CONF-Learning-Brain-Override-Promo-IMG
Conference

The Learning Brain With John Medina: The Truth Behind Neuroscience, Education, and Behavior Change

Do You Really Know How People Learn? Get the Real Truth.

There are so many myths about how the brain works—and so many so-called experts—it’s hard to keep track of what’s real and what isn’t.

ATD has partnered with John Medina, a researcher and authority in brain science and the author of the bestselling book Brain Rules, to present a one-day workshop that will help you cut through the hype to learn what really drives knowledge retention and performance.

Drawing from the latest research in the fields of molecular biology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, this one-day workshop will provide you key insights into how humans work and learn best. You will walk away with practical information about how to:

  • Utilize emotion and story to make content more compelling.
  • Organize information and design visuals to ensure they are remembered.
  • Create environments that boost innovation and creativity.

Whether you’re a teacher, trainer, instructional designer, or anyone involved in development, understanding these concepts can help you create more powerful, long-lasting learning.

Facilitator
  • John Medina
    Acknowledged as one of the most engaging and crowd-pleasing speakers in the world of neuroscience, John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, a researcher, a professor, and the author of 10 books. His New York Times bestseller Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving at Work, Home and School has been celebrated as the standard handbook on understanding the brain and optimizing its performance.

Learning Objectives:

  • Utilize emotion and story to make content more compelling.
  • Organize information and design visuals to ensure they are remembered.
  • Create environments that boost innovation and creativity.
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    Intro to the Brain
    Introduction to brain structure and basic facts about how it processes information.

    Practical take-aways:
    • Bust common myths. Hint: there is no such thing as learning styles.
    • Learn how each brain operates differently while still sharing certain key characteristics.

  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    Attentional States
    Discover how the brain pays attention to some stimuli and ignores others. Learn about “attentional spotlight” theory, the role of emotions in learning, and the unusual power of narrative in holding someone’s attention.

    Practical take-away: Learn how to use a balance between information, emotions, and narrative structure to make content clear and compelling.
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    How Memory Works
    Basic introduction to the various memory systems within the human brain. Learn how the brain chooses to remember some things and not others, and the role of repetition in content structure.

    Practical take-away: Learn how to organize educational subjects in ways that make the information memorable. We’ll examine overall curricula design to the creation of individual lecture material.
  • Lunch
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    Visual Processing
    Neuroscience shows we are primarily visual learners (pictorial superiority effect), and there are surprising differences in the way the brain processes pictures vs. text.

    Practical take-away: Learn how to design visual information in ways that make the information “ sticky” by understanding how the brain processes visual input.
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    Executive Function
    Learn how to maximize executive function (the brain’s ability to get something done) through techniques such as choosing the best time of day to deliver instruction and ensuring participants remain physically active. This session marks a transition from focusing primarily on the learner to focusing on both learner and teacher.
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    Innovation and Stress
    Basic information about what neuroscience knows about human creativity and how stress affects it.

    Practical take-away: Explore how to create “ lifestyle environments” that boost innovation and minimize a very particular type of creativity-killing stress.
  • John-Medina
    John Medina
    Molecular Biologist
    The Future of Learning
    The day concludes with a discussion on the future of learning and how rapidly our understanding of how the brain processes information is evolving.