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Novelty Learners
There are 'Novelty' sites
in the brain that learn best when information is very
unexpected or funny. These novelty sites are highly
connected to reward, emotional, and motivational centers
in the brain, and they become less active with
repetition.
Does this seem to ring a bell? Novelty learners can be
exasperating to parents and teachers because they are
almost universally recognized as bright, but they seem
on a constant search for the newest new thing. They tend
to be fidgeters, explorers, and creative discontents.
And they may not seem to learn much from information
that is being formally presented to them, but when
questioned, they seem to have a lot of knowledge at
their fingertips.
Students who prevent novelty learning like conceptually
new ideas, new constructions, new applications, and new
environments. Their learning is often "backward" or
inductive, proceeding from direct physical observation
or handling, to general rules or underlying principles.
Novelty learners are often confused as having "ADD" or
"ADHD", but teachers may admit that they often quite
knowledgeable in the classroom (academics may not be a
problem), and many instances of highly sustained
attention (misdiagnosed as "hyperfocus") can often be
recalled by anyone who knows them well.
Novelty learners need to recognized for who they are
because they may have trouble fitting into the daily
routine of the classroom, and their strengths can be
easily overlooked in the setting of their general
non-compliance.
Novelty learners often
benefit by an individualized approach to their
education, and encouragement when they begin establish
domains of expertise.
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