How We Learn Audiobook By Stanislas Dehaene cover art

How We Learn

Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine...for Now

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How We Learn

By: Stanislas Dehaene
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
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“There are words that are so familiar they obscure rather than illuminate the thing they mean, and ‘learning’ is such a word. It seems so ordinary, everyone does it. Actually it’s more of a black box, which Dehaene cracks open to reveal the awesome secrets within.” (The New York Times Book Review)

An illuminating dive into the latest science on our brain's remarkable learning abilities and the potential of the machines we program to imitate them.

The human brain is an extraordinary learning machine. Its ability to reprogram itself is unparalleled, and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. But how do we learn? What innate biological foundations underlie our ability to acquire new information, and what principles modulate their efficiency?

In How We Learn, Stanislas Dehaene finds the boundary of computer science, neurobiology, and cognitive psychology to explain how learning really works and how to make the best use of the brain’s learning algorithms in our schools and universities, as well as in everyday life and at any age.

©2020 Stanislas Dehaene (P)2020 Penguin Audio Biological Sciences Education Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Thought-Provoking Inspiring

Critic reviews

"[An] expert overview of learning.... Never mind our opposable thumb, upright posture, fire, tools, or language; it is education that enabled humans to conquer the world.... Dehaene's fourth insightful exploration of neuroscience will pay dividends for attentive readers." (Kirkus Reviews)

“[Dehaene] rigorously examines our remarkable capacity for learning. The baby brain is especially awesome and not a 'blank slate'.... Dehaene’s portrait of the human brain is fascinating.” (Booklist)

"A richly instructive [book] for educators, parents, and others interested in how to most effectively foster the pursuit of knowledge." (Publishers Weekly)

Scientific Insights • Practical Applications • Educational Value • Comprehensive Coverage • Accessible Explanations
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This is the most up to date book in the progressing multiple sciences of education - I tell everyone!!

Recommending to every educator I know

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Being a computer programmer, I liked the way the author explained the different systems of the brain. I liked the constant references to machine learning and the different challenges that field will have to match the human brain.

The book also gave me some ideas to improve my own learning. Like reading before sleep. As well as getting a good amount of quality sleep. Which I kind of knew but it was good to be reminded of again.

Excellent

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This is a great book about the brain and where we are with our knowledge about how it works. Anyone who wants to learn should read this book.

Interesting and informative

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Excelent book, with a strong cientifc background but accessible and practical application in real life at home, schools and any other educational and training environment.

Must to parents, teachers, instructors and students

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This audiobook was well read and explained many theories of learning with some practical applications cited.

We’ll written to explain many theories behind learning

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This should be required reading for every educator and parent. I loved the suggestions and will be implementing many of them with my children.

Excellent

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Clearly stated research based science of learning

As a teacher, I only wish we had more information and continued research on this topic

Clear and useful

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I learned that are much more genetically primed than was (at least by behavioralists) thought. Looks like we are born with dedicated GPU and other processors (like other mammals), but we are able to repurpose them during the early years of neuronal growth (like using GPU for Bitcoin mining or main processor for graphic operations). Our brains are pre-equipped with some mathematical apparatus, but its main language is probabilistic, so we kind of simulate the computations for exact numbers through symbols, making it much more slowly, and is that training extensive, we repurpose other regions (face recognition) for this. There are people documented to calculate big numbers super fast like a computer and I wonder if they managed to repurpose the interface in their brain to directly use the brain processing engine without the symbolic emulation.
Testing show the most important thing for learning, not studying (as most people think). So my favorite way of learning - start to do something and learn what I need along the way, is actually quite valid!
Given the new facts from brain imaging, we should re-evaluate our teaching aproaches, because it tend to extinguish curiosity in children, especially the gifted ones.

Everyone should learn to happily make errors.

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Updated information. Very insightful. I particularly enjoyed the inspirations on Education. The information about the brain certainly helps a great deal!

Inspiring

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good primer on human and machine learning, together with a little glimpse of cutting edge AI mixed in here and there

interesting and informative

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