This is my brain on books!

So guess what? It turns out that my brain is wired like no one else's. Yes, I still have all the parts and pieces common to the human brain but my collection of neural networks are unique to me. So watch out!

In their book Teaching the Bible in Church, John Bracke & Karen Tye introduce a sketch of basic brain function and insight into memory & learning in order to lay a foundation for how we are to teach if our goal is for others to learn. And in this case, given the woefully low level of Biblical literacy prevailing in the church, the need for successful teaching is greater than ever. How can we expect others to know God if they don't know him through the Word?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

Here's what my brain looks like when I'm trying to learn:
1) I'm very visual. I appreciate pictures, graphs and demonstrations. (This book could use more pictures, for instance.)
2) I don't easily retain written information.
3) I'm thankful when I get to hear information presented to me audibly.
4) I value an interactive approach and the opportunity to discuss and debate (sometimes, maybe a little too much).
5) If I have the chance to engage my senses of smell and taste, I have a better recollection. (Is it any wonder that I can remember the name and character of most wines I've ever drunk?)
6) I'm most certainly an intuitive and spontaneous learner that prefers to examine the whole rather than its parts.
7) I am an active experimenter that would rather do than contemplate. (I can still remember being chastised for acting before thinking.)

This is my brain. This is my brain on books.