The Other Lobe

A blog about experiential education, social media, and the brain

Co-authored Blog Posts

Graduate school: A different kind of challenge from undergraduate school

- Graduate school: A different kind of challenge from undergraduate school by Helena Horvat UA’23 TCSPP’29 and Jim Stellar I have completed my first semester of graduate school (fall term 2024) at The Chicago School. As the next one approaches, I… ...Read More

 

Guest Papers by Students, Staff, and Faculty (edited by JS)

ADHD and a cognitive/emotional integration overview

- ADHD and a cognitive/emotional integration overview By Sophia DiLavore UA’25 and Jim Stellar   We have been meeting and talking about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) for a while, starting with a first blog and again with another second blog.… ...Read More

        Check out our ExperiencED podcast here!

A

News

Who We Are

Jim
Shwen
adrienne

Who We are and What We Do

The blog began as a partnership between an older (Jim Stellar) and a younger (Shwen Gwee) guy. Then when Jim began doing research for the book, he was helped by one of the first blog co-authors (Adrienne Dooley) who became a project manager for a team of researchers, ranging from students to professionals who worked to develop the book and continue to talk in an on-line forum. Now, the three of us have added a third section of short papers that examine topics in greater depth than possible in a blog.

The whole idea of the website is to discuss experiential education programs and  learning with a focus on what can be taken from neuroscience, cognitive, and social science research.  We believe that this research is showing that the brain is built to operate and make decisions in two ways – in conscious rational decision-making mode and in unconscious instinctive decision-making mode. We think that this dual view, which applies to economics, also applies to higher education.  It suggests important and natural ways that learning from direct experience can powerfully complement the classical classroom-based curriculum to improve student outcomes in and after college.

For more, click on the About link at the top