Learning how to learn
16 May 2019
Many students would learn better if they were taught more about how their brain best learns, says the co-founder of the world's most popular online course.
It's a myth that people learn best when they are concentrating intently says Professor Barbara Oakley, an international expert on how the brain learns.
“We think that learning only takes place when you are focussing intently, but actually that relaxed period, when you are taking your break is also very important.”
She recommends instead focusing for 25 minutes, then taking a break for 5-10 minutes. “Your brain is working in a different modality and consolidating the information you just learned, in other words, it is building neural structure."
Professor Oakley is the co-founder of the world's most popular online course, or MOOC, Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, which has two million students enrolled worldwide. She was in New Zealand this month as a guest of the New Zealand Institute and shared her ideas at a public lecture at the Faculty of Education and Social Work.