Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Volume 13, Number 1

In his exciting new book, The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning (2002), James Zull states that "it is our physical body and its interactions with the physical world that produce[s] learning, and that reality leaves us with faith that we will eventually understand the mysterious vocation, and avocation, of teaching" (p. 245). What we have come to learn from all of the sweat and thought that have gone into programs for improving teaching is that it will be our understanding of learning that makes the greatest impact on our profession. Zull's is "the first book by a practicing scientist on teaching and the brain" (p. 263). He states in his Introduction, "Learning is about biology. This obvious fact has been lurking just beneath our consciousness for a long time" (p. xiii). He goes on to say that It is one thing to point out facts about the brain and another to translate them into facts about learning. An even greater challenge is to move from any facts we may agree on about learning and convert those into facts about teaching. . . . Ultimately, we will have to reconcile everything with nature. If we find our theories about teaching to be in disagreement with biology, we must reconsider them. (p. 3) This issue of the Journal is not about the brain or the physiology of learning. However, the results presented by our authors on projects they designed and carried out within their disciplines and on their own campuses reflect successful learning that can be connected with the physical aspects of learning, including interactions with peers, community involvement, and emotional connections. Their reports demonstrate the converting of what we know about learning into successful teaching.