The Science Behind It
Why do preschoolers LOVE to learn and the rest of us don’t? When does our brain become so resistant to education?
There are a couple of reasons.
One. Babies’ brains can’t not learn.
From birth to about two, our brain absorbs everything, like a sponge, just like people always say. No filters, no subjectivity, no rejection of information.
At around two, we start connecting thoughts and using our imagination. But it’s not until age six that we develop the ability to filter what comes in and reject what we don’t want. In other words, we can tune out if we want. Unfortunate, at about this time …
Two: Rewards for learning wane.
Imagine the parents of an eleven-month-old who is attempting his first steps. We see them clapping and encouraging the infant and cheering with excitement after just one tenuous step. The child enjoys the feeling that his parents’ praise produces so he tries again and again until he can walk across the room. Once he gains confidence, even though the parents no longer celebrate this new skill, personal accomplishment and freedom stroke his little ego, and he never wants to go back to crawling everywhere. Now imagine these same parents saying things like, “You took that first step, now look at you! You’ve fallen three times! We don’t think you are applying yourself and it’s so disappointing!” or “Everyone else in the nursery is already walking, so why aren’t you trying harder? Do you want to be the only one-year-old who isn’t walking?”
Early in our educational journey, many (if not most) students no longer experience joy in the learning process – for some it’s kindergarten, for others it’s third, fourth, or fifth grade. The adults around them often are not celebrating their efforts (not just accomplishments) in addition to the boredom of textbook learning. The wise teacher finds ways to make the material fun and praises each student for participating. A gold star at the top of the paper may be enough to keep the fire going in some, but for many, it’s just not enough. Never mind the child who doesn’t get a sticker at all because her leaning style is different than the teaching style.
Emotion, specifically joy, must accompany learning. This is why songs are so effective! I bet you can still remember educational songs you learned as a child. Emotion embeds information into our nervous system quickly, and if strong enough, instantaneously. This is true for negative feelings too. Impact events are those that are so emotionally charged that you know every detail of what was happening at the time of their occurrence. For example, those who were around on nine-eleven in 2001 can give exact details about where they were, and what they were doing and feeling at the time of the news. The birth of a baby, death of a loved-one, or a wedding day are common impact events.
Three: Our brains hate boredom.
When learning becomes an act of obligation without joy, it becomes boring. If adults add guilt, comparison, or pressure to the equation, our natural tendency is avoidance. No one seeks out boredom or negative treatment. The human brain is wired to love novelty and growth, but when an experience becomes mundane, it tunes out and looks for other stimuli.
We can reawaken the natural desire to learn in ourselves and others by celebrating effort and adding fun. Crazy mnemonics, songs, foreign accents, field trips, games, and finding a learning buddy are a few things you can do to stimulate the brain and embed those facts. It helps to find things you’re interested in, but even if you need to get through a boring class, there are brain hacks that make all the difference.
If you are a parent, teacher, or have any influence in a child’s life, don’t underestimate the power of enthusiasm for your student’s love of learning!
Lots of smiles, high-fives, hoots, and “Great job! Way to try! You’re a natural! You have guts to take that on!” go a long way. And don’t be shy about saying these things to yourself!