John Medina

Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded) : 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Edition 2) (Paperback)

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Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded) : 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Edition 2) (Paperback)

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4.22 out of 5stars
(9 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
03/07/2012
Although the brain oft...
Although the brain often seems to be the most overlooked tool in trainer-teacher-learners' toolkits, great writers like developmental molecular biologist John Medina are doing a lot to move us past that that oversight through books like "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School." Medina is never less than completely engaging, and his 12 rules about how the brain functions in learning are drawn from well-documented research, his own very funny observations, and his continual call for more research to help fill in the numerous gaps we still have in our knowledge: "This book is a call for research simply because we don't know enough to be prescriptive," he disarmingly admits (p. 4). Among the rules he documents: exercise boosts brain power; every brain is wired differently; stressed brains don't learn well; and stimulate more of the senses simultaneously to stimulate more effective learning. This is not a book for those comfortable with the status quo; in fact, Medina clearly expects us to approach his work with minds completely open to ideas that might initially strike us as ludicrous. And he encourages us to imagine (and create) learning spaces that inspire and sustain curiosity as opposed to the age-old model of lecture halls where learning is an instructor-centric endeavor.
paulsignorelli

Most helpful negative review

3.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
06/30/2012
Id rate this a 3.5I f...
I'd rate this a 3.5I found it an interesting and educational read. I liked how the book was organized and how it was explained in terms I understood.Many of the principles, to me, felt rather self-explanatory but at the same time they were put in way that told me things I didn't know about the topic.I enjoyed reading it.
kashtastic
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    10/04/2015
    Short, but informative...
    Short, but informative and engaging. I appreciate that Medina explains the biology clearly, tries not to generalize too much (even the "principles" of the title are more suggestions and ideas for future research), and emphasizes that there is so much about the brain that we still don't understand. This would be too basic for those who already know some neuroscience, but for me it was about right.
    bostonian71
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    08/13/2013
    This is a great book. ...
    This is a great book. It combines brain science with evolution, how people learn and the stupidities of how we teach. It took me a long time to actually read, but in the process I gave two presentations on the basic principles and gifted the book to a couple of different people.I think it is a good book to read for many reasons:-understanding how your children are developing-understanding how to approach people and how their brain affects their reaction-understanding the basic way your brain works so that you can leverage that knowledgeetc.The above, of course, assumes that what the book says is correct. I choose to think it is and think that the concepts it provides can be very useful in managing staff and working with people in general.
    jlapac
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/30/2013
    Excellent, down to ear...
    Excellent, down to earth way that we can make simple Life Hacks with discoveries regarding how the Brain works. Best tips are - exercise is crucial!! naps are important for creativity and high Brain functioning; teaching and probably also preaching should only last for 10min increments; and lastly what we smell while learning can greatly enhance our retention and learning speed. Medina's downside is he breaks down things so much that it lack an air of academic rigor. If Brain Rules could be combined with Brain Fix you'd have a masterpiece.
    revslick
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    12/13/2012
    Wonderfully thorough a...
    Wonderfully thorough and accessible! Medina presents complicated data and concepts in an engaging manner and supports his ideas with examples and stories designed to maximize recall. I loved reading this book and anticipate that I'll be referencing it often!
    LaPhenix
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    08/12/2012
    An unusual book - not ...
    An unusual book - not exactly pop science, not exactly self-help, not business, yet it has some of the flavor of all three. There is a companion web site, and at times you get the sense that this material would work better in a different format or combination of formats - and maybe that's what the web site helps accomplish. Since a couple of the "Rules" are "vision trumps all other senses" and "we don't pay attention to boring things", a book with no pictures seems a bit incongruous. And the rules are not prescriptive, but rather suggestive. Medina readily admits, maybe too readily, that almost all of these rules need more research. So, what are we to do with these rules. Maybe to do the "exploration" that is the basis of rule 12 and find out for ourselves.
    tgraettinger
  • 3.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    06/30/2012
    Id rate this a 3.5I f...
    I'd rate this a 3.5I found it an interesting and educational read. I liked how the book was organized and how it was explained in terms I understood.Many of the principles, to me, felt rather self-explanatory but at the same time they were put in way that told me things I didn't know about the topic.I enjoyed reading it.
    kashtastic
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    03/07/2012
    Although the brain oft...
    Although the brain often seems to be the most overlooked tool in trainer-teacher-learners' toolkits, great writers like developmental molecular biologist John Medina are doing a lot to move us past that that oversight through books like "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School." Medina is never less than completely engaging, and his 12 rules about how the brain functions in learning are drawn from well-documented research, his own very funny observations, and his continual call for more research to help fill in the numerous gaps we still have in our knowledge: "This book is a call for research simply because we don't know enough to be prescriptive," he disarmingly admits (p. 4). Among the rules he documents: exercise boosts brain power; every brain is wired differently; stressed brains don't learn well; and stimulate more of the senses simultaneously to stimulate more effective learning. This is not a book for those comfortable with the status quo; in fact, Medina clearly expects us to approach his work with minds completely open to ideas that might initially strike us as ludicrous. And he encourages us to imagine (and create) learning spaces that inspire and sustain curiosity as opposed to the age-old model of lecture halls where learning is an instructor-centric endeavor.
    paulsignorelli
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/19/2011
    Brain Rules is an exce...
    Brain Rules is an excellent overview of some key principles to optimize your brain's performance. Medina does a great job of mixing the science behind how your brain works with practical takeaways. While there is a lot of science discussed, Medina manages to present the information in a very engaging and easily digestible format.There are so many things we should be doing to optimize our cognitive abilities at work and in the classroom that are currently being ignored for the sake of tradition. The adjustments sometimes sound fairly radical (Medina proposes that companies should block out 1/2 hour each day for employees to nap for example) but they are also fairly simple to execute, and well supported by scientific evidence of their potential impact.This should be a must read for anyone in business or education.
    tkadlec
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/21/2010
    I learned about this b...
    I learned about this book from Garr Reynolds' website. Medina's storytelling approach worked well for me & many of the principles are relevant to my work. Like some other reviewers, I'd like to know more about the science behind the stories.
    kjacobson1
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