Yesterday I read through James E. Zull's book The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning, © 2002, Stylus Publishing. Zull applies common neurobiological principles to the practice of teaching and learning. It seems to me that what he shows in terms of brain function, closely relates to constructivist/ experiential learning principles. The learning cycle, he says, arises naturally from the structure of the brain.
Concrete experience comes through the sensory cortex, reflective observation involves the integrative cortex at the back, creating new abstract concepts occurs in the frontal integrative cortex and active testing involves the motor brain." (p. 18)
Zull tells us that without biology, the learning cycle is theoretical; but with biology, we can come closer to fact. Our brains process our experiences and convert those experiences into knowledge. From that knowledge we can reflect on what we have learned, and explore the possibilities, and test different alternatives. This opens the way for new ideas.
The point to understanding this approach is to think about how we teach. If this application of biology to learning is correct, it seems to support teaching students in ways that give them more opportunities to learn by doing.
Anyone else read this book? Let me know what you think.
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