Head First 2D Geometry

how to use this book

Here’s what WE did:

We used pictures, because your brain is tuned for visuals, not text. As far as your brain’s

concerned, a picture really is worth a thousand words. And when text and pictures work

together, we embedded the text in the pictures because your brain works more effectively

when the text is within the thing the text refers to, as opposed to in a caption or buried in the

text somewhere.

We used redundancy, saying the same thing in different ways and with different media types,

and multiple senses, to increase the chance that the content gets coded into more than one area

of your brain.

We used concepts and pictures in unexpected ways because your brain is tuned for novelty,

and we used pictures and ideas with at least some emotional content, because your brain

is tuned to pay attention to the biochemistry of emotions. That which causes you to feel

something is more likely to be remembered, even if that feeling is nothing more than a little

humor, surprise, or interest.

We used a personalized, conversational style, because your brain is tuned to pay more

attention when it believes you’re in a conversation than if it thinks you’re passively listening

to a presentation. Your brain does this even when you’re reading.

We included loads of activities, because your brain is tuned to learn and remember more

when you do things than when you read about things. And we made the exercises challenging-

yet-do-able, because that’s what most people prefer.

We used multiple learning styles, because you might prefer step-by-step procedures, while

someone else wants to understand the big picture first, and someone else just wants to see

an example. But regardless of your own learning preference, everyone benefits from seeing the

same content represented in multiple ways.

We include content for both sides of your brain, because the more of your brain you

engage, the more likely you are to learn and remember, and the longer you can stay focused.

Since working one side of the brain often means giving the other side a chance to rest, you

can be more productive at learning for a longer period of time.

And we included stories and exercises that present more than one point of view,

because your brain is tuned to learn more deeply when it’s forced to make evaluations and

judgments.

We included challenges, with exercises, and by asking questions that don’t always have

a straight answer, because your brain is tuned to learn and remember when it has to work at

something. Think about it—you can’t get your body in shape just by watching people at the

gym. But we did our best to make sure that when you’re working hard, it’s on the right things.

That you’re not spending one extra dendrite processing a hard-to-understand example,

or parsing difficult, jargon-laden, or overly terse text.

We used people. In stories, examples, pictures, etc., because, well, because you’re a person.

And your brain pays more attention to people than it does to things.

xxii intro