The Bookshelf: June 20, 2017

Trib+Health is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books note in the field of health care. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

PROGRAMMING THE BRAIN: EDUCATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE PERSPECTIVE: Pedagogical Practices and Study Skills for Enhanced Learning and Metacognition

by Chandana Watagodakumbura

Watagodakumbura argues that advances in education haven’t kept pace with advances in neuroscience. ... He opens with the notion that all human brains are unique and malleable, to the extent that every person has his or her own unique way of learning… Education, he argues, works counter to such neurological individuality by forcing students to conform to rigid teaching and testing structures, which may turn off even the most gifted students. … Overall, though, Watagodakumbura makes a convincing case that everyone is wired differently for learning, and children who are taught in ways that allow for this fact will blossom intellectually. The book raises intriguing questions about what it truly means to be different in an educational system that demands conformity.

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.