how to use this
book
xxiv
intro
So what does it take to
learn something? First, y
ou have to get it, then mak
e sure
you don’t forget it. It’s not a
bout pushing facts into y
our head. Based on the
latest research in cognitiv
e science, neurobiology
, and educational psyc
hology,
learning takes a lot mor
e than text on a page. W
e know what turns your br
ain on.
Some of the Head Fir
st learning principles:
Make it visual.
Images are far more m
emorable than words
alone, and make learnin
g much more effective
(Up to 89%
improvement in recall
and transfer studies). It
also makes
things more understan
dable.
Put the words with
in
or near the graphic
s
they relate to, rather th
an on the
bottom or on another p
age, and learners will b
e up to twice
as likely to solve proble
ms related to the conte
nt.
Use a conversation
al and personalize
d style
. In recent studies,
students performed up
to 40% better on post-
learning tests if the con
tent spoke
directly to the reader, u
sing a first-person, con
versational style rather
than
taking a formal tone. Te
ll stories instead of lect
uring. Use casual langu
age. Don’t
take yourself too seriou
sly. Which would you pa
y more attention to: a s
timulating
dinner party companio
n, or a lecture?
Get the learner to
think more deeply.
In other words, unless
you actively flex your n
eurons, nothing much
happens in your head.
A reader has to be mot
ivated, engaged, curiou
s, and inspired to
solve problems, draw c
onclusions, and genera
te new knowledge.
And for that, you need
challenges, exercises, a
nd thought-
provoking questions, a
nd activities that involv
e both sides
of the brain, and multip
le senses.
Get—and keep—th
e reader’s attentio
n.
We’ve all
had the “I really want to
learn this but I can’t st
ay awake past
page one” experience.
Your brain pays attenti
on to things that are ou
t
of the ordinary, interes
ting, strange, eye-catch
ing, unexpected. Learn
ing a new,
tough, technical topic d
oesn’t have to be borin
g. Your brain will learn
much more quickly if it
’s not.
Touch their emotio
ns.
We now know that you
r ability to remember s
omething is largely
dependent on its emot
ional content. You rem
ember what you care a
bout. You remember w
hen
you feel something. No
we’re not talking heart
-wrenching stories abo
ut a boy and his dog.
We’re talking emotions
like surprise, curiosity,
fun, “what the...?” , and
the feeling of “I Rule!”
that comes when you s
olve a puzzle, learn som
ething everybody else
thinks is hard, or realize
you know something t
hat “I’m more technical
than thou” Bob from e
ngineering doesn’t.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |