Experiences and biochemical processes that spark learning and growth

When Carol Lee argues that the purpose of school should be to prepare young people for civic engagement, she recognizes that what they learn must be relevant to their lives. “The emotional salience we attribute to experiences,” she notes, “matters greatly to learning; students tend to learn more deeply when what they are learning is relevant.”

There is neurobiology and psychology behind this insight. Experiences that have the greatest impact on learning are ones that build on a child’s frame of reference, on prior knowledge gained in homes, communities, and classrooms. When children have the chance to use something they already know, the message they hear is “what you know matters; you matter.”  The feelings this produces tap into the malleability of the brain, a key to unlocking learning and with it, potential. Meaning and salience release neurotransmitters and hormones that energize neurons — causing them to fire up, connect to other neurons, or strengthen existing connections. As Hebb’s law states, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” Human growth, whether it is the wiring of the brain, the building of an ethical core, or the capacity to love and empathize with others, all come from the affordances that such meaningful experiences provide.

Moreover, when educators design experiences for their students that are relevant and meaningful, they increase the cognitive load students can carry. Carrying increasing cognitive load is essential to new learning. Why would we not, as Zaretta Hammond argues, build on the pillars of knowledge children already possess, and from that foundation, with that energy, construct new knowledge and skills alongside the courage and belief to try and discover new things?