Mapping Neuroscience to Application
Margie Meacham
learningtogo.info
Statement
Brains work like super-computers.
Listening to Mozart can make you smarter.
Most people only use about 10% of their brains.
The more wrinkles you have in your brain, the smarter
you are.
You can learn while you sleep by playing an audio book.
Man has the largest brain of any animal.
Intelligence is an inherited trait.
Left-brained people are analytical and right-brained
people are creative.
Learners are divided equally between visual, auditory
and kinesthetic learning styles.
True or
False
Statement
True or
False
Brains work like super-computers.
F
Listening to Mozart can make you smarter.
F
Most people only use about 10% of their brains.
F
The more wrinkles you have in your brain, the smarter
you are.
F
You can learn while you sleep by playing an audio book.
F
Man has the largest brain of any animal.
F
Intelligence is an inherited trait.
F
Left-brained people are analytical and right-brained
people are creative.
F
Learners are divided equally between visual, auditory
and kinesthetic learning styles.
F
Your brain is constantly rewiring itself, based on internal and
external stimuli.
Your brain is the result of evolution intended to help you
survive (at least long enough to pass along your genes.)
We are hard-wired to notice change, especially changes to:
• movement
• similarities
• contrast
• expected rewards
• strong emotions
Pretty
Chem
Class
Smells
nice
Working Memory
(Temporary)
Irrelevant
Your brain filters out what seems irrelevant and parks
the rest in working memory for further processing.
Working memory has limitations:
• 1-5 images (depending on their complexity)
• 5-9 digits
• 5-7 letters
• 4-6 words
Jane
Chem
Class
College
Nice
Smells
New information is cross-referenced with existing
information. Another purge discards information that
doesn’t seem relevant or is not related to anything
already stored.
Long-term memory is formed by linking multiple cells
together.
Connections that are
revisited frequently
become stronger.
Connections that are
left alone are
eventually destroyed
to make room for
more current
information.
Endorphins are released at the end of the process to
reward the brain for learning. Learning is addictive –
and that’s a good thing!
Neurogenesis and the spacing effect: Learning over time enhances memory and the survival of
new neurons. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1876761/
Source: Howstuffworks.com
Subject A is performing the task; subject B is merely
observing, but the brain responds in very similar ways,
as though B were also performing the task.
• Traditional senior-to-junior
relationship
• Group Mentoring
• Peer-to-peer
• Junior-to-senior (“Reverse
Mentoring”)
• Face-to-face
• Virtual
• Blended
Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck:
•
Self-talk and self-images
affect our behavior and
our ability to learn.
•
Focus on areas of
opportunity, not
“talents” or “strengths”
•
NEVER tell someone
“your not good at x.”
•
ALWAYS tell them they
can improve.
•
Frame “failures” as
learning experiences.
•
Beware the “expectation
effect”/leverage the
“sales person effect” to
develop mentee’s
influencing skills.
•
Trust is often an issue in senior-to-peer mentoring.
Mentees are often afraid to:
-- Admit weaknesses/mistakes
-- Ask “stupid questions”
-- Share true aspiration
•
•
•
•
•
Join mentees in play to break down barriers.
Encourage a growth mindset.
Teach mentees to control and direct their
thoughts.
Make mentees feel safe.
Leverage mirror neurons:
-- Demonstrate fairness.
-- Role model desired behaviors.
•
•
•
•
•
Senior leaders interact with a group of
“high potential” employees to develop
skills needed at the next level.
Select seniors carefully – mentees will
study their behavior for cues to their
own.
Select projects that build skills critical
to the business: critical thinking, crosscultural communication, etc.
Encourage interaction among peers.
(You will be creating peer-to-peer
mentoring at the same time.)
Avoid competition. (It sets up fight-orflight response, which may not be
conducive for learning the target
skills.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can deliver quicker short-term results
than senior-to-junior relationships.
Tends to be focused on succeeding at
the current level.
Works best when both parties
recognize a feeling of affinity with each
other.
Peer mentors often learn more than
the peer. Can be used as a “stealth
leadership development program.”
Encourage continued relationships
after the initial onboarding period
through quarterly check-ins.
Expand to a group mentoring model at
some point to develop a “cohort.”
• Identify mentee benefits:
-- Relate to and inspire younger workers
-- Leverage technology and social media
-- Approach problems with new eyes
• Recruit volunteers
-- Senior leaders may be skeptical about the value. Let
early adopters influence others.
• Set ground-rules
-- Define outcomes and roles at the start.
• Consider two-way mentoring
-- Each member has more “skin in the game” if they are
contractually bound to give and receive.
• Get attention right away with a
challenge or a question.
• Use links to other sites like YouTube
or Twitter to engage.
• Use video to provide face-to-face
connection, especially when you
want to use your facial expressions
to convey content.
• Keep it short – no more than 30
minutes.
• Engage mirror neurons by mentoring
to a group or demonstrating skills
yourself.
•
•
•
•
•
Best of both worlds – or worst?
Kickoff with a face-to-face period to build
trust and accelerate communication.
Use virtual tools for reinforcement and ongoing communication.
Use videos for engagement, challenges,
preparation for follow-up face-to-face
meetings.
Encourage mentees to keep a journal.
Journaling uses an entirely different set of
neurons and brings together multiple
skills to consolidate learning. Digital
journals are as effective as paper journals
and have the advantage of including
images, links, etc.
In The Age of Opportunity,
Laurence Steinberg makes
the case that human beings
are entering and staying in
adolescence longer than
ever before – beginning as
early as 10 and extended
well into their 20s.
Adolescent brains exhibit:
• difficulty concentrating and remembering even routine
tasks
• amped-up sexual drive
• Heightened willingness to take risks
• poor impulse control
• susceptibility to peer pressure
• heightened emotional responses and mood swings
• difficulty sleeping, which interferes with brain development
• Encourage physical activity and health to support
brain development and socialization.
• Encourage game-based scenarios to develop critical
thinking and decision-making.
• Channel risk-taking into exploration and
experimentation. Be open to new ideas coming from
fresh eyes.
• Develop emotional intelligence through practice and
role-model effective responses to emotional
distress. All learning has an emotional component,
so use it to help young mentees develop.
• Build just-in-time reminders, checklists and cues to
reinforce desired behavior.
• Provide wide range of experiences to take
advantages to the young brain’s capacity to learn
and change.
• Encourage a growth mindset to last a lifetime!
What one thing can you change
tomorrow (or soon)?
“Good science usually gives you as many
questions as answers.” – Kayt Sukel
How do you separate the hype from
meaningful content?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is the source?
What is their expertise?
Who funded the research?
What is their agenda?
What language is used?
Do they raise questions for further study?
Do they claim exclusivity?
Is there commerce involved?
Is there mention of a conspiracy?
Has the result been replicated in other research?
What is your personal “hypometer” telling you?
Modified from 10 Questions To Distinguish Real From
Fake Science, Emily Willingham, Forbes
Available at: learningtogo.info
Your mentee’s brain is a powerful tool.
Be careful what you tell it!
(My website is actually www.learningtogo.info)

ATD Science of Learning blog: http://tinyurl.com/o53qlym
The Power of Believing (TED Talk), Carol Dweck:
http://tinyurl.com/o9h5r4g
A Light Switch for Neurons (TED Talk). Ed Boyden:
http://www.ted.com/talks/ed_boyden
The Future of the Brain: Essays by the World's Leading
Neuroscientists, by Gary Marcus (Editor), Jeremy Freeman (Editor).
http://tinyurl.com/kgfn2ph
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, by David Eagleman.
http://tinyurl.com/px5uv4n
The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human
Intelligence, by Carl Sagan. http://tinyurl.com/qfar3w5
Brain Matters: How to help anyone learn anything using
neuroscience, by Margie Meacham. http://tinyurl.com/nof8heh
Margie Meacham
Chief Freedom
Officer (CFO)
Learningtogo.info
1+623-512-6034
Twitter:
@margiemeacham