Amelia Barili
Lecturer, Spanish and Portuguese
Learning to Learn:  Neurobiology and Cognitive Science as a Basis of Autonomous Learning.  Principles and Applications

Universities throughout the world are discussing (and beginning to implement) a shift from teaching-centered approaches to learning-centered ones that foster great commitment on the part of students and develop capacities of autonomous learning and lifelong learning. These "new pedagogies" are supported by recent findings of neurobiology and of cognitive science which,  by showing new perspectives on how the brain works, are leading us to  re-think thinking and learning.  The findings emphasize, for example, the continuous dialogue between the brain and the heart, the importance of inner motivation and of paying attention to intention for deep sustained learning.  I will present relationships between these research findings and the principles of autonomous learning, as well as possible applications to intercultural studies and to the learning of a second language.

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