The Neuroscience of Surprise and How It Improves Learning

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Surprise can increase learning and change the lives of our students in positive ways. Today’s guest researcher, Dr. Michael Rousell, studies the neuroscience of surprise and has some interesting points for educators and presenters. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Johns Hopkins’ article, </span> <a href= "https://www.medicaldaily.com/element-surprise-helps-babies-learn-significantly-better-327844#:~:text=The%20element%20of%20surprise%20provides,the%20ramp%20as%20they%20expected."> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Element of Surprise Helps Babies Learn Significantly Better</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, points to a phenomenon that impacts all ages. For example, if you’ve played peekaboo with a baby, you know the surprise is what makes them laugh. Interestingly, researchers found that once babies saw something that surprised them, their engagement with the object peaked their learning behavior which improved significantly compared to a baby who was not surprised.  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So they found that</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">babies who were shown surprising events were able to learn faster and more efficiently</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">afterward than those who were not.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today we will discuss how surprise applies to learning.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Show Notes and Transcript: <a href= "https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e774">https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e774</a> </span></p> <p><strong>Sponsor: <span style="font-weight: 400;">Today’s sponsor is</span> <a href= "https://legacy.smarttech.com/en/lumio?utm_source=cool-cat-teacher&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=lumio&utm_campaign=cool-cat-teacher-q1-2022"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Lum.io</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, an award-winning digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences If you’re looking for a co