Dr. Immordino-Yang: How Emotions & Social Factors Impact Learning | Huberman Lab Podcast

Rethinking Education

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang emphasizes the need to rethink our education system to foster critical thinking and self-reflection in students. She argues that current methods often discourage deep engagement with ideas, focusing instead on rote learning and standardized testing. Andrew Huberman adds that this approach can dissociate students' emotions from their learning experiences, making education feel mechanical and uninspiring 1. Mary Helen highlights successful alternative models, like the Performance Assessment Consortium in New York City, which engage students in long-term, interdisciplinary projects that cultivate intellectual curiosity and personal growth 2.

We need to really get brave about how we think about the process of educating our young people and what it actually means to expose young people to developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate opportunities to grow themselves as thinkers, as individuals, and as civic agents and community members.

--- Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

This shift requires a fundamental change in how we view and measure educational success.

   

Engaging Students

Engaging students in meaningful learning experiences is crucial for their intellectual and emotional development. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang suggests that education should focus on rich problem spaces that pique students' curiosity and relate to their interests. This approach helps students see the intrinsic value of academic skills, as illustrated by a Sudanese immigrant student who became fascinated with math through a practical problem 3. However, she notes that traditional education systems often stifle this natural curiosity, especially during adolescence when students are most capable of complex thought 4.

We double down on controlling the input and the output transactional mechanisms that count as quote-unquote, academic rigor and achievement.

--- Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

To truly nurture young minds, educators must support students in exploring and deconstructing their own beliefs and ideas.

   

Interdisciplinary Learning

An interdisciplinary approach to education can significantly enrich student learning by integrating multiple disciplines. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang shares her experience developing an interdisciplinary science curriculum that connected concepts from nuclear fission to photosynthesis, helping students appreciate the complexity of the natural world 5. She also emphasizes the importance of understanding how cultural and social factors influence cognitive and emotional development in students 6.

Kids were using these scientific ways of exploring the world and thinking about questions to try to make sense of their own sort of selves, their own origin story, their own place in the world.

--- Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

This holistic approach not only enhances academic learning but also supports personal and social growth.

   

Role of Teachers

Teachers play a pivotal role in nurturing curiosity and critical thinking among students. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang argues that good teachers engage students by connecting academic skills to meaningful, real-world problems. This method helps students see the relevance of their studies and fosters a deeper understanding of the material 3. Andrew Huberman adds that the best educators balance their expertise with a novice's curiosity, making the learning process dynamic and engaging 7.

The best instructors do two things simultaneously when they teach. First of all, they come to the table with incredible expertise. But they also flip back and forth from the position of expert to the position of novice.

--- Andrew Huberman

This dual approach ignites students' emotional and intellectual engagement, making education a more enriching experience.