How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching

By Joshua R. Eyler

Book Overview

Even on good days, teaching is a challenging profession. One way to make the job of college instructors easier, however, is to know more about the ways students learn. How Humans Learn aims to do just that by peering behind the curtain and surveying research in fields as diverse as developmental psychology, anthropology, and cognitive neuroscience for insight into the science behind learning. The result is a story that ranges from investigations of the evolutionary record to studies of infants discovering the world for the first time, and from a look into how our brains respond to fear to a reckoning with the importance of gestures and language. Joshua R. Eyler identifies five broad themes running through recent scientific inquiry--curiosity, sociality, emotion, authenticity, and failure--devoting a chapter to each and providing practical takeaways for busy teachers. He also interviews and observes college instructors across the country, placing theoretical insight in dialogue with classroom experience.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1946684643
• ISBN13: 9781946684646
• Release Date: October 2018
• Publisher: West Virginia University Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

We were born for this

Are you an educator, or instructional designer, looking to dive deep into why certain learning strategies work better than others? Do you love to learn about learning? Are you interested in a comprehensive, well-researched book on pedagogy that is relatable and puts into practice its very recommendations? Look no further! Eyler delivers with "How Humans Learn." He links early childhood development to adult learning principles and demonstrates that when it comes to learning: we (humans) have always had what we needed all along: curiosity, sociality, emotion, authenticity and failure. Humans were born to learn! And don't be discouraged by the title: this book is not just for college professors. Anyone with an interest in learning stands to benefit!