From Brain to Mind: Using Neuroscience to Guide Change in Education by James E. Zull (review)

A biology professor has just had a “eureka” moment: after spending hours working through a complex theory, something has finally clicked in his brain. To his great joy, he finds that he has mastered the problem. He feels joy not just in finding the solution, but in the entire experience: the exploration, discovery, comprehension, and perhaps most importantly, the freedom and confidence found in the self-discovery of knowledge.

This is the kind of passion and richness of description that James E. Zull brings in From Brain to Mind: Using Neuroscience to Guide Change in Education. Zull has made significant contributions to the growing field of brain-based learning with the goal of making neuroscience accessible to educators and learners. From Brain to Mind follows his acclaimed first book on the intersection of neuroscience and pedagogy, The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning (Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2002).

Zull opens From Brain to Mind with a warning that we are underutilizing our brains. With information constantly at our fingertips via technology, there is little motivation to actually learn or expend much mental effort on a regular basis. He fears for the current generation of children growing up in this environment because, in many ways, the brain is a “use it or lose it” organ. Zull writes that education must change to fill the gap left by technology. We need to stimulate the brain, strengthen the mind, and discover the process of learning itself. To explain what this means, Zull takes his readers on a metaphorical journey from brain to mind.

The brain is a concrete physiological structure, the inner workings of which produce the more abstract functioning of the mind. Zull explains the functions and processes of the brain and shows how the brain becomes a mind through the individual experiences of learners. The transformational journey from brain to mind comprises several stages, each of which occupies a chapter in the book.

The journey begins with the seemingly simple act of changing perception to action. The brain is built for sensory and motor function, which in and of itself is not “mind.” Humans must explore and make discoveries (perception), a step that leads to new capabilities or thoughts (action). The satisfaction of discovery comes with a feeling of joy, which Zull discusses in the next chapter.

Chemicals in the brain produce the emotion of “joy” when stimulated by frontal cortex activity. This region of the brain is associated with decision-making, problem-solving, creating images, predicting events, and more—all highly satisfying behaviors. With regard to education, learners must be allowed to explore and discover—to have opportunities for choices, challenges, and problem solving. Learners must be allowed the freedom and comfort of a mistake-rich environment for a positive learning experience, unlike the high-pressure “get it right” approach in schools that fosters fear and tension in learning. In growth, freedom, and development of mind, there is joy.

Deeper learning through integration occurs in the next stage. Resources for the development of complex intelligence are found in the integrative regions of the brain. As we mature and develop complexity and individuality, sensory-motor experiences and mimicry behaviors lessen, and we begin to make our own interpretations of experiences and respond in unique ways. Zull emphasizes the ownership of learning, which is hard to find in educational contexts in which students are dependent on educators. Learners must gain independence and freedom to pursue their own interests and ideas; otherwise, they will be stifled.

Zull includes two chapters on memory: one on memory formation and one on memory recall. The complex process of forming and recalling memories provides a foundation for learning. Memory can become implicit knowledge and is the resource used when we solve problems, think critically, make meaning, etc.

In the final chapter, Zull discusses metacognition...