1st Edition

Evolution of the Learning Brain Or How You Got To Be So Smart...

By Paul Howard-Jones Copyright 2018
248 Pages 101 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

248 Pages 101 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

248 Pages 101 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

How does learning transform us biologically? What learning processes do we share with bacteria, jellyfish and monkeys? Is technology impacting on our evolution and what might the future hold for the learning brain? These are just some of the questions Paul Howard-Jones explores on a fascinating journey through 3.5 billion years of brain evolution, and discovers what it all means for... Read more

List of Figures  Acknowledgements  Chapter 1. The Idea of Evolution  Chapter 2. Origins  Chapter 3. The Vertebrate Brain  Chapter 4. The Social Primate  Chapter 5. Homo – Social Cooperative Learners  Chapter 6. Speech  Chapter 7. The Arrival of Numeracy  Chapter 8. The Emergence of the Written Word  Chapter 9. Evolution Meets Education  Chapter 10. The Future of the Learning Brain  References

Biography

Paul Howard-Jones is Professor of Neuroscience and Education at the School of Education, University of Bristol. He is a cognitive neuroscientist, educational expert and broadcaster.

"In Evolution of the Learning Brain, Howard-Jones provides an accessible introduction to the evolution of the nervous system and brain – hoping, perhaps, to provide readers with a more accurate model of how the brain learns. Channelling the spirit of David Attenborough, he leads us through an evolutionary history of life on Earth, dropping into the timeline at various points to talk about what is happening to the brain and nervous system."— Nick Rose, TES

"In short, Paul Howard-Jones has provided us with a book which is extremely readable, provides an illuminating perspective on learning and offers much food for thought. It is certainly worth reading and is likely to become ‘well-thumbed’ as time goes on and it is referred to it again and again." — Professor Derek Bell, Learnus