So much has been learned about the brain in the past two decades that many of the traditional assumptions about knowledge
acquisition and retention are no longer extant. In fact, what is now known about
brain function is not evident in how most schools go about teaching children. Teaching
protocols have long been grounded in the notion that the brain was subject to mechanical laws that were identifiable in all
brains and teaching was organized to fit those supposed laws.
As it turns out the brain is shaped by thoughts, feelings, and experiences to a much greater level than was believed
in mechanical theories. Consciousness itself is just coming to be understood;
but what is now known puts to rest previous notions about IQ and other limitations that were once at the seat of thinking
about learning. Nutrition, general health, and emotional stability are as critical
to brain function as they are to physical health.
