Imagine…
You get a message on your tablet with a mysterious message on the screen: “Some words have disappeared…. Can you help us find them?“
Suddenly, you find that you are not only learning English, but you have begun to take part in a mystery-solving mission. This is not just a game. Nor is it a traditional class, or a typical summer workbook. It’s neuroeducation in action.
Curiosity: the spark that activates the brain
Curiosity is not an extra: it is essential. When a learner is curious, the brain’s dopaminergic system is activated, which improves motivation, attention, and retention (Gruber, Gelman & Ranganath, 2014).
Through a mystery-based narrative, Milton Summer directly stimulates that system. Each clue, hidden word or surprise challenge awakens the imagination and influences children to ask “what will happen next?”, a question the brain wants to answer.
Memory promotes meaningful learning
Solving a riddle is not only entertaining: it has a neurological impact. When students make connections, reflect and apply knowledge to overcome a challenge, it activates the hippocampus, the key center of long-term memory. With Milton Summer, students don’t just memorise words. They integrate them as part of a story:
- Vocabulary is remembered because it’s used to decipher hidden words.
- Students understand grammatical structures because they help them to find clues.
- English is used to have fun, learn and practice.
- Students relate new content to those concepts and structures already worked on in class.
This is what psychologist David Ausubel (1968) calls meaningful learning: when new information is connected to previous knowledge through a meaningful context.
Play, emotion and learning that sticks
Learning through play generates endorphins and oxytocin, creating a state of “relaxed alertness”, ideal for language acquisition (Ratey, 2008). Children who learn while playing associate the process with pleasure, success and enjoyment, not frustration or pressure. With Milton Summer, songs, interactive stories, mini-games and daily challenges generate small moments of emotional involvement that are fundamental for deep and lasting learning.
Attention is the gateway to learning
One of the great challenges in education today is to capture (and maintain!) attention. According to neuroscientist John Medina (2008), we only remember what we pay attention to. With Milton Summer we share this idea and take advantage of it through:
- Detective missions to find the lost words
- A variety of activities to promote the practice and learning of English
- Structure that favors critical thinking through implementation, beyond focusing only on receiving information.
This promotes active learning, a key element in neuroeducation as well as in foreign language learning.
So… why do we think it is so important to solve mysteries?
Because mysteries spark the imagination, provoke questions and reward persistence. They invite the learner to become a detective, not just a recipient of content. And when students feel part of something bigger-a mission, a challenge, a team-they not only learn more, they learn with joy, intention and meaning.
Conclusion: learning is discovering
Milton Summer: Ray and the Mystery of the Missing Words is not just an English course. It is an experience designed from neuroscience, so that students can:
- Explore through stories
- Learn by solving clues
- Enjoy while developing real skills
Because meaningful learning doesn’t just happen in the brain…it starts in the heart.