Brain-friendly learning: how to make learning fun- Study Tips

Learning in a brain-friendly way means learning more effectively. We’ll tell you simple tricks you can use to take advantage of this concept. What comes to mind when you think of learning: inspiring days spent discovering new things, or dry exam material and crammed nights? The fact that for many of us the latter is often the case has nothing to do with learning itself. From a purely biological point of view, this process should have a completely different effect: Brain researchers even speak of the “pleasure of learning,” since every gain in knowledge activates our happiness center, which then releases dopamine. In short: learning makes us happy. Nature has not provided this mechanism for nothing. Only through the curiosity about unknown information, which is experienced as pleasant, and its successful processing are we – from an evolutionary point of view – able to ensure our survival and adapt to the complex demands of the environment. So why can learning be so difficult? Management trainer and non-fiction author Vera F. Birkenbihl has dealt intensively with this problem in her publications and seminars. She coined the term “brain-based learning,” which conceals a solution that is as simple as it is effective: Only when we take into account the natural functioning of our brain during learning can we make optimal use of its thinking and memory capacity. In this way, we promote positive emotions, which are naturally associated with the learning process and in turn accelerate it. We have compiled five brain-friendly learning tips to help you acquire new knowledge more easily and quickly.

CREATE AN ORDERLY & PLEASANT WORKING ATMOSPHERE

The brain is designed to constantly scan its environment for new stimuli. For our ancestors, this ability was of great advantage, as they had to expect to become prey themselves at any moment while hunting. In the modern learning and working environment, however, the danger lurks in distraction: harmless, but a hindrance to your learning success. Therefore, switch off as many sources of distraction as possible that could become a feast for your stimulus-hungry brain – your cell phone, for example, or disorganized paperwork that has nothing to do with the subject on which you want to concentrate. The fewer distractions your workspace offers, the better. In addition, your learning environment should evoke positive associations in you. What you perceive as a pleasant working atmosphere depends on your personal needs: Do you feel comfortable in a library, for example, where you can learn together with others, or in the security of your own four walls?

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL BIORHYTHM

Your biorhythm also follows a performance curve that is completely individual. Are you one of the larks, who are particularly receptive in the morning, or the night owls, who only really get going in the evening? No type is better or worse than the other. However, it is helpful to know your own biorhythm and to organize your learning activities according to it, both in terms of time and content. In general, there are five phases that you go through during the course of a day: An initial start-up phase followed by a high, after which there is a drop in performance – also known as a “midday low”. Then the curve goes up again and drops sharply at the end. Our tip: Complete important or difficult tasks during a performance peak. In turn, you can use the times when you experience a low for organizational to-dos – e.g. organizing documents.

MAKE IT EASY FOR YOURSELF & LEARN WITH ALL YOUR SENSES

Think of your brain as a library, where each book is sorted by title and subject. Your mind needs the same order to classify new knowledge. Therefore, make sure you work in a structured way, breaking down complex information into smaller intermediate steps. In this way, you give your brain the opportunity to process the information effectively. In addition, involve several senses in your learning process. The brain can remember information much more easily if it links it to different sensory perceptions. This is also the principle behind our innovative learning app IU Learn, which allows you to acquire knowledge through multimedia and in short, manageable lessons.

RELY ON REPETITION

Repetition helps you to retain new knowledge in your memory. According to health and nursing scientist Barbara Schubert, after 20 minutes we have “forgotten about 40% of what we have learned”, after an hour it is “already half and after a day already more than 70%”*. To counteract this process, you should repeat the learning material at regular intervals. Schubert recommends the following procedure: Start the first repetition ideally already 20 minutes after your learning unit, the second after one day. The third repetition should take place within the next week, the fourth after one month at the latest.

LEARN WHILE SLEEPING

A particularly suitable phase for repeating learning content is shortly before going to bed. During the day, on the other hand, it is advisable to take a short power nap after an intensive learning phase. This is because your memory consolidates during sleep. This means that what you have learned is transferred from short-term to long-term memory and stored there. So treat yourself to your well-deserved recovery sleep, which consolidates your knowledge overnight and works for you without your active intervention. If you get tired of learning again, you should remember that you feed your happiness center with every completed lesson. And that you can also be damn proud of yourself because you have come a whole lot closer to your learning goal.

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