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    The Awesome Brain

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    @ a The Awesome Brain ‘We do not know one millionth of one percent about anything. THosas Epison, | Rose, €. &N, Malcom. Learning for the 21" Century. Piatkus: 1997.(Ch: 2: t's been called “a sleeping giant,” “an enchanted loom,” “the most complex piece of machinery in the universe,” “the greazest unexplored térritory in the world,” “a biological supercomputer"—and much more Biologists, psychologists, evolutionary scientists, educators, and writers have all competed to produce the definitive description of the human brain, to do justice to the ultimate complex structure. Regardless of the superlatives, clever analogies, and creative metaphors, your brain—along with those of the greatest achievers in history—justifies them all. It is unbelievably more complex and sophisticated than the most high-powered supercomputer. ‘The brain. in fact, is an equal-opportunity organ. You came into the world with approximately 100 billion brain cells. Give or take a few million, that's something you have in commén with the great thinkers, philosophers, scientists, explorers, world leaders, Nobel prize winners—all of the peak performers from all walks of life who have ever lived. ‘The numbers are staggering. By and large, though, it's not the number of brain cells (neurons) that’s important. It's the number, of connections that are made between those brain cells—and each of? those 100 billion neurons can grow up to 20,000 “branches” or? Don't bother to do the mathematics. It's a truly mind-boggling number running into cillions. What it means is what really counts. Ictells us that the capecity of the human brain is awesome in the Scanned with CamScanner 1® ACCELERATED LEARNING FOR THE 2@Pecurusy extreme; that the human brain is incredibly more sophisticated than the most “intelligent” computers on the planet, And it reveals the breathtaking potential that none of us ever fully realizes. As humankind probes the limits of oucer space, the greatest un- explored tertitory of all lies here on Earth—within the confines of our individual brains. There are more possible connections in the human brains tn fact, than the number of aloms in the entire universe, That is the way Stanford University professor Robert Ornstein dramatically makes the point. Our knowledge is advancing at a remarkable rate. More has been learned about the brain in the last ten years than in all pre- vious scientific history. In particular, phenomenal technological ad- vances have empowered scientists to solve some of the mysteries of the mind. Noninvasive procedures such as magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) and positron-emission tomography (PET) have provided a window on the human brain. The result: scientists can actually “see” a thought occurring, fear erupting. or a long-buried memory enter into an individual's consciousness. Scientists who use brain imaging technology can now gather in just a few hours the kind of data that used to take twenty years of inferential laboratory work with monkeys and apes. It sounds ex- aordinary—and it is, Through this breakthrough scientists can distinguish becveen neuronal groups that are only one mi apart—and bear in mind that 30,000 neurons would fit on a pin- @ head. confit ‘At the same time, the cognitive scences have seen major RS dep forward with the emergence of theories using biological processes to explain the inner workings of the brain. These theories can f- nally be put to the test—thanks to brain-imaging technology. __Says University of Oregon education professor Robert Sylwester, “This theoretical work, along with developments in genetics, may spark a Century of Biology, just as Albert Einstein's theories sparked advances in physics that have dominated this ceawury.” (One thing is clear: if you want to develop your brain it needs to be exercised—constanuly, day after day—in much the same fashion that a physically fit person builds and maintains muscle tone. Re- search by UC Berkeley's Marian Diamond and others shows that you don't exercise and maintain your mental muscle, it can get just as weak and “flabby” as your biceps or your abelominals, ‘An appreciation of “inner space"—and the wav in which sha! ess @ THE AWESOME BRAIN = 77 brain works—is fundamental™'to ut process: why lifelong learning from cradle t and how it can be dramatically improved for everyone. In this chapter we'll explain the significance + Your 3 kinds of brain—reptilian, mammalian, and the think- 3 ing brain, : + Your 2 brains—the lefe-brain and right-brain hemispheres. + Your 1 brain—the power of “whole-brain” activiy. «+ Your 8 intelligences—your personal unique mix of abilities. «+ Your 4 kinds of brain waves—why they're important and how to make the most of them. In the next chapter we look into: + Your 5 kinds of memory—it's more than just “short term” and “long term.” + And you'll discover why your brain is,so resilient—and has more in common with the jungle than the computer. Here, then, is a layman's update on the incredible complexity of the human brain. UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN—IT'S AS EASY AS 3-2-1 You have three brains, two brains, and one brain. Confused? It re-? ally is as simple as 3-2-1, even though “the brain” is the most com: plex mass of protoplasm known to exist. Even though pioneering neurophrsiologist Sir John Eccles who won the 1963 Nobel Prize for his work on the synapse—the connecting gaps between brain cells—has said that the haictrigger sensitivity of the brain's inter- cellular connections suggests *a machine designed to be operated bya ghost” Look ac it this way: Scanned with CamScanner H @Maccevenareo cearnine ror tHe 21@Penrury THREE BRAINS IN ON Aspman evolved, the brain went through increasingly complex ‘Stages of development leading to what researcher Dr. Paul Mac- Lean, former director of the Laboratory of Brain and Behavior at the United States Institute of Mental Health, has dubbed the “tri: une brain.” ‘Abthe base of your skull, emerging from the spinal column, you find the brain element that vou share with lower life forms such lizards, crocodiles, and birds—hence the “reptilian” brain, s "K is « iF f al we This part of the brain controls many basic functions includin breathing, heart rate, and instincts such as the fightorflight re- sponse when danger threatens, The reptilian brain also controls other primitive instincts—your_sense of territory, for example, which is why you may feel angry, threatened, of uncomfortable when someone moves too close to you. It also explains that anger is difficult to control because it is often a result either of feeling threatened or of someone trying to take away something you t is yours, ie. an invasion of your “terntory.” The central part of the brain wraps around the brain stem like a collar (limbic is from the Latin word for border or *collar*—limbus). Ie’s the part of the brain similar to that of other mammals), @ re aweson@aan 6° ‘The key components of the limbic system are the and the amygdala, The Imbic stem is your emotional convrol Tealso helps to maintain homeostasis, a stable environment withift ” the body. It controls your hormones, thirst, hunger. your sexuality, your pleasure centers, metabolism, immune function, and an ime” portant part of your long-term memory, The hypothalamus and amygdala also are important controllers of emotional behavior and goalseeking behavior. This implies that emotional appeals work beter than rational arguments in influ- encing human behavior. In evolutionary terms the limbic system)? developed before we “invented” logic. oe Te is significant that the same part of one’s brain that controls, emotions also controls health, and equally controls emotions and memory. When something involves strong emotions it is usually very well remembered. You probably vividly recall your first kiss or where you were when President Kennedy was shot. Younger read- ers may remember what they were doing at the time of the Chal- lengrr explosion or the Oklahoma City bomb blast. Tealso means enjoyment, role playing, collaboration, and games are important elements in leaming because sitive emotions, We want students to say of their learning, “I enjoyed? that, I want to do more.” - " searchers note that opiatelike eae chen ial GaSe a phins are released. This, in wrn, triggers an increased flow of a powerful neurowransmiver called acetylcholine. juse feuirotranst rr cells In simple terms a brain en- Scanned with CamScanner a1» ACCELERATED LEARNING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY icational tools. ‘(But_what 2-Researchers Mortimer Mishkin and Tim Appenzeller, writing in Scientific American, suggest that the limbic system, and especially the thalamus, acts as a sort of switchboard benseen our senses and our cortex, analyzing incom- ing information for emotional significance. If you are stressed or fearful, the information may not be fully available to the neocor tex, Instead, as author and researcher Lesley Hart puts it, “The hu- tuan brn is donnshiied 1 the more primitive areas ofthe bro revert to instinctual behavior rather than use rational judg- ment” In evolutionary terms it makes sense. If a wild animal is attack ing you, you don’t want to stop to philosophize. In the modern world such stress and threat may be simply fear of failure. Either way, stress inhibits learning. My rind went blank is a commonly used expression among students at exam time. In Accelerated Learning we con: sciously use relaxation exercises before_a_leaming session an cosmic dance. ; stress and increase Sin Chantss Snenameron €*E*BY Tevels. Luiz Machado de AMrade, a world-class edluca- ee ‘The human brain is an enchanted loom where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dis- solving pattern, always a meaningful pattern, though never an abid- ing one, a shifting har- mony of subpatterns. It Is as if the Milky Way entered upon some @ e - THE AWESOME BRAIN = 3] versity of Rio de Janeiro, pointed out as early as 1984 that the lim- bic system effectively controls the mechanisms for our self preservation—the most powerful forces within us. volve the limbic svstem in leaming an¢ teaching, ie., a ingolve the emotions, vou harness powerful sor 7s that make Teamning-y much more limbielyz? Tn his book The Brain of the Brain he craracterizes the tem as the central controller of the whe'e brain, ie., the primary form of intelligence. He predated the whole emotional intelli- gence debate by calling for educators c> involve emotions in the classroom in order to enable students tc use more of their poten- tial Make a fist with one hand. Now wrap yo: other hand over the top of this fist. If the wrist of your first hand represents the reptilian brain, and the fist is your mammalian rain, the hand wrapped over it represents your thinking brain. The cortex is only about an eighth of an inch thick and it is folded. IF it were spread out it would be about the size of a news paper pag Scanned with CamScanner WL» "ACCELERATED LEARNING FOR THE 21SR@ENTURY tex handles seeing, hearing, creatins Sin Beal ng are made, the world is of memory, speech is produced and comprehended, paintin; mony, speech is produced and comprehended, paintings are seén and appreciated, and music i heard and enjoyed. This brain oieaeeer ‘capacity you will ever need to Term and remember anything you want. “OF all mammals, human beings have the most enfolded cores, perhaps because such a large cortex had to fit into a small head to permit passage through a narrow birth canal. The neocortex itself is divided into specialist parts (lobes) for speech, hearing, vision, and touch, This means we store senvory memories in different places. If we want to create a strong memory we should store the information using all of the senses. When rou have heard it, said it, seen it, and done it—you've got it! You'll see how we've used this insight in building our language courses. W ition, ur prefrontal lobes develop substantially in-our s teens) These are situated just behind the forehead and are reise judgment, future planning, and higherorder gor tinking Because this area is also linked strongly to our limbic ss tem, itis also where we a, altruism, and a sense of justice. Tt would imply thar it’s important to structure part ofa young teenager's education so that he or she has a chance to ex- perience the value of contributing to the community. Its at this age that feelings of caring, empathy, and sympathy are most likely tobe developed. ‘Surprisingly, it is true to say that the brain is not primarily de- signed for thinking. Those attributes we consider most human— language, perception, intelligence—represent only a small fraction of the brain's overall responsibilities to keep us alive and function- ing. A major part of your brain ensures that you learn, react, and adapt primarily for survival. Robert Ornstein and David S. Sobel in The Healing Brain: A Sci- «mtific Reader, eloquently write about the development of the brain: “We carry our evolution inside us, within the different structures of the brain, structures built in different eras. There are many differ- ent brains inside there. “There is an archaeology as well as an architecture to the brain, because it was built up over millions of years. As in an archaeolog- ical dig, there are layers to the brain.” Ornstein and Sobel say that the human brain is a compendium of circuits piled atop one an- sinisonamceneinaimaattitarsneiniahelihti nmr anantartneenna 14 nd THE AWESOME'BRAIN » other. They are mostly designed to handle immediate survival needs rather than future planning. And they add, “The brain evolved, as is well known by now, in ferent levels, each one designed to maintain stability in its or- ganism as animals moved from the sea to land, to the trees, to the savannas of eastern Africa, to Fifth Avenue.” Ornstein, furthermore, says that one of the great mysteries is why the human species is so incredibly advanced relative to our nearest incestors. “We aren't just a slightly better chimp, and it’s difficult, on reflection, to figure out why. This gigantic cortex has given us our adaptability as well as the extra capaciry to adapt to the height of the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert, the wilds of Bomteo, even to central London. ferred to ti This division im itself is not wew discovery. The ancient Egyp- tians knew that the left side of the brain controlled and received sensations from the right side of the body and vice versa. During the last ovo decades, however, ground-breaking research has revealed that the ovo hemispheres perform different functions. sides of is i ‘ork of 300 million neurons. This ietwork—the corpus « “sugg—shutles information backward and forward between the 0 Thalves of the brain. But simply put, based on the research of Pro- fessor Roger Sperry of the University of California, it is accepted that il neral: PE cscs in what are ‘commonly labeled “acade- ee nanan ical thoughts, sequen: jis. “Eee. Researchers also ascribe co the right brain. we with certain Kinds of conceptual See ‘aglove, beauty. and lovaly. Scanned with CamScanner 18 ACCELERATED LEARNING FOR THE 2Paruay Ics important not to exaggerate the difference. Our brain is far two intricate to be categorized so neatly, and anyway the two halves are constantly communicating with each other. Realize, for in- stance, that when we watch a red ball rolling along a table, our brain processes the color, shape, movement, and location of the ball in four separate areas of the brain to produce a complete ap- preciation of what is being seen. ‘i hough each hemisphere is dominant in cértain activities, they arg_both involved in almost all thinking Nevertheless, there is @ major lesson to appreciate when it comes to the way in which we ‘Some people (lef braig) prefer a slow step-bystep buildup of i formation. We call them the “linear wpe a of leamer Qchers (right Sap) cs ‘overview. They are the “global” type of learner. ‘When we recognize a face, we don’t scan it slowly from top to bottom in a linear fashion, Instead we use the right brain's ca- pacity to see parterns very quickly. When we listen to a conversa- Hon, the left brain is concentrating on what was said (the con- tent), while the right brain is picking up how it was said (the emotion). en you listen to the wo: ofa song, the left brain will basi be attending to the words; cally be attending to the words the right brain will be processing the melody. In addition, the emo-| tional/limbic _syst your b In other words, your actively ee involved. ————— One man that hus a mind and knows it can always beat ten men who haven't and don’t. Geonce Berwano SHAW leattnrnorartnrvinet THE AWESOME BRAIN = It’s no accident chat when words are combined with music . : e or with pictures, or when words 4 mind that is are delivered with emotion, they stretched to anew are easier and faster to learn, Ac. ‘dea never returns to celerated Learning capitilizes on inal dimension. this fact. . Professor Ornstein found that when the “weaker” side Of the eeu eens brain was stimulated 2nd encour- aged to work in cooperation with the stronger side, the net result was a noticeable increase in overall performance. His findings are particularly significant for those of us educated in the West, where the three R's of reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic have ruled supreme—all emphasizing left-brain activities. We need to recognize and take advantage of the human brain's strength. We are generally good at, and enjoy, “global” thinking ac- tivides like exploring concepts, finding patterns and connections, predicting, pondering ethical issues, creating analogies, and mak- ing intuitive leaps of imagination. We are less good at (and less motivated by) repetitive work, memorizing isolated facts, spending long periods of time working ‘on our own, and having to compute long series of calculations. ‘That's why the computer has been such a life-changing invention. Ic far outguns humans in linear processing and calculations. But it needs the creative human mind to design its programs. We should. use its power to complement our weaker side and use the time it liberates for us to develop our strengths—our creativity and our emotional capacity. Ouver Wenoeut Hounes A SINGULAR ATTRACTION ue. You have One “whole the parts of the mental capacity of you bral hemispheres. No one else processes information exactly the same way that you do. Your brain is as individual as your finger- prints. Virwally everyone, of course. is familiar with the concept of 1Q— Scanned with CamScanner oe @, ai» ACCELERATED LEARNING FOR THE 21St CENTURY one’s intelligence. But is it a fair, accurate measure? Are there other forms of intelligence not taken into account when calculat- ing 1 ‘There is a more “democratic” approach to estimating intelli- gence and measuring potential. It’s a concept that illuminates even more brightly the full specrum of human capabilities and repre: sents another way of illustrating the monumental capacity of the human brain, THE EXTRAORDINARY EIGHT—A NEW VIEW OF INTELLIGENCI The IQ test as we know it today grew out of the work of French psy- chologist Alfred Binet, who, in the early years of the 20th century, devised a test to identify children whose learning problems ‘re- quired remedial education. Lewis Terman at Stanford University standardized it to take pop- ulation norms into account and the test became known as the Stanford-Binet. Terman later incorporated psychologist William Stern's notion of an intelligence quotient. 1Q, as it is universally recognized, is an individual’s mental age, as determined by intelli- gence testing, divided by the person's chronological age—and the ratio multiplied by 100. Over the years it has become the standard measure of intelli- gence while provoking fierce, passionate debate among academics, educators, and the lay public. There is litle doubt that IQ tests are reasonably good at assess ing and predicting a student's school performance, “but since in- telligence is defined operationally as that which intelligence tests test, the test makers are chasing their own tail,” declares Michael S. Gazzaniga, director of the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience at Cornell University Medical College. : In other words: intelligence tests measure dhe al do well in intelligence tests. ‘Typically, the IQ test predominantly measures an individual's ability with linguistic and logical-mathematical challenges as well as some visual and spatial tasks. Enter Harvard professor of education Howard Gardner, His provocative question: How would the proverbial Martian landing on Earth view the intellivence of the human sneriee? lity of people to i i } w : s THE AWESOME BRAIN = 7] ‘Would he (it?) demand to know individual 1Qs? Or would he be in- terested in those humans performing exceptionally well in partic: . ular fields—the chess master, the orchestral conductor, perhaps) even the athlete? These accomplished people are undoubtedly considered to be intelligent. Why, then, do our methods of assess- ing intelligence often fail to identify them? Why is it that people with IQs of 140 endl up working for people with 1Qs of 1007 _- is “Theory of Multiple Incelligences/*” avhich says, in effect, that IQ should not be measured as an sole fe ne ght .wgight- and blood pressure are. It's a crucial 2 maintains to assume that IQ is a single fixed entity that can be mensured by a penciland: paper test. It’s not how smart you are but axe sar, says Gardner. As human beings we all have agsegere skills, he says, for solving different kinds of problems. And he defines intelligence this way: dn Intelligence isan ably to salve a problem or [ashion a uct that is valued in one or more cultural seitings. Ta other words, intelligence can vary by context. If you were stranded with sn iain the middle of the Australian bush without food or water, she would be the intelligent one—be- cause she would know how to survive. Transport her to your office and ask her to use your computer and the positon would be re- versed. “Problems” can be anything from creating an end to a story to anticipating a chess move to fixing the brakes on your car. “Prod- ucts” can range from scientific theories to musical composition to successful political campaigns. In arriving at his theory Gardner embraced ideas derived from neurobiology, complemented by fields such as psychology, anthro- pology, a story SSS az aT rEved the extensive evidence from a wide range of disparate sources. He analyzed studies of child predigies, gifted individuals, brain-damaged patients, idiots savants, normal chit dren, normal adults, experts in different lines of work, and indi- viduals from diverse cultures. Ens outcome was his groundbreaking book GARI 0 which Gardner convincingly argues for an alternative | u- man intellectual competencies and in which he then outlined scien sine ireligences no Tad wie ana can? Scanned with CamScanner 41 = ACCELERATED LEARNIVG FOR THE 2151 ‘CENTURY Authors, journalists, poets, orators, and comedians are obvious examples of people with linguistic intelligence. Famous examples: Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, T. S. 6 regen culate, to ea ings trough in a Togical, systematic manner. dns, economists, accountants, detectives, and member of the legal profession, * Famous exat bert Einstein, John Dewey. Theabiliy to think in_pictures, viualize_a Ruure result. To imagine things in your mind’s ¢ Architects, artsts, sculptors, salors, photographers, and strategic planners. You use it when you have a sense of direction, when you navigate or draw. Famous examples: Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Christopher Columbus. Fie ablic-to-make or compose music. sing ‘or understand and appreciate music, To keep rhythm. It’sa talent obviously enjoyed by musicians, composers, and record- ing engineers. But most of us have a basic musical intelligence that can be developed. Think how helptul it is to learn with a jingle or rhyme. (e.g., “Thirty days hath September. ..") Famous exampli zart, Leonard Bernstein Ray Charles. deas and emo- ions An ability obviously ‘displayed for aulete pursuits, artistic pursuits such as dancing and acting, or in building and conscruc- tion. You can include surgeons in this category, but many people who are physically talented—"good with their hands’—don’t rec- ognize that this form of intelligence is of equal value to the others. ‘Famous examples: Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jordan, Rudolf human intelligence exhibited by good teachers, facilitators, thera pists, politicians. religious leaders, and salespeople. Famous examples: Gandhi, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfre CN ee a ee = enter’ ent ere lina aia RnR etRRRNRANERNINASIMMN Minit rtoaitan nen < ees THE AWESOME BRAIN = 3 (Rettiot sborab es quit contemplate CINERLORe Ry

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