The Importance of Brain Neuroplasticity in Adult Teaching and Life-long Learning

Learning happens throughout life, on a conscious or subconscious level. Neuroscience has shown that the human brain demonstrates the neural network's adaptation to new situations (neuroplasticity). The brain can reorganize, both in its structure and in its functions. It was believed that the adult brain could not create new neurons. It was believed that with age, it becomes more difficult to rearrange connections between neurons due to decreased learning capacity. However, modern science has demonstrated the opposite. It is well known nowadays that new neurons can be developed in the adult brain. Therefore, the adult brain can learn, adapt, and process new information in adulthood, which provides neurological/biological support to the demand related to lifelong learning during working life. Brain plasticity allows brain restructuring by gaining experience. Neurons can change their structures and relationships due to experiences created due to the environment's demands resulting in mastering a new skill. Putting it into practice leads to the acquisition of competencies. Neurological changes in the adult brain accompany it.

For this reason, it is necessary to repeat a new skill to keep the information record between neurons as long as possible and as "solid" as possible. In particular previous experience and information related to that experience stored in the brain can sometimes hinder mastering a new skill or acquiring new knowledge. Therefore, for the practice of teaching adults, it is essential to review and valorize the previously acquired knowledge and experience of an adult to open a free path for the acquisition of new knowledge and skills leading to the expansion and upgrade of the neural network.

For its plasticity ability to come to the fore, the brain needs external and internal constructive and supportive stimulation. New experiences, new environments, new people, etc., can trigger significant physiological changes in the brain in just a few days. They can affect and accelerate the physical, chemical, and functional reshaping of the brain.

The adult brain will "allow" change if it considers the change to be essential and desirable for the brain and survival. However, this would depend on the central nervous system's health through which we communicate with the world around us.

In support of evidence of variability in internal brain structures, studies on adult brain plasticity have shown significant improvements in function and recovery from information loss in experience, cognition, memory, and motor skills by implementing appropriate approaches and exercising behavioral change programs.

When exploring the ability of brain neuroplasticity, neuroscientists have also realized that new neurons, new connections, and new synapses are constantly created in the human brain. Neurogenesis is the process of creating new neurons and is necessary to adapt and renew neurons in adults. It is clear that when stimulating biological input is constantly re-emerging throughout life, the natural predisposition to learning is created. Such cognition should encourage and empower adults to intensify learning activities at any point in life because the brain structure depends on how it is stimulated. Studies of brain plasticity have indicated that the brain changes both in physical structure (neural connections and networks) and functionality. Learning shapes the brain and its cognitive abilities, which significantly affects any future learning and has implications for adult education and lifelong learning.

Understanding the exact mechanisms of generating new neurons and new memory will provide the broader adult population and adult education practitioners with a foundation to support adults' participation in lifelong learning.

It has long been believed that the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in decision-making, thinking, learning, cognition, and information processing, reaches the developmental Plato at a young age and that changes later in life are no longer possible. However, neuroscience has discovered that the human brain is not static and has the characteristics of variability in the distribution and connection of neurons, i.e., the brain's physical structure, due to changes coming from the outside world and due to changes in neuron connections. The more active the brain cells, the more intense and frequent the neural network stimuli, the more frequent and desirable the changes are to maintain and increase the active brain's capacity. On the other hand, when acquiring new skills and competencies, the adult's brain will create new neural connections and synapses that will stimulate and enable learning due to new experiences and stimuli from the environment. The speed of generating neural connections and synapses differs for each individual, meaning that the speed of mastering new skills and acquiring new competencies will differ. Adults who continuously learn, read, live, and work in an environment that stimulates their brains (in the context of continuous use of cognitive abilities) will have stronger neural connections and synapses. Their brains will be prone to absorbing new information.

In conclusion, by learning something new every day, we keep the brain active and support it in creating new neural connections to more easily cope with new life situations that require us to create something new, solve problems, make decisions, overcome stress, etc.

Published in: "The Competence of Lifelong learning from the Neuroscientific Point of View on Adult Learning," Key Competencies in Adult Learning, Book of Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Adult Education, Vodice, Croatia, 3rd and 4th October 2013, http://www.andragosko.hr/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/zbornik-had-vodice-2013.pdf