Dr. Smilkstein's learning process is brilliant. The natural human learning process describes the six stages the human brain goes through when learning something new. The process describes how we learn different skills and how our emotions can determine how we learn. This process has helped me and other humans understand how the human brain works and how we learn. The natural human learning process is a process that the brain goes through when learning different skills. According to Dr. Smilkstein, this process is divided into six stages. The first stage is the motivation phase. This stage occurs when the brain begins to acquire the desire to do something for many different reasons. Sometimes, she says, we learn things because we feel like “we do too.” The second stage is the initial practice stage. This is the trial and error stage. The third stage is the advanced practice stage, where you start repeating the action over and over again. The fourth stage is the skill stage, where you start to get really good at what you do. You become more confident about your skills at this stage. The skill begins to become natural because it has been continually tried. The fifth stage is the refinement stage. In this stage you start experimenting with different things. For example, the ingredients may change if the Cooking skill is used. In the final stage, mastery, is when the skill can be taught to others (Smilkstein). One skill that I am now aware of having acquired through the natural human learning process is the skill of driving. I was motivated to start driving because I didn't want to ask my parents to take me anywhere and I was also tired of being late to events. I started practicing in the middle of a sheet of paper...the synapses were shutting them down. When our emotions are happy, positive and confident, the brain sends a certain chemical into the synapses that makes them work properly and quickly. The sequence of steps the human brain goes through when learning new skills really helps the reader understand why it learns. different skills in different ways. The six stages the brain goes through correspond to different aspects of human life and how everyday emotions affect our learning. It’s a great process to learn and understand. The next time you have questions about how humans learn, refer to Dr. Smilkstein's learning process. Works Cited Smilkstein, Rita. We were born to learn: using the brain's natural learning process to create today's curriculum. Thousand Oaks, California. Corwin Press, 2003.