Learning together can only work if the idea of individual performance and rankings is not drilled in students. Learning together reinforces the idea that everybody has problems and learning is a process, with common obstacles.

Collaboration

Measuring the speed of learning in a timed test gives out the wrong impression that speed equals competency, and is generally useless.
Engaging with the material in flexible ways with plenty of time to absorb and study is the best way to long-term learning.

Faster Isn't Better

The power of auto-suggestion works like magic on the brain. Having negative ideas (pessimism) is linked to negative outcomes regardless of other factors.
If you believe that you can learn then you can.

Your Beliefs Shape Your Learning

Just giving the right answer in a test isn't enough. The brain works and learns better when solving difficult problems, absorbing it for a lifetime. If teachers make it all right to fail and provide students with the space to make mistakes, it can be incredibly freeing.

Embracing Mistakes

Schools that are practicing 'tracking' where they group students based on their test scores and abilities are hampering their development. They mistakenly think that the brain is fixed and these students are 'learning disabled' for life.
Every time we learn something, the brain is forming, strengthening and connecting neural pathways, at any age. We never stop learning, but stigmas and wrong beliefs at an early age impact the learning process.

The Brain is Always Changing

Deploying innovative and new educational strategies provides a multi-dimensional approach to learning. When different brain areas are engaged, inter-brain neural activity is developed.
Learning different subjects and skills also enhances one's creative problem-solving abilities and provides new associations/connections with unrelated fields of knowledge.

Different Approaches and Tools

The natural talents and skills of youngsters are quickly dashed at school, where they are told by parents and teachers that they aren't that smart, based on the prevailing metrics of measurement.
It is a myth that our brains are fixed and we cannot learn about new topics, something that negatively impacts education.
Learning can take place at any age and has no racial or gender stereotypes.

Everyone is Skilled

Recently, a close friend's niece was having trouble graduating from college. She needed to pass a math class to graduate but wouldn't take it because she feared flunking it. A belief that she just wasn't "good at math" was keeping her stuck in graduation limbo, unable to move on with her life.

Embracing Mistakes

How Understanding Your Brain Can Help You Learn

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