Customer Reviews

Brain-Based Learning

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Just in four years, you already have a much revised new edition! That reflects the pace of the explosion of brain research studies. The outdated Triune Brain Theory is no longer mentioned. We have: new insights on the dynamic interplay of both nature and nurture; stages of learning that responds to the crucial question of "When has a student learned something?"... For the serious student of neuroscience applied to learning, this is one of the best books. It contains so much interesting, useful and up-to-date information. Just look through the detailed Table of Contents. Rewards, motivation, creativity, meaning-making, discipline... are all seen in a new perspective. It gives a biological basis to respecting individual differences and learning styles. This new edition, with additional drawings, illustrations, outlines, tips and boxes of key ideas, makes the book attractive and easier to read. The author is gifted in integrating a lot of research studies and making them relevant and palatable. He has done a great service to all educators and learners. (The first edition is still worth keeping. It contains useful book recommendations for follow-up and other valid materials that have been left out in the revised edition.)

The first thing that struck me was that it was easy to read. The print was readable and the illustrations were helpful. I did also find some grammatical errors as an earlier review said. But mostly it was very specific and practical. The chapters most helpful were on "emotional states" and music. It's hard to find a book on this subject that's across the board, dealing with many different issues and this one addresses nearly every brain-related research issue from nutrition to memory. As a scientist who also works with high school students, I found his translation of brain research into the classroom to be thoughtful, if not enthusiastic. It's a tough subject to translate, but I did get more than I thought I would out of the book. Mostly it helped me get past the hype and get into the real practical meat of the material. The book's far from perfect, but it's the best I've seen so far on this topic.

I had to purchase this book for a community college class I'm taking. As a "textbook," it has been a complete disappointment. The "science" is sketchy, the research is shoddy, and the huge holes in logic are brushed over with explanations like "you can't prove nearly anything empirically in education" (straight from page 8!). Some of the concepts presented are interesting, but since Mr. Jensen (no, he doesn't hold a doctorate) provides almost no citations for his claims, there is no way to check his assertions or determine where the theories come from. The book reads like a multilevel marketing sales pitch. In fact, you are encouraged to share it with your friends and colleagues and are directed to a website where you could empty your bank account getting "certified" in Mr. Jensen's unique, "empirically unproven" techniques.

Mr. Jensen has saved me and other teachers the time of gathering together the latest information about the brain, learning and so much more! He has made all this scholarly research accessible and fun to read. I wish the deadwood at my school would at least read this book but I hope they would also use the great ideas in it, too, for the students' sake!

Reviewer: Retired superintendent
My regional high school staff has used Eric Jensen's suggestions for brain-friendly teaching for years with GREAT results. Hundreds of students who needed more attention to the way they learned best blossomed, became proficient learners (most important), increased their scores on high stakes tests, and graduated to success in college and the world of work. Eric's brain-friendly suggestions are no "fad"; they are one of the best paths to improving student learning in K-12 and even adult programs. I strongly recommend this and Eric's other books to all teachers.

To those seeking an outline of what education needs to practice so "no child is left behind" this book is a starting point about how people learn. The flow of the book is easy to follow and considers the research findings of how the brain learns in stages of life. Unlike those who consider brain research a "fad", I know from application of the knowledge in this book, the influential changes do produce positive results for students. In the world of "accountability" the tools of Brain Based teaching will allow students and teachers a solution in "leveling the field" for the students from less fortunate environments, which politicians are clueless about in regards the obstacles of "survivalists of poverty". I highly reccommend this book to those wishing to "get off the dead horse" and provide a productive environment for education in the 21st century.

...Mr. Jensen and his wife have developed a veritable cottage industry replete with workshops, seminars, presentations, publications, certifications -- if you've got the money then they have something to sell you...and all of it is centered around what is termed "brain-based learning"...but what this book presents is little more than 400 pages of scientifically unsubstantiated claims and recommendations...for example, it claims that the color yellow somehow enhances intellectual performance and, hence, classrooms should be painted yellow...however, he doesn't offer a shred of evidence to back that claim up...it's all just ridiculous...how does this stuff ever make it into print?

This book was purchased for a PhD level course. It is a very easy read. It gives practical applications to the latest brain research. On a down note, there are not a lot of references documented within the text when Jensen quotes a study, but he does give an extensive bibliography. This book can be used for parents to read about how their child's brain works, or for teachers within a school system. It is a good book to read if you want basic information about the brain from an education standpoint.

There are two kinds of error in this book, the obvious, and the subtle. The first obvious error is on page 28, chapter 3, when glia and interneurons are said to be the same thing; they're just not. "Interneuron" is another term for association neurons, which carry electrical impulses like all other neurons, something glia do not do. The first subtle error is on page 11, chapter 2, when Jenson offers a bar graph comparing relative amounts of brain cells in humans, monkeys, mice and fruit flies. Of course smaller animals have fewer brain cells than bigger animals, they have smaller numbers of ALL kinds of cells because they are so small. Why would you compare the number of brain cells in a fruit fly with a human?! At least a hundred fruit fly BODIES could fit in a human brain! Why not show a bar graph comparing the percentage of brain cells for each organism?! I confess I quit reading the book fairly early in, especially when I noticed the same set of inane "reflection questions" (like, "What from this chapter was new to you?") had been reprinted, word-for-word, at the end of each and every chapter.

I have only read the first 44 pages of this book, so I'd need to read the rest. So far, though, it is interesting but seems fuzzy. The writer makes a lot of claims but I was rarely sure if they were proven or just speculation. This is the kind of sentence that makes me queasy:
"Given all the activations happening at once [in the brain], physical performance probably uses 100 precent of the brain" (p. 39).
Probably? Why? Does any one activity use 100 percent of the brain? And if physical performance does, why is that important?