Stuff About Stuff About the Brain

When teaching an SAT prep class recently, I went on frequent tangents about metacognition, or thinking about thinking. On the last day, I decided to give the students a list of some my sources. Before I knew it, I had filled a chalkboard - from memory - and I realized for the first time how interested in this topic I really am.

I offered to email them the list, and since I typed it up I'll share it here as well. I'd be interested in your thoughts and recommendations.

These are some of the things I have read, listened to, watched, am reading, or intend to read related to the mind, brain, and metacognition. Some are great, some are good, some are only peripherally on the topic. My strongest recommendations are marked with a (!) because I found them particularly interesting, powerful, or fun.

TED Talks (20 minute videos for streaming or download)

Sir Ken Robinson:How Schools Kill Creativity (!)

Dan Gilbert: Why Are We Happy? (!) and Our Mistaken Expectations

Jill Bolte Taylor: My Stroke of Insight (!) (The talk is great. The book is okay with some great moments.)

Blog:

The Frontal Cortex by Jonah Lehrer


Podcast:

Radiolab
especially episodes "Stochasticity," (!) "Choice," and "Morality" (!) (podcasts also available for free at the iTunes store.)



Books:

The Happiness Hypothesis (!) by Jonathan Haidt and the related website.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (interesting and sort of a classic, but takes some big leaps)

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (same. Still, interesting.)

NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman [especially, but not only, chapter 1, (!)] Or, like me, you could start with this interview.

Mindset by Carol Dweck. I haven't read this yet. I've seen her speak, and I've read a lot about her research, especially NurtureShock chapter 1. This research has a significant impact on my approach to teaching. And raising kids. And living.

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. I'm reading this right now and enjoying it. There is a lot of overlap with the other books, blogs, and podcasts listed here.

Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer (based on recommendations and reputation. I haven't read this yet.)

Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown. Derren Brown is the British David Blaine, but with less flash, more brains, and lots of skepticism. The book is fun and is filled with tips for using your brain. I freaked my kids out by using one of his techniques to remember a list of 50 random words, in order, for days. For fun, check out some of his videos on YouTube (!). Brown is an entertainer, not a scientist or journalist, and admits that some of what is does is "showmanship." Still, the way he manipulates people by knowing how brains work is fascinating, even if he does maybe cheat a little.