Your Brain on School

The presentation traces how traditional reward systems in schools mirror addiction patterns through dopamine desensitization, leading to escalating external motivators that ultimately undermine intrinsic learning motivation. Mindrebo advocates for student-centered approaches that honor survival needs through relevance and social connections, work with the brain's preference for ease through appropriate scaffolding while maintaining high expectations, and restructure reward systems to celebrate effort and progress rather than grades and compliance.

"The humanity of the learner is often lost in the discussion of the science of learning... sometimes the science of learning is lost in the discussion of the humanity of the learner... I kind of like to straddle the fence and be in both worlds."

"The brain is designed for survival, not formal academic learning... it's designed to keep us alive, to perpetuate our species so that we do not die off, and yet here we are trying to force all of this content knowledge into these young undeveloped brains all day long."

"We're not lazy, we're survivalists... this is survival. You don't say this to a cheetah, 'oh you lazy cheetah'... that cheetah when it's done resting it's going to get up and it's going to sprint 75 miles an hour when it matters."

• Some educators argue that strategic use of rewards can scaffold intrinsic motivation. What evidence distinguishes helpful scaffolding from harmful conditioning? How might schools transition away from grade-based systems while maintaining accountability?
• How might individual teachers implement brain-based approaches within traditional institutional constraints? What are the ethical considerations of teachers working against institutional structures while employed by those systems?