What we get wrong about learning — and how to reframe it
Can the power of community transform our educational systems for the better? This neuroscientist says absolutely.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a neuroscientist and USC professor, and she has spent her career studying education and the ways we can enhance it. Her findings claim that diversity has a huge impact on brain growth and even life experience. She explains that similarly to how fabric is composed of thousands of intricately woven threads, our schools need the active coordination of many people and skills, making them stronger together.
Immordino-Yang stresses the importance of this strong social fabric, explaining that spending time around those who differ from us can help us become adaptable and truly deepen our understanding of the world around us. This idea calls for a new approach to education, where teachers and students work together to create systems of learning that help them grow alongside one another, instead of on confined and isolated paths.
**🎓 Rethinking Education: From Standardized to Human-Centered**
Our current education system is built on a “single story” — one path, one right answer, one judgment that matters. But this model fails to capture the true potential of young minds.
### 🌍 A New Center:
We need a *Copernican shift* in education:
- **From** testing outcomes
- **To** lived experiences, relationships, and agency
Ask:
- What thinking happens in this space?
- How do we co-create meaning?
- What power do students and teachers have to shape learning?
### 🧠 Humans as Ecosystems:
We're not just individuals learning in isolation — we are **part of each other’s environments**. Our development is shaped by our social worlds, and in turn, shapes them.
### 🛠️ What Needs Repair:
- Standardized systems **disconnect knowledge from purpose**
- They suppress agency — the very thing that fuels real thinking
- We must **rebuild education as a community project** that nurtures human development
> 🎯 True learning happens when students feel ownership, think deeply, and build meaning **together** — not just when they get the “right answer.”
About Mary Helen Immordino-Yang:
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, is an expert on the psychological and neurobiological foundations of social emotion, self-awareness, and culture, and how they impact learning, development, and education.
She is a Professor of Education at the USC Rossier School of Education, a Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, a faculty member in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Southern California, and the Director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning, and Education (CANDLE).
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