Brain Rules : 12 Rules for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
The brain is an amazing organ – complex, fascinating and indispensable! Yet how many of us ignore our brains– too busy with multi-tasking, managing schedules, maintaining websites, and taking care of everyone's problems and dirty laundry ( note I mean that in the literal, household sense), that we end up neglecting ourselves and find ourselves on a slippery slope downward with our brain health. In this book, John Medina explores 12 simple principles to help you understand how the brain works, and most importantly, how to keep it working to your advantage. This is no boring textbook, the author uses humor, striking stories, anecdotes, and personal experience to make the material readable and absorbing. I think we homeschoolers will pat him on the back for his opinions on maximizing learning.
And what does he recognize as wrong with our public education methods?
The current system is founded on a series of expectations that certain learning goals should be achieved by a certain age. Yet there is no reason to suspect that the brain pays attention to those expectations. Students of the same age show a great deal of intellectual variability…… All else being equal, it has been known for many years that smaller, more intimate schools create better learning environments than megaplex houses of learning. The Brain Rule may help explain why smaller is better.
He has much more to say about enhancing learning, and the phenomenal functions of the brain. Brain Rules is a very readable book that offers practical implementations to help you maximize your brain power. Now you can go check out his website and get a summary of the brain rules, or you can go take a nap – my husband was especially happy to learn the author is a big proponent of the mid-day power nap. I suggest you do both. Me, I'm off for a walk –Brain rule #1 is exercise boosts brain power.
Note: The book includes an excellent DVD that visually summarizes the 12 rules, my boys enjoyed it immensely. There may be a few "images" on the DVD that may not be exactly appropriate for children, so parents should preview and use the old skip button as needed.
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