog, here are the 12 Rules as listed in the Table of Contents.  (With my comments.)

Exercise
Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power. (Whoops! Better get up and dash to the bookstore or library after all!)

Survival
Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too. (Our brain is the result of our ancestors who were better able to survive and reproduce than the others in their group.)

Wiring
Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently. (Individual life experiences result in individual brain wiring patterns.)

Attention
Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things. (SEX! DANGER! Not boring. Scary maybe. Emotionally charged for sure. Journal articles: not so much.)

Short-term Memory
Rule #5: Repeat to remember. (Looks like the advertisers have this rule down.)

Long-term Memory:
Rule #6: Remember to repeat. (Really short version: schools are doing it all wrong. Big surprise. What we are “teaching” students is that most “learning” is boring.  Dissection labs, on the other hand...)

Sleep
Rule #7: Sleep well, think well. (Your brain has tons of work to do while your body is sleeping. If it doesn’t get this off-hours work time, your on-hours efficiency and effectiveness plummet.)

Stress
Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way. (Too much stress prevents memory formation and can even kill memory cells. Kids with stressful home lives can’t learn.)

Sensory Integration
Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses. (Multisensory environments lead to better, more creative learning and result in better, longer recall than does learning in a unisensory environment.)

Vision
Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses. (A picture is worth… Are all these photos working?  By the way, vision trumps because we are adapted to climbing and swinging from branches in trees where depth perception is critical.)

Gender
Rule #11: Male and female brains are different. (On average, men get the gist of a situation; women focus on details. Recognizing and working with these differences can give a fuller, better perspective to a situation.)

Exploration
Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers. (Hypothesis testing, problem solving, and risking failure are how we learn.)

In summary, Medina has provided much useful information in nice, bite-sized chunks. Explore Brain Rules in any of the diverse formats Medina has provided, and peak performance of your brain may be yours; if you make the effort.