Programming the Brain: Educational Neuroscience Perspective focuses on educational neuroscience and human development and is a must-read for anyone hoping to gain a deeper understanding of what helps individuals learn. Written with an eye toward engagement and conscious pursuit of lifelong learning, Programming the Brain: Educational Neuroscience Perspective will inspire you to engage with the world around you in a more meaningful way.

This book delves into the broader topic of educational transformation required at all levels of education at a time world is facing unprecedented challenges amidst COVID19 tragedy. The premise of such an educational transformation agenda should be focused on individual learner transformation or whole person development. For decades, if not for centuries, we neglected the much important social and emotional domains of learning and development by narrowly focusing only on the cognitive domain. Put differently, we assumed that learning is an external entity that learners have to fill up rather than a means of forming embodied knowledge authentically by essentially looking inward at one's own "self" and its relationship to the external world. In this pursuit of lifelong learning and development for an individual, we highlight the important enablers of developing self-awareness, mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Following the emerging neuroscientific notions of neuroplasticity and epigenetics, we shed aside the linear models of learning that are prevalent in favours of putting learners in the driving seat to self-author their journeys as much as we can. Such learning and development processes suggested in this book promise the development of individuals of enhanced critical thinking, creativity, empathy and compassion to serve this planet better, for the greater good.

"A great book with deep insights into the bridge between programming and the human mind." - Mike Taylor, CGI Your brain responds in a predictable way when it encounters new or difficult tasks. This unique book teaches you concrete techniques rooted in cognitive science that will improve the way you learn and think about code. In The Programmer’s Brain: What every programmer needs to know about cognition you will learn: Fast and effective ways to master new programming languages Speed reading skills to quickly comprehend new code Techniques to unravel the meaning of complex code Ways to learn new syntax and keep it memorized Writing code that is easy for others to read Picking the right names for your variables Making your codebase more understandable to newcomers Onboarding new developers to your team Learn how to optimize your brain’s natural cognitive processes to read code more easily, write code faster, and pick up new languages in much less time. This book will help you through the confusion you feel when faced with strange and complex code, and explain a codebase in ways that can make a new team member productive in days! Foreword by Jon Skeet. About the technology Take advantage of your brain’s natural processes to be a better programmer. Techniques based in cognitive science make it possible to learn new languages faster, improve productivity, reduce the need for code rewrites, and more. This unique book will help you achieve these gains. About the book The Programmer’s Brain unlocks the way we think about code. It offers scientifically sound techniques that can radically improve the way you master new technology, comprehend code, and memorize syntax. You’ll learn how to benefit from productive struggle and turn confusion into a learning tool. Along the way, you’ll discover how to create study resources as you become an expert at teaching yourself and bringing new colleagues up to speed. What's inside Understand how your brain sees code Speed reading skills to learn code quickly Techniques to unravel complex code Tips for making codebases understandable About the reader For programmers who have experience working in more than one language. About the author Dr. Felienne Hermans is an associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has spent the last decade researching programming, how to learn and how to teach it. Table of Contents PART 1 ON READING CODE BETTER 1 Decoding your confusion while coding 2 Speed reading for code 3 How to learn programming syntax quickly 4 How to read complex code PART 2 ON THINKING ABOUT CODE 5 Reaching a deeper understanding of code 6 Getting better at solving programming problems 7 Misconceptions: Bugs in thinking PART 3 ON WRITING BETTER CODE 8 How to get better at naming things 9 Avoiding bad code and cognitive load: Two frameworks 10 Getting better at solving complex problems PART 4 ON COLLABORATING ON CODE 11 The act of writing code 12 Designing and improving larger systems 13 How to onboard new developers

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

Making a successful video game is hard. Even games that are successful at launch may fail to engage and retain players in the long term due to issues with the user experience (UX) that they are delivering. The game user experience accounts for the whole experience players have with a video game, from first hearing about it to navigating menus and progressing in the game. UX as a discipline offers guidelines to assist developers in creating the experience they want to deliver, shipping higher quality games (whether it is an indie game, AAA game, or "serious game"), and meeting their business goals while staying true to their design and artistic intent. In a nutshell, UX is about understanding the gamer’s brain: understanding human capabilities and limitations to anticipate how a game will be perceived, the emotions it will elicit, how players will interact with it, and how engaging the experience will be. This book is designed to equip readers of all levels, from student to professional, with neuroscience knowledge and user experience guidelines and methodologies. These insights will help readers identify the ingredients for successful and engaging video games, empowering them to develop their own unique game recipe more efficiently, while providing a better experience for their audience. Key Features Provides an overview of how the brain learns and processes information by distilling research findings from cognitive science and psychology research in a very accessible way. Topics covered include: "neuromyths", perception, memory, attention, motivation, emotion, and learning. Includes numerous examples from released games of how scientific knowledge translates into game design, and how to use a UX framework in game development. Describes how UX can guide developers to improve the usability and the level of engagement a game provides to its target audience by using cognitive psychology knowledge, implementing human-computer interaction principles, and applying the scientific method (user research). Provides a practical definition of UX specifically applied to games, with a unique framework. Defines the most relevant pillars for good usability (ease of use) and good "engage-ability" (the ability of the game to be fun and engaging), translated into a practical checklist. Covers design thinking, game user research, game analytics, and UX strategy at both a project and studio level. Offers unique insights from a UX expert and PhD in psychology who has been working in the entertainment industry for over 10 years. This book is a practical tool that any professional game developer or student can use right away and includes the most complete overview of UX in games existing today.

Educational Neuroscience presents a series of readings from educators, psychologists, and neuroscientists that explore the latest findings in developmental cognitive neurosciences and their potential applications to education. Represents a new research area with direct relevance to current educational practices and policy making Features individual chapters written collaboratively by educationalist, psychologists, and neuroscientists to ensure maximum clarity and relevance to a broad range of readers Edited by a trio of leading academics with extensive experience in the field