This is your brain on TMMBA

Scott Hannah, TMMBA Student (Class of 2010)

During our most recent quarter break I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by noted local author and researcher Dr. John Medina.  His lecture was titled “Brain Rules for Students” and was a discussion of two of his 12 “brain rules” for learning, and how they apply to the growing mind.  For those of you who have read the book, the two brain rules in question were Rule #7: Sleep well, think well; and Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.  Dr. Medina’s lecture was meant to look at children and how they learn, but it could easily apply to a TMMBA student as well.

Rule #7 is pretty straight forward in its application; a rested mind learns much better than a sleep-deprived brain.  Throughout my tenure as a TMMBA student I’ve spent more than a few late nights either reading or completing assignments.  In all instances I’ve found my performance the following day to be significantly reduced, and if I was tired when I was reading, my recall of the material was less than desired.  Recommendation:  make certain to get the sleep you need.

Rule#8 deals with environmental concerns.  In the context of a child’s learning, a caring and loving environment makes learning easier for the student, as opposed to an environment where the child is under a significant amount of stress.  For the TMMBA student the recommendation is to build a base of support on the home front.  Spouses, partners, family members, etc. are important members in your support network, and their actions can go a long ways in making your TMMBA experience a successful one.