The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain

Learning to learn is the key skill for tomorrow. This breakthrough book builds the foundation every student needs, from freshman orientation to graduate school

Recent advances in brain science show that most students’ learning strategies are highly inefficient, ineffective or just plain wrong. While all learning requires effort, better learning does not require more effort, but rather effectively aligning how the brain naturally learns with the demands of your studies. This book shows you what is involved in learning new material, how the human brain processes new information, and what it takes for that information to stick with you even after the test.

Taking a small amount of time to read and act upon the material in this book will prove to be one of the best decisions you can make as a learner. What you discover will change the way you learn in college and will be helpful in your personal and professional life. You live in a world where you will have to be a lifelong learner, constantly updating your skills and changing jobs to compete in the global marketplace. Most college students today will have as many as 10-14 different jobs by age 38. Learning how to learn in harmony with your brain is crucial to your long-term success.

This succinct book explains straightforward strategies for changing how you prepare to learn, engage with your course material, and set about improving recall of newly learned material whenever you need it. This is not another book about study skills and time management strategies, but instead an easy-to-read description of the research about how the human brain learns in a way that you can put into practice right away.

Did you know neuroscientists have shown that memories are made while you sleep, and by studying right before sleeping you can make stronger memories for your information? In this book the authors explain the role that sleep, exercise and your senses play in learning; how memory works and what makes the brain pay attention; the importance of your mindset towards learning and pattern recognition; as well as new breakthroughs in brain science that can enhance your ability to learn new information and make later recall (for tests or everyday life) easier.

This book will put you on the path to reaching your full learning potential.

Terry Doyle is an author, nationally recognized educational consultant and Professor Emeritus of Ferris State University where he taught for 38 years. From 1998 to 2009 he served as the Senior Instructor for Faculty Development.

Terry has shared his work on ways to use neuroscience, biology, and cognitive science research to develop a learner centered approach to teaching and training with the U.S. military, police agencies, medical and veterinary colleges and some 400 universities and colleges around the world for the past 25 years. He also has given hundreds of keynote addresses at regional, national and international conferences around the world.

He is the author or co-author of seven books dealing with the application of neuroscience findings about how the brain learns and how to teach and train in harmony with the brain.

Terry is the CEO of Learner Centered Teaching Consultants and D&M Consultants―The New Science of Business.

Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC - Chapel Hill and President of the International Teaching Learning Cooperative (ITLC).

Todd was a tenured associate professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities before joining UNC. At UNC he is an Associate Director of the Faculty Development Fellowship within the School of Medicine. Through his work with the ITLC, Todd directs five Lilly Conferences on Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning and also consults with a wide variety of campuses on topics related to teaching/learning, leadership, and scholarly activity.

Todd has served on many educationally related boards and work groups, including The Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, College Teaching, and Education in the Health Professions.

He has consulted with organizations such as The American Council on Education (ACE), Lenovo Computer, Microsoft, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and delivered keynote addresses and campus workshops at over 300 conferences and university campuses in 49 states and 12 countries.

Todd publishes on topics pertaining to student learning, effective teaching, leadership, scholarly activity, and assessment. Todd’s recently co-authored books include Teaching for Learning (2nd Ed)(2021); Advancing Online Teaching (2021); The New Science of Learning (2nd Ed) (2019); and Dynamic Lecturing (2017). Check out Todd’s two TEDx talks here. You can follow and connect with him on Twitter @toddzakrajsek and LinkedIn.

Jeannie H. Loeb