There is a growing recognition of the complexity and diversity of human learning. Several recurrent principles are shaping our perceptions of the learning process and how educators can promote it:

• The behaviorist model of learning is incomplete: we cannot teach everybody in the same way.

• Teaching must address individual learners, their learning style preferences, and cultural backgrounds.

• The brain is a pattern-seeking organ constantly searching for order in chaos.

• Learning is non-linear and requires students to connect new learning with what they already know and have experienced.

• In optimal learning, teaching and assessment are integrated rather than separate processes.

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