Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Pear Press (2009), Epub, 301 pages
Description
Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule what scientists know for sure about how our brains work and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently, exercise improves cognition, we are designed to never stop learning and exploring, memories are volatile, sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn, vision trumps all of the other senses, stress changes the way we learn, and in the end, you'll understand how your brain really works and how to get the most out of it.… (more)
Media reviews
Medina's approach to the subject combines the best aspects of Oliver Sacks and Getting Things Done, making the book into something that's part manifesto and part education.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MichaelRWolf
Amazing!
Chapter 8 (Stress) may have changed my life.
Wonderfuly well written, John "eats his own dogfood" by using the brain rules to guide his writing into a style that's very accessible. Although he does not claim to know answers for how to make better classrooms and workspaces, a lot of hints
Chapter 8 (Stress) may have changed my life.
Wonderfuly well written, John "eats his own dogfood" by using the brain rules to guide his writing into a style that's very accessible. Although he does not claim to know answers for how to make better classrooms and workspaces, a lot of hints
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show that we haven't come close to optimal. He suggests some changes based on well known principals, and makes a great case for further exploration. Show Less
LibraryThing member pipster
I learned about this book from Garr Reynolds' website. Medina's storytelling approach worked well for me & many of the principles are relevant to my work. Like some other reviewers, I'd like to know more about the science behind the stories.
LibraryThing member tgraettinger
An unusual book - not exactly pop science, not exactly self-help, not business, yet it has some of the flavor of all three. There is a companion web site, and at times you get the sense that this material would work better in a different format or combination of formats - and maybe that's what the
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web site helps accomplish. Since a couple of the "Rules" are "vision trumps all other senses" and "we don't pay attention to boring things", a book with no pictures seems a bit incongruous. And the rules are not prescriptive, but rather suggestive. Medina readily admits, maybe too readily, that almost all of these rules need more research. So, what are we to do with these rules. Maybe to do the "exploration" that is the basis of rule 12 and find out for ourselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member kjacobson1
I learned about this book from Garr Reynolds' website. Medina's storytelling approach worked well for me & many of the principles are relevant to my work. Like some other reviewers, I'd like to know more about the science behind the stories.
LibraryThing member jcopenha
He takes a lot of good neuroscience research and comes up with interesting ideas on how to apply it to the modern workplace and modern education. The neuroscience probably won't be anything new for those interested in the field, but the ideas as the end of each chapter will be. And for those that
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aren't as familiar with neuroscience it'll be very interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member tkadlec
Brain Rules is an excellent overview of some key principles to optimize your brain's performance. Medina does a great job of mixing the science behind how your brain works with practical takeaways. While there is a lot of science discussed, Medina manages to present the information in a very
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engaging and easily digestible format.There are so many things we should be doing to optimize our cognitive abilities at work and in the classroom that are currently being ignored for the sake of tradition. The adjustments sometimes sound fairly radical (Medina proposes that companies should block out 1/2 hour each day for employees to nap for example) but they are also fairly simple to execute, and well supported by scientific evidence of their potential impact.This should be a must read for anyone in business or education. Show Less
LibraryThing member wodfest
Briliant. I use stuff from this every day (that I remember to). I read about half of this then left it for a while then read a chapter that I was most interested in then I re-read the whole.
LibraryThing member Lagodzilla
A very humorus read about our brains!
LibraryThing member paulsignorelli
Although the brain often seems to be the most overlooked tool in trainer-teacher-learners' toolkits, great writers like developmental molecular biologist John Medina are doing a lot to move us past that that oversight through books like "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at
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Work, Home, and School." Medina is never less than completely engaging, and his 12 rules about how the brain functions in learning are drawn from well-documented research, his own very funny observations, and his continual call for more research to help fill in the numerous gaps we still have in our knowledge: "This book is a call for research simply because we don't know enough to be prescriptive," he disarmingly admits (p. 4). Among the rules he documents: exercise boosts brain power; every brain is wired differently; stressed brains don't learn well; and stimulate more of the senses simultaneously to stimulate more effective learning. This is not a book for those comfortable with the status quo; in fact, Medina clearly expects us to approach his work with minds completely open to ideas that might initially strike us as ludicrous. And he encourages us to imagine (and create) learning spaces that inspire and sustain curiosity as opposed to the age-old model of lecture halls where learning is an instructor-centric endeavor. Show Less
LibraryThing member kashtastic
I'd rate this a 3.5I found it an interesting and educational read. I liked how the book was organized and how it was explained in terms I understood.Many of the principles, to me, felt rather self-explanatory but at the same time they were put in way that told me things I didn't know about the
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topic.I enjoyed reading it. Show Less
LibraryThing member LaPhenix
Wonderfully thorough and accessible! Medina presents complicated data and concepts in an engaging manner and supports his ideas with examples and stories designed to maximize recall. I loved reading this book and anticipate that I'll be referencing it often!
LibraryThing member jlapac
This is a great book. It combines brain science with evolution, how people learn and the stupidities of how we teach. It took me a long time to actually read, but in the process I gave two presentations on the basic principles and gifted the book to a couple of different people.
I think it is a good
-understanding how your children are developing
-understanding how to approach people and how their brain affects their reaction
-understanding the basic way your brain works so that you can leverage that knowledge
etc.
The above, of course, assumes that what the book says is correct. I choose to think it is and think that the concepts it provides can be very useful in managing staff and working with people in general.
I think it is a good
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book to read for many reasons:-understanding how your children are developing
-understanding how to approach people and how their brain affects their reaction
-understanding the basic way your brain works so that you can leverage that knowledge
etc.
The above, of course, assumes that what the book says is correct. I choose to think it is and think that the concepts it provides can be very useful in managing staff and working with people in general.
Show Less
LibraryThing member revslick
Excellent, down to earth way that we can make simple Life Hacks with discoveries regarding how the Brain works. Best tips are - exercise is crucial!! naps are important for creativity and high Brain functioning; teaching and probably also preaching should only last for 10min increments; and lastly
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what we smell while learning can greatly enhance our retention and learning speed. Medina's downside is he breaks down things so much that it lack an air of academic rigor. If Brain Rules could be combined with Brain Fix you'd have a masterpiece. Show Less
LibraryThing member collizzle
My advisor for grad school gave me this book as a graduation present. As a researcher, I have read about many of these studies but it was still interesting and engaging. I highly recommend it.
LibraryThing member Willow1972
Fascinating! A great book for those laymen (like moi) interested in Brain science and the implications on learning. The chapters on music and gender are especially good.
LibraryThing member simchaboston
Short, but informative and engaging. I appreciate that Medina explains the biology clearly, tries not to generalize too much (even the "principles" of the title are more suggestions and ideas for future research), and emphasizes that there is so much about the brain that we still don't understand.
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This would be too basic for those who already know some neuroscience, but for me it was about right. Show Less
LibraryThing member castiron
An interesting basic overview of what we currently know about how the brain processes information and learns.
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
An amazing book on the brain. The book is highly readable and interesting.
LibraryThing member Skybalon
Good highly readable reference to the latest in brain research. Well worth the read, even you won't remember all 12 principles later. (And there is probably a principle in the book that would explain why.)
LibraryThing member quantum.alex
A must-read to learn the scientific basis for self-actualizing your intellect and putting pragmatic practices into action.
LibraryThing member yamiyoghurt
Very easy and entertaining read. Shares information that helps you hack your life.
Language
Physical description
301 p.; 6 inches
Local notes
Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a "brain rule", some anecdotes and his personal ideas for future research.
The 12 rules are:
EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way as non-stressed
SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.
It was a little too light for me.
The 12 rules are:
EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way as non-stressed
SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.
It was a little too light for me.
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