We now understand that evolution has provided humans with a powerful toolkit of predispositions that go a long way in explaining our ability to learn language, cooperate in groups, solve problems, plan for the future and empathize with others. This evolutionary inheritance both empowers us and constrains us. We are born ready to learn, but our brains are wired to learn more effectively under certain conditions. Humans learn best when we ‘go with the grain of the brain’ instead of against it. 

Imagine schools designed to work in alignment with everything we now know about how kids learn, grow and thrive.
Learning is a Social Activity
Human beings are by nature and culture a small group species. We have survived, despite our physical vulnerability, by working together and solving problems as a group1. And it is through collaboration – not competition – that we learn best. In fact, competitive learning environments (my mark is higher than your mark) encourage surface-level thinking, increase dislike for school and decrease both creativity and subject interest2. People learn best through interactions with others, and these interactions strengthen both community and individuals. Read more about learning through collaboration.
Learning is Active and Needs Context
Learning is about actively making sense of the world around us by taking in new information, comparing it to our current understanding and negotiating meaning out of those interactions. We ‘construct’ our knowledge through experience – by doing. “The human mind is better equipped to gather information about the world by operating within it than by reading about it, hearing lectures on it, or studying abstract models of it 3”. And this process works most effectively when it is situated in a context that is authentic – where new knowledge and skills would actually be used. “Learning is not something that requires time out from productive activity; learning is at the very heart of productive activity 4”. Read more about learning by [[constructing meaning]].
Learning Depends on Motivation
Whether students experience intrinsic motivation is a great determiner not only of their success in measurable terms such as grades (the ‘quantity’ of their success), but also in the quality of their learning. What do we know about engaging motivation? To motivate students we must engage their interest in the topic – students are more likely to remember and really understand what they are learning if they find it intriguing5. There is strong evidence that rewards (such as grades!) undermine intrinsic motivation, as rewards can turn play into work, and discourage risk-taking and creativity6. A student’s beliefs about intelligence (whether it is something that can be developed or a ‘fixed’ attribute) are crucial, for “the most motivated and resilient students are the ones who believe that their abilities can be developed through their effort and learning7”. Students also require some choices in what and how they learn, as “enthusiasm for one’s work quickly evaporates in the face of control…deprive children of self-determination and you deprive them of motivation8”. Read more about why students need to be engaged and motivated to learn.
Learning is Personal
If we understand that learning is an active process of making sense of new information within the context of our own understanding and experience, then learning – by its very nature – is personal and individual. It matters who we are and what we bring with us in to the classroom. Add to that the power of interest in motivating the desire to learn and it becomes clear that education can’t rely on one-size-fits-all learning opportunities—our life experiences, personalities, talents and interests are far too diverse. Humans learn best when we recognize the individual, address the whole child and promote self-directed learning opportunities. Read more about the importance of [[holistic and self-directed]] learning.
Early life experiences have disproportionate importance in organizing the mature brain and are directly connected to children's optimal development.
B.D. Perry, M.D. , Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the ‘Cycle of Violence’

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Students' View of Intelligence Can Help Grades: Carol Dweck Speaks

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 Endnotes
1 John Abbott. We Are A Small Group Species. 21st Century Learning Initiative, 2004.
2 Alfie Kohn. The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and Tougher Standards. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
3 Harold J. Morowitz and Jerome L. Singer, Editors. The Mind, the Brain and Complex Adaptive Systems. From the summary of findings by the Sante Fe Institute. Westview Press; New Ed edition, 1995.
4 Shoshana Zuboff. In the age of the smart machine: The future of work and power. Basic Books, New York, NY, 1988.
5 Alfie Kohn. “Feel-Bad Education: The Cult of Rigor and the Loss of Joy” (Education Week, Sept 15, 04). Visit Alfie Kohn’s website for a list of articles, including this one, available online.
6 Alfie Kohn. Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
7 Carol Dweck. Learning About Learning Boosts Student Motivation and Success. Education Canada, Spring 2007, Canadian Education Association.
8 Alfie Kohn. Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.