Social Brain Goes to School

Social Brain Goes to School: How Relationships Power Learning

Creating “Sticky Learning” Through Collaborative Teaming

What if we could identify a way of learning that could help students make deeper, long-term memories than they can by completing worksheets and memorizing for a test? Social cognitive neuroscientist at UCLA, Dr. Matthew Lieberman, notes that when students are socially motivated to learn their social brain can do the learning, and it can do it better than the analytical brain net- work typically activated when they try to memorize in isolation. 13 Collaborative teaming unlocks the learning potential of the Social Brain. When students collaborate, they not only make greater meaning and deepen their understanding of academic content, but they also develop social and emotional intelligence that prepares them for success in the 21st century. 14

“The power of the social brain has been totally underestimated,” reports Dr. Kuhl, “It’s a driving force in learning. It’s the gateway to cognition”. 15

Remarkably, we have a mind-reading net- work in our social brain that influences how students remember and learn. As humans, we are naturally curious about what’s going on in the minds of others. Our innate incli- nation when we are working together is to “peer” into others’ minds to try to figure out what they are thinking, feeling, doing, and about to do.

Imagine students working in teams of 2, 3, and 4, tackling real-world problems by engaging in hands-on tasks. They communicate, negotiate, and learn to appreciate the perspectives of oth- ers. They experience the power of “teaching one another” to consolidate understanding, actively learning with and from each other.