Ep. 115: Barbara Oakley, Ph.D. - Learning as a Gift, Skill, and Choice

Full PreFrontal

Nothing is more invigorating than watching a young mind at work. Fascinated by curiosity and deeply enthralled in untangling its pieces, learning brings joy and satisfaction to both the teacher and the learner. But how does one make sure that the learner falls in love with learning? How much of that is the responsibility of an educator versus a parent versus a student himself? And what are the ways to lay out a blueprint for increasing learner autonomy and locus of control so that it directly influences a student’s personal achievement?
On this episode, award winning educator, professor of engineering, and co-creator of the largest online MOOK Coursera class called “Learning How to Learn,” Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., discusses the neural scaffolding involved in information processing, memory formation, and learning. Dr. Oakley’s insights expands upon the quote by Brian Herbert, “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.”
About Barbara Oakley, Ph.D.
Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan; the Ramón y Cajal Distinguished Scholar of Global Digital Learning at McMaster University; and Coursera’s inaugural “Innovation Instructor.” Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. Dr. Oakley’s research has been described as “revolutionary” in the Wall Street Journal—she has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. She has won numerous teaching awards, including the American Society of Engineering Education’s Chester F. Carlson Award for technical innovation in engineering education. Together with Terrence Sejnowski, the Francis Crick Professor at the Salk Institute, she co-teaches Coursera – UC San Diego’s “Learning How to Learn,” the world’s most popular massive open online course.
Website:

• https://BarbaraOakley.com/

Books:

• A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)
• Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential
• Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens

About Host, Sucheta Kamath
Sucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.

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