Originally when we included the new science of learning as one of the 7 core elements of learning today, we were thinking mostly about what science investigations currently might show about how we “learned best”. Perhaps that would be something through the brain scans often used to understand functions of the brain, or perhaps some form of memory tests based on various learning conditions or circumstances.
Now we know that the new science of learning encompasses so very much more. Duh.
But understanding the brain is still a central basis for designing learning MO, even if it is connected to concomitant science of AI etc. In fact, one aspect of the brain is noted when AI researchers talk about replicating human intelligence through “machines”…how do we model the emotional side of human intelligence, the physical embedded-in-a-body nature of human intelligence?
That part of the brain is often referred to as the Limbic System. What is the Limbic System, you may ask, and what do we need to know about it? And how many of those creating learning theory and teaching practices have incorporated knowledge of this very important part of the brain into their work?
[gview file=”https://publicservicesalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Chapter-9-Limbic-System.pdf”]The limbic system is a complex set of structures found on the central underside of the cerebrum, comprising inner sections of the temporal lobes and the bottom of the frontal lobe. It combines higher mental functions and primitive emotion into a single system often referred to as the emotional nervous system.
It is not only responsible for our emotional lives but also our higher mental functions, such as learning and formation of memories. The limbic system is the reason that some physical things such as eating seem so pleasurable to us, and the reason why some medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, are caused by mental stress.
There are several important structures within the limbic system: the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus.