Live in 2013 at UFV TEP

Best Practices in Teaching and Learning 

vs. 

The “Student Brain”

Part 3 (Live in 3D) – Brain Based Teaching

Capturing the mind

The first two minutes of your class can have a great influence on whether your students’ brain will pay attention to what you are teaching.

Remember that it’s biologically impossible to remember something you don’t pay attention to.

Recall to RememberTurn to the person next to you and tell them two

things you are trying to do in your teaching that take into account what you’ve learned about the brain in the last two Brain Based Teaching sessions.

I’m going to ask the person who was told the ideas to share with the group. This means that active listening is important. What is active listening? How will your partner know you are actively listening? What does it look like, sound like, etc.?

What we’re dealing with

What we’re dealing with

Or do we deal with this?

What is Brain Based Learning?“Brain based learning involves acknowledging the

brain’s rules for meaningful learning and organizing teaching with those rules in mind.” Renate Caine

“So our environment, including the classroom environment, is not a neutral place. We educators are either growing dendrites or letting them wither and die. The trick is to determine what constitutes an enriched environment and helps the brain to grow.”

“It uses an approach and strategies based on solid research from brain related disciplines rather than on myths, a well meaning mentor teacher or “junk” science.”

A question to askIs what I do in my classroom good

for the brains of my students?

Let’s review what we covered: The PlanKnow your opponent – what will they bring to the

battle? How do they think?Know your skills – who are you and what do you

bring to the table? How do you act?Know the best way to win – how can you use your

own skills to your advantage and how can you change what you did in previous years to improve your readiness this time? How do you change?

How Memory Works

Two Halves Acting TogetherThere is a lot of research into what the two halves of

the brain do.In general, the left side of the brain is a series

processer that is responsible for taking in the parts. It learns things better in sequence.

The right side of the brain is a parallel processer that is responsible for taking in the whole. It learns well in an abstract way, taking in various pieces of information and making the connections between them.

The two halves of the brain are linked together through the corpus callosum.

Two Halves Acting TogetherIt makes sense that having two cerebral

hemispheres that process information in uniquely different ways would increase our brain’s capacity to experience the work around us.

Because out two hemispheres are so adept at weaving together a single seamless perception of the world, it is virtually impossible for us to consciously distinguish between what is going on in our left hemisphere versus our right hemisphere.

But try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CEr2GfGilw

Two Halves Acting TogetherThe right hemisphere creates a master collage of what this

moment in time looks like, sounds like, smells like and feels like. Moments are rich with sensations and thoughts, often with physiological responses.

The right hemisphere is capable of remember isolated moments with uncanny clarity and accuracy. But it thinks of the big picture.

For the right hemisphere, no time exists other than the present moment.

It is free to think outside the box because it doesn’t have to follow the rules and regulations of the rest of the brain. It is spontaneous, carefree and imaginative.

Two Halves Acting TogetherThe left hemisphere strings together those rich moments in a

timely succession. It puts things in proper sequence and organizes details in a linear and methodical configuration.

The left hemisphere builds an understanding of everything using deductive reasoning. It thrives of details, details and more details.

For the left hemisphere, where our language centre is located, uses words to describe, define and communicate everything.

The left hemisphere language centre is also involved in what is known as “brain chatter” that allows our mind to speak to us constantly. It is responsible for the “ego centre”, helps to define who we are and allows to say, “I am . . .”

Two Halves Acting TogetherAlthough each hemisphere processes information

uniquely, they work intimately.For example, our left hemisphere understands the

details of the words we hear. They takes the words, put them in their proper order, know how they fit together and what concept they mean. At the same time the right hemisphere is looking at the big picture and assessing it. It checks for body language, facial expression, tone of voice, etc.

Together they combine to take in and create communication.

The Brain’s natural actionsThe brain has not evolved to its present condition

by taking in meaningless data; an enriched environment gives students an opportunity to make sense out of what they are learning, what some call the opportunity to "make meaning”.

The Brain develops in an integrated fashion over time. Babies do not talk one week, tie their shoes the next, and then work on their emotional development. An enriched environment addresses multiple aspects of development simultaneously. 

The Brain’s natural actionsThe brain is essentially curious and it must be to

survive. It constantly seeks connections between the new and the known. Learning is a process of active construction by the learner and enrichment gives students the opportunity to relate what they are learning to what they already know. As noted educator Phil Schlechty says, "Students must do the work of learning.”

Learning is more effective if concepts are learned in context and related to existing knowledge. Content needs to be relevant, integrating  multiple aspects simultaneously.

The Brain’s natural actionsThe brain is innately social and collaborative. Although the

processing takes place in our students independent brains, their learning is enhanced when the environment provides them with the opportunity to discuss their thinking out loud to bounce their ideas off their peers and to produce collaborative work.

Peer teaching may be as valuable for the child who is "teaching" as for the "learner”.

Students need to learn to ask questions, think and interact verbally.

Students need to be able to construct meaning by interacting with peers, problems, issues and with materials.

Another Review: Factors that Determine Your Personal Teaching Style

Our personality, background, tastes, and attitudes;

Our own experiences as a student in school; andWhat we learn as a student of teachingTherefore, there is a need to reflect on our

teaching methods to see where they come from. Why do we do what we do?

Brain Rules Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular

biologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

He wrote a book, “Brain Rules,” that outlines 12 rules that cover how the brain works. He summarizes much of the research into how the brain operates most effectively and efficiently.

I want to use some of his rules as they relate to effective classroom techniques.

Rule #1 – Exercise boosts brain power.Physical exercise enhances brain function. One reason is

simply increased blood flow.But other research shows that aerobic exercise, releases

proteins that have been shown to increase brain function. Some call them “brain fertilizers.” They encourage the growth of new brain cells and neural connections, especially in regions involved in learning and cognitive processing.

Exercise also increases the size of the hippocampus and other cognitive areas of the brain, such as the executive function.

Also, good diet and water play a role in enhanced brain function.

Rule #4 – We don’t pay attention to boring things.We pay attention to things like emotions, threats and sex. In spite of what we say, the brain is not designed to

multitask. It is better to focus on one thing for a short period of time, then switch to something else.

Multitasking can actually result in 50% more errors and will take longer to do the tasks than if done sequentially.

An online world is a distracted world. You can’t really pay attention.

Sponge Bob is bad for kids’ brains.

Rule #5 – Short Term Memory – Repeat to Remember.The human brain can hold about 7 pieces of information

for less than 30 seconds (memory space). If you want to extend holding onto that information to a

few minutes or even an hour, you need to consistently re-expose yourself to the information. You have to repeat it to remember it. By the time a student gets home to do homework, it may not be practice but may be new learning.

In a Seattle study, grade 3 students were given a lesson in the morning, then they had to repeat the information in the afternoon. They performed significantly better on tests than the students who didn’t repeat the information.

Rule #6 – Long Term Memory – Remember to Repeat.It can take years to totally consolidate a memory, not

minutes, hours or even days. What you learn in grade 1 may not be fully formed into a static memory until grade 10.

Some research suggests that in an ideal school, lessons or practice would be repeated later in the school day – 60 - 90 minutes later to facilitate short term to long term conversion.

Repeated exposure to information in specifically timed intervals provides the most powerful way to fix a memory into the brain.

Forgetting does allow us to prioritize events but if you want to remember, remember to repeat.

Rule #7 – Sleep well, think well.Even though you’re asleep, the brain is extremely

active. We need the time we sleep to turn short term memories into long term memories. We sleep so we can learn.

Teenagers need more sleep. But their sleep/wake cycle occurs later due to chemical changes in the brain.

Napping is normal. The brain experiences a downtime about 12 hours after the mid-point of the previous night’s sleep. That’s usually about 3:00 pm.

Rule #8 – Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.The brain is designed to deal with no more than 30 seconds

of stress. It has a hard time dealing with longer stress periods, especially when we think we have no control over it.

Stress damages almost every kind of cognitive function. It damages memory and executive function. Executive function controls processes involved in planning, critical thinking, inhibiting inappropriate actions and rule acquisition.

You have only one brain. Stress at home will affect performance at school.

“What goes on inside the home is more important than what goes on inside the school. What goes on inside the student is more important than what goes on inside the teacher.”

Brain Based LearningOrchestrated immersion: Orchestrated

immersion means to create learning environments that fully immerse learners in an educational experience. The idea is to take information off the page and blackboard to bring it to life in the minds of students. Orchestrated immersion provides learners with rich, complex experiences that include options and a sense of wholeness.

Brain Based LearningRelaxed alertness: Relaxed alertness means to

try to eliminate fear in learners, while maintaining a highly challenging environment. Relaxed alertness is not the same as being calm and unchanging. It is a dynamic state that is compatible with great deal of change. Relaxed alertness ensures that students are being challenged within a context of safety. It also includes a personal sense of well-being that allows students to explore new thoughts and connections.

Brain Based LearningActive processing: Active processing means the

consolidation and internalization of information by the learner in a way that is both personally meaningful and conceptually coherent. It is the path to understanding, rather than simply to memory. Active processing necessarily engages emotions, concepts and values.

Practical Advice Not all students need to be doing the same thing at the same time. Some group work

would therefore be appropriate. Students are not all at the same level of ability and they don't learn in the same way.

It follows that different groups within the same class should be working at a variety of different levels of complexity and/or difficulty  simultaneously, but at different rates.

Students need to be actively involved in making decisions and modifications to their learning efforts.

Students need appropriate challenges, a secure environment, an opportunity to explore ideas and have fun learning.

Students need to learn to ask questions, think and interact verbally. Students need to be able to construct meaning by interacting with peers, problems,

issues and with materials. Learning is more effective if concepts are learned in context and related to existing

knowledge. Content needs to be relevant, integrating  multiple aspects simultaneously.

So how do you best continue with your planning for this year?Think about your students. Think about their brain

and how they function best.Think about yourself. Think about doing one thing

differently next year, something that will reach one student brain you didn’t reach this year.

Think about the best ways you can help students learn.

Think about ways your department can work together to meet the specific needs that you have in order to help more students become successful.

Final Thoughts from Albert Einstein:“I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.”