The Promise of Discovery Season 5, Episode 4

This research explored how combining visual perception with motor practice—specifically drawing unfamiliar symbols—leads to lasting brain changes that support learning. Participants trained by drawing new letter-like symbols over four days while researchers tracked their brain activity using fMRI scans before, immediately after, and one-week post-training. The after-training scans revealed significant differences in activity within several brain regions—including the motor cortex—during the perception of trained compared to untrained symbols that were greater one-week post-training. This suggests that hands-on, visual-motor learning builds long-term changes in how the brain processes visual information, with potential implications for educational strategies and interventions.

Featuring: Shelby Buettner, Graduate Student, Vanderbilt University

Interviewer: Sophia Vinci-Booher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology & Human Development and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member

Visual perception with motor practice leads to lasting brain changes that support learning

This is an audio track of a transcript, intended solely for the purpose of learning English.

*Source:  Tran Tung, D. (2022). How to crack the IELTS speaking test.

TH1.15 | Handwriting

This podcast delves into a specific topic, perfect for enhancing your English learning experience.

PTH1.15 | The Enduring Significance of Handwriting

Ode to the Blue Book by Dr. Lach is a banjo-pickin, page-flippin’ tribute to the classic exam-day companion: the dreaded (but kind of noble) Blue Book. In an age of AI, autocorrect, and copy-paste, this song takes us back to when essays had to be handwritten, paragraphs were built by memory, and hand cramps were badges of honor.
With a toe-tapping bluegrass beat and lyrics full of academic angst and absurdity, this tune pokes fun at every student’s test-day panic while reminding us: sometimes, you’ve just got to put pen to paper and let it rip.
📚✍️ No keyboard, no filter—just you, your ideas, and the bluest of booklets.

Oh Blue Book

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) facilitates discoveries and best practices to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. More than 200 faculty affiliated with Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are engaged in multidisciplinary research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination. The VKC’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) works to improve assessment and treatment services for children with autism while advancing knowledge and training.

New tracks tagged #handwriting