Emotions, Learning, and Development

If we want to truly support young people on their journey toward adulthood, we have to start with a strong grasp of where and how learning happens. Both formal and informal education settings play a critical role, as do caring adults, both inside and outside the school system.

If you subscribe to the belief (or are intrigued by the notion) that the school system enslaves children and interferes with natural and play-based learning, you will enjoy this well-researched unschooling manifesto. Here’s a taste:

In Free to Learn, Peter Gray carefully outlines what he considers the “seven sins of our system of forced education”, discusses education of children in hunter-gatherer cultures, outlines the history of schooling, offers insights from democratic schools and research on self-directed learning, and explores the value of trustful parenting.

Gray argues that our school systems turn children into mindless followers:

Even if you do not share the author’s strong views on self-directed learning and the importance of play, his work will likely spark deep reflection on how systems impact our children and youth.

Chances are you’ve heard of Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. If you haven’t, you’ll likely enjoy her many presentations and interviews on the relationship between emotions and learning. This recent book (2016) is an excellent summary of her research and that of her colleagues and mentors, including Antonio Damasio. Immordino Yang’s basic premise is “We feel, therefore we learn.” She devotes most of the book to demonstrating the connection between affective neuroscience, teaching, and learning.

Although a slim volume, this is not the kind of book you can breeze through in a day or two, nor should you want to. The depth of Immordino-Yang’s research and the complexity of her findings and implications for education do force you to slow down and often return to key passages. But this is a strength of this book — it highlights research that is almost never included in teacher education programs or training for future youth development practitioners. Allow yourself to read, re-read, and wonder at the complexity of the human brain. You’ll enjoy the journey.

Immordino-Yang spends some time exploring the connection between neuroscience research and the classroom, but she stays away from simplistic causal links and warns against “neuromyths” that reduce complex research findings into seemingly logical recommendations for classroom practice. Again, this is her strength – take your time, savour the complex neuroscience on display here, and you’ll glean your own insights.