who are cool but are having problems with their schoolwork. Dahlia is having trouble with
Spanish, and Chris with math. They visit the lab of Dr. Cerebrus, a slightly mad brain scientist,
who teaches them all about the brain and the care and feeding of it. He teaches them what to do
for maximum performance from the brain (like sleeping enough, eating the right things, and
using good study strategies) and he teaches them how the brain grows as they learn. The
program, all along, shows students how Chris and Dahlia apply these lessons to their
schoolwork. The interactive portions allow students to do brain experiments, see videos of real
students with their problems and study strategies, recommend study plans for Chris and Dahlia,
and keep a journal of their own problems and study plans.
Here are some of the seventh graders writing about how this program changed them:
After Brainology, I now have a new look at things. Now, my attitude towards the subjects I have
trouble in [is] I try harder to study and master the skills.... I have been using my time more
wisely, studying everyday and reviewing the notes that I took on that day. I am really glad that I
joined this program because it increased my intelligence about the brain.
I did change my mind about how the brain works and i do things differently. i will try harder
because i know that the more you try the more your brain works.
ALL i can say is that Brainology changed my grades. Bon Voyage!
The Brainology program kind of made me change the way i work and study and practice for
school work now that i know how my brain works and what happens when i learn.
Thank you for making us study more and helping us build up our brain! I actually picture my
neurons growing bigger as they make more connections.
Teachers told us how formerly turned-off students were now talking the Brainology talk.
For example, they were taught that when they studied well and learned something, they
transferred it from temporary storage (working memory) to more permanent storage (long-term
memory). Now they were saying to each other: “I’ll have to put that into my long-term memory.”
“Sorry, that stuff is not in my long-term memory.” “I guess I was only using my working
memory.”
Teachers said that students were also offering to practice, study, take notes, or pay
attention more to make sure that neural connections would be made. As one student said:
“Yes the [B]rainology program helped a lot.... Every time I thought about not doing
work I remembered that my neurons could grow if I did do the work.”
The teachers also changed. Not only did they say great things about how their students
benefited, they also said great things about the insights they themselves had gained. In particular,
they said Brainology was essential for understanding:
“That all students can learn, even the ones who struggle with math and with self-control.”
“That I have to be more patient because learning takes a great deal of time and practice.”
“How the brain works.... Each learner learns differently. Brainology assisted me in
teaching for various learning styles.”
Our workshop went to children in twenty schools. Some children admitted to being
skeptical at first: “i used to think it was just free time and a good cartoon but i started listening to
it and i started doing what they told me to do.” In the end, just about every child reported
meaningful benefits.
MORE ABOUT CHANGE
Is change easy or hard? So far it sounds easy. Simply learning about the growth mindset
seems to mobilize people for meeting challenges and persevering.