Networks Of Mind Learning Culture Neuroscience

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Networks of Mind: Learning, Culture, Neuroscience

Author : Kathy Hall
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317913760
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (179 download)

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Book Synopsis Networks of Mind: Learning, Culture, Neuroscience by : Kathy Hall

Download or read book Networks of Mind: Learning, Culture, Neuroscience written by Kathy Hall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-13 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ground breaking book is unique in bringing together two perspectives on learning - sociocultural theory and neuroscience. Drawing on both perspectives, it foregrounds important developments in our understanding of what learning is, where and how learning occurs and what we can do to understand learning as an everyday process. Leading experts from both disciplines demonstrate how sociocultural ideas (such as the relevance of experience, opportunity to learn, environment, personal histories, meaning, participation, memory, and feelings of belonging) align with and reflect upon new understandings emerging from neuroscience concerning plasticity and neural networks. Among the themes critically examined are the following: Mind and brain Culture Ability and talent Success and failure Memory Language Emotion Aimed at and accessible to a broad audience and drawing on both schools of thought, Networks of Mind employs case studies, vignettes and real life examples to demonstrate that, though the language of sociocultural theory and that of neuroscience appear very different, ultimately the concepts of both perspectives align and converge around some key ideas. The book shows where both perspectives overlap, collide and diverge in their assumptions and understanding of fundamental aspects of human flourishing. It shows how neuroscience confirms some of the key messages already well established by sociocultural theory, specifically the importance of opportunity to learn. It also argues that the ascendency of neuroscience may result in the marginalization of sociocultural science, though the latter, it argues, has enormous explanatory power for understanding and promoting learning, and for understanding how learning is afforded and constrained.

Brain and Culture

Author : Bruce E. Wexler
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262265141
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (622 download)

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Book Synopsis Brain and Culture by : Bruce E. Wexler

Download or read book Brain and Culture written by Bruce E. Wexler and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-08-29 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research shows that between birth and early adulthood the brain requires sensory stimulation to develop physically. The nature of the stimulation shapes the connections among neurons that create the neuronal networks necessary for thought and behavior. By changing the cultural environment, each generation shapes the brains of the next. By early adulthood, the neuroplasticity of the brain is greatly reduced, and this leads to a fundamental shift in the relationship between the individual and the environment: during the first part of life, the brain and mind shape themselves to the major recurring features of their environment; by early adulthood, the individual attempts to make the environment conform to the established internal structures of the brain and mind. In Brain and Culture, Bruce Wexler explores the social implications of the close and changing neurobiological relationship between the individual and the environment, with particular attention to the difficulties individuals face in adulthood when the environment changes beyond their ability to maintain the fit between existing internal structure and external reality. These difficulties are evident in bereavement, the meeting of different cultures, the experience of immigrants (in which children of immigrant families are more successful than their parents at the necessary internal transformations), and the phenomenon of interethnic violence. Integrating recent neurobiological research with major experimental findings in cognitive and developmental psychology—with illuminating references to psychoanalysis, literature, anthropology, history, and politics—Wexler presents a wealth of detail to support his arguments. The groundbreaking connections he makes allow for reconceptualization of the effect of cultural change on the brain and provide a new biological base from which to consider such social issues as "culture wars" and ethnic violence.

Culture, Mind, and Brain

Author : Laurence J. Kirmayer
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108580572
Total Pages : 683 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (85 download)

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Book Synopsis Culture, Mind, and Brain by : Laurence J. Kirmayer

Download or read book Culture, Mind, and Brain written by Laurence J. Kirmayer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 683 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent neuroscience research makes it clear that human biology is cultural biology - we develop and live our lives in socially constructed worlds that vary widely in their structure values, and institutions. This integrative volume brings together interdisciplinary perspectives from the human, social, and biological sciences to explore culture, mind, and brain interactions and their impact on personal and societal issues. Contributors provide a fresh look at emerging concepts, models, and applications of the co-constitution of culture, mind, and brain. Chapters survey the latest theoretical and methodological insights alongside the challenges in this area, and describe how these new ideas are being applied in the sciences, humanities, arts, mental health, and everyday life. Readers will gain new appreciation of the ways in which our unique biology and cultural diversity shape behavior and experience, and our ongoing adaptation to a constantly changing world.

The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment

Author : UNESCO MGIEP
Publisher : UNESCO MGIEP
ISBN 13 : 9391756042
Total Pages : 1838 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (917 download)

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Book Synopsis The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment by : UNESCO MGIEP

Download or read book The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment written by UNESCO MGIEP and published by UNESCO MGIEP. This book was released on 2022-03-22 with total page 1838 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Science and Evidence Based Education (ISEE) Assessment is an initiative of the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), and is its contribution to the Futures of Education process launched by UNESCO Paris in September 2019. In order to contribute to re-envisioning the future of education with a science and evidence based report, UNESCO MGIEP embarked on the first-ever large-scale assessment of knowledge of education.

12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action

Author : Renate Nummela Caine
Publisher : Corwin Press
ISBN 13 : 1506300634
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (63 download)

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Book Synopsis 12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action by : Renate Nummela Caine

Download or read book 12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action written by Renate Nummela Caine and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2015-07-27 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Raise the bar with the best of what is known about how the brain/mind learns Higher-order skills such as critical thinking, planning, decision-making and persistence are the key to success for today’s students. Fully revised to respond to the Common Core and other timely developments, this indispensable guide builds the bridge from brain research to classroom practice. The updated third edition offers More strategies to deeply engage students and build foundational learning skills Guidance on peer-based professional development through Process Learning Circles Reflective questions and checklists for assessing progress Updated, real-life examples Bridge research to practice through these innovative strategies to create a school environment where students and faculty learn and thrive.

How People Learn

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309131979
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis How People Learn by : National Research Council

Download or read book How People Learn written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-08-11 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care

Author : Tricia David
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317392795
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (173 download)

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Book Synopsis The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care by : Tricia David

Download or read book The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care written by Tricia David and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Routledge Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care brings together leading writers in the field to provide a much-needed, authoritative guide to the major philosophies and theories which have shaped approaches to Early Childhood Education and Care. Providing a detailed overview of key concepts, debates and practical challenges, the handbook combines theoretical acumen with specific examples to show how philosophies and theories have evolved over the centuries and their impact on policy and society. It examines the ways in which societies define and make sense of childhood and the factors that influence the development of philosophies about young children and their learning. The collection offers an insight into the key theorists and considers how the economics and politics of their time and personal ideology influenced their ideas about childhood. It looks at curricula and provision which have proved inspirational and how these have impacted on policy and practice in different parts of the world. The handbook also explores alternative and perhaps less familiar philosophies and ideas about babies and young children, their place in society and the ways in which it might be appropriate to educate them Bringing together specially commissioned pieces by a range of international authors, this handbook will enable academics, research students, practitioners and policy-makers to reflect on their own understandings and approaches, as well as the assumptions made in their own and other societies.

The Excellence Of Play

Author : Moyles, Janet
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
ISBN 13 : 0335264182
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis The Excellence Of Play by : Moyles, Janet

Download or read book The Excellence Of Play written by Moyles, Janet and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a must-read book for all students studying early childhood at a range of levels and practitioners who are looking to deepen their understanding of play and playful practices.

Five Pillars of the Mind: Redesigning Education to Suit the Brain

Author : Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393713229
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (937 download)

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Book Synopsis Five Pillars of the Mind: Redesigning Education to Suit the Brain by : Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa

Download or read book Five Pillars of the Mind: Redesigning Education to Suit the Brain written by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Neuromyths, a revolutionary look at teaching and learning via the logical pathways of the brain. A review of the research on brain networks reveals, surprisingly, that there are just five basic pillars through which all learning takes place: Symbols, Patterns, Order, Categories, and Relationships. Dr. Tokuhama-Espinosa proposes that redesigning school curriculum around these five pillars—whether to augment or replace traditional subject categories—could enable students to develop the transdisciplinary problem-solving skills that are often touted as the ultimate goal of education. Heralding a potential paradigm shift in education, Five Pillars of the Mind explores how aligning instruction with the brain's natural design might just be the key to improving students' learning outcomes.

Reinventing Childhood Nostalgia

Author : Elisabeth Wesseling
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317068467
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Reinventing Childhood Nostalgia by : Elisabeth Wesseling

Download or read book Reinventing Childhood Nostalgia written by Elisabeth Wesseling and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While Romantic-era concepts of childhood nostalgia have been understood as the desire to retrieve the ephemeral mindset of the child, this collection proposes that the emergence of digital media has altered this reflective gesture towards the past. No longer is childhood nostalgia reliant on individual memory. Rather, it is associated through contemporary convergence culture with the commodities of one's youth as they are recycled from one media platform to another. Essays in the volume's first section identify recurrent patterns in the recycling, adaptation, and remediation of children's toys and media, providing context for section two's exploration of childhood nostalgia in memorial practices. In these essays, the contributors suggest that childhood toys and media play a role in the construction of s the imagined communities (Benedict Anderson) that define nations and nationalism. Eschewing the dichotomy between restorative and reflexive nostalgia, the essays in section three address the ethics of nostalgia in terms of child agency and depictions of childhood. In a departure from the notion that childhood nostalgia is the exclusive prerogative of narrative fiction, section four looks for its traces in the child sciences. Pushing against nostalgia's persistent associations with wishful thinking, false memories, and distortion, this collection suggests nostalgia is never categorically good or bad in itself, but owes its benefits or defects to the ways in which it is brought to bear on the representation of children and childhood.

The Child Savage, 1890–2010

Author : Elisabeth Wesseling
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351893025
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (518 download)

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Book Synopsis The Child Savage, 1890–2010 by : Elisabeth Wesseling

Download or read book The Child Savage, 1890–2010 written by Elisabeth Wesseling and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking up the understudied relationship between the cultural history of childhood and media studies, this volume traces twentieth-century migrations of the child-savage analogy from colonial into postcolonial discourse across a wide range of old and new media. Older and newer media such as films, textbooks, children's literature, periodicals, comic strips, children's radio, and toys are deeply implicated in each other through ongoing 'remediation', meaning that they continually mimic, absorb and transform each other's representational formats, stylistic features, and content. Media theory thus confronts the cultural history of childhood with the challenge of re-thinking change in childhood imaginaries as transformation-through-repetition patterns, rather than as rise-shine-decline sequences. This volume takes up this challenge, demonstrating that one historical epoch may well accommodate diverging childhood repertoires, which are recycled again and again as they are played out across a whole gamut of different media formats in the course of time.

How People Learn II

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309459672
Total Pages : 347 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis How People Learn II by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book How People Learn II written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-09-27 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms

Author : Neokleous, Georgios
Publisher : IGI Global
ISBN 13 : 1799827232
Total Pages : 767 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms by : Neokleous, Georgios

Download or read book Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms written by Neokleous, Georgios and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2020-03-27 with total page 767 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Literacy has traditionally been associated with the linguistic and functional ability to read and write. Although literacy, as a fundamental issue in education, has received abundant attention in the last few decades, most publications to date have focused on monolingual classrooms. Language teacher educators have a responsibility to prepare teachers to be culturally responsive and flexible so they can adapt to the range of settings and variety of learners they will encounter in their careers while also bravely questioning the assumptions they are encountering about multilingual literacy development and instruction. The Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms is an essential scholarly publication that explores the multifaceted nature of literacy development across the lifespan in a range of multilingual contexts. Recognizing that literacy instruction in contemporary language classrooms serving diverse student populations must go beyond developing reading and writing abilities, this book sets out to explore a wide range of literacy dimensions. It offers unique perspectives through a critical reflection on issues related to power, ownership, identity, and the social construction of literacy in multilingual societies. As a resource for use in language teacher preparation programs globally, this book will provide a range of theoretical and practical perspectives while creating space for pre- and in-service teachers to grapple with the ideas in light of their respective contexts. The book will also provide valuable insights to instructional designers, curriculum developers, linguists, professionals, academicians, administrators, researchers, and students.

Learning to Teach in the Primary School

Author : Teresa Cremin
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317800117
Total Pages : 1002 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (178 download)

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Book Synopsis Learning to Teach in the Primary School by : Teresa Cremin

Download or read book Learning to Teach in the Primary School written by Teresa Cremin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 1002 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flexible, effective and creative primary school teachers require subject knowledge, an understanding of their pupils and how they learn, a range of strategies for managing behaviour and organising environments for learning, and the ability to respond to dynamic classroom situations. This third edition of Learning to Teach in the Primary School is fully updated with reference to the new National Curriculum, and has been revised to provide even more practical advice and guidance to trainee primary teachers. Twenty-two new authors have been involved and connections are now made to Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish policies. In addition, five new units have been included on: making the most of your placement play and exploration in learning behaviour management special educational needs phonics. With Masters-level reflective tasks and suggestions for research-based further reading, the book provides valuable support to trainee teachers engaged in learning through school-based experience and through reading, discussion and reflections as part of a teacher education course. It provides an accessible and engaging introduction to knowledge about teaching and learning that every student teacher needs to acquire in order to gain qualified teacher status (QTS). This comprehensive textbook is essential reading for all students training to be primary school teachers, including those on undergraduate teacher training courses (BEd, BA with QTS, BSc with QTS), postgraduate teacher training courses (PGCE, SCITT) and employment-based teacher training courses (Schools Direct, Teach First), plus those studying Education Studies. This textbook is supported by a free companion website with additional resources for instructors and students and can be accessed at www.routledge.com/cw/Cremin.

Research Methods for Pedagogy

Author : Melanie Nind
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1474242839
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (742 download)

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Book Synopsis Research Methods for Pedagogy by : Melanie Nind

Download or read book Research Methods for Pedagogy written by Melanie Nind and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-06 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aspects of pedagogy are frequently researched, but the concept itself is poorly understood. More than just teaching and learning, pedagogy is about values, identities, relationships and interactions bounded by context. As such, researchers of pedagogy face the challenge of working out what constitutes pedagogical texts, data or evidence, and how these can be generated and understood. Research Methods for Pedagogy begins by exploring the different conceptualisations of pedagogy and their implications for how it is researched. The authors reflect on how their sociocultural stance on pedagogy influences the methods they choose to focus on in the book. Moving beyond just schools and formal pedagogies into informal and everyday pedagogies, the authors use a range of case studies across educational sectors and cultures to discuss methods for researching pedagogy. Common approaches such as ethnography and action research are included alongside some quantitative and quasi-experimental methods and often less familiar participatory, multimodal and reflective methods. The authors demonstrate the relationships between theoretical stance, pedagogical context and research approach. Finally, the book addresses the complexity of pedagogy research through discussion of particular ethical and relational aspects as it highlights innovations and developments in research methods for pedagogy. Boxed case studies, reflections on real research projects, a glossary of key terms and an annotated list of further reading all help to guide students and scholars through their research design and choice of methods in this area.

Teaching Early Reading and Phonics

Author : Kathy Goouch
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 1473998433
Total Pages : 191 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (739 download)

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Book Synopsis Teaching Early Reading and Phonics by : Kathy Goouch

Download or read book Teaching Early Reading and Phonics written by Kathy Goouch and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2016-10-18 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learning to read is an exciting and vital part of every child’s development. The new edition of this book continues to provide trainees and teachers with a broad understanding of teaching reading and phonics, and equip them with the skills necessary to face the reality of the early years classroom in order to meet the needs of individual children. With vital information on constructing relationships with young readers, and how to plan phonics within a rich, interactive and playful literacy pedagogy, the second edition now includes: A brand new chapter on babies and early reading More information on language acquisition and how children learn A discussion of children with SEN An appreciation for the rise of digital technologies in relation to reading Whether you′re training to become a teacher, or already working in the classroom this book is ideal for those who wish to embed the teaching of phonics into carefully selected high quality materials - particularly in children′s literature.

Mind Wide Open

Author : Steven Johnson
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0743258797
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (432 download)

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Book Synopsis Mind Wide Open by : Steven Johnson

Download or read book Mind Wide Open written by Steven Johnson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2004-02-27 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug. In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I? Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from. Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid? To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.