How does the brain learn?

How Does the Brain Learn?
The brain can be studied to see the way we learn on a macro scale or on a micro scale. This article talks about seeing the whole brain in order to study the learning abilities instead of small synapses that occur at a single site in the brain. "What is actually happening in your brain while you are learning" is the main idea of the author. There are some neural pathways that always communicate with the same partners, while others are always changing exhibiting the most flexibility. Flexibility in the brain network can be very crucial in making new connections in learning, but a network that is too flexible can lead to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
The learning that happens in our brain is dynamic, with new connections growing very quickly as well as losing old connections. In general, in learning about the world, flexibility in the brain in necessary because it enables us to make new connections and communicate with different areas.
Even in simple learning exercises many parts of the brain are activated and help to learn the new material. Our brains can be too flexible but can also be too rigid. There needs to be a fluidity to our connections but also a clear path formed where the information can be sent. During six weeks of the trial in the article, there were some connections that grew stronger while other connections grew weaker. The connection to skills that may be important during the early stages of learning; such as planning, directing attention, and setting goals; were implicated by those faster learners who were more likely to bypass those skills, enabling them to learn more efficiently. The study of the brain on a broader scale when it comes to learning versus the minute scale are two very different studies. Finding the middle ground and how those two things come together to enable learning is the goal.
I thought this article was interesting because as students we are all trying to figure out the best way to learn. If there was a scientifically proven way to learn more effectively and more efficiently I would love to hear about it and apply it to my learning. The connections made in our brains are different for every person and the specific way we can make those connections and learn at a higher rate will change as we learn more about the brain and those learning pathways.