SUMMER INSTITUTE FINAL SESSION

“Igniting Learning: Brain-Based Strategies for

Student Success”

May 26-27, 2010

QUESTIONS FOR FINAL DEBRIEF

• What are the major new learnings from the Reticular activating system – Amygdala – Dopamine (RAD System) and Pre frontal Cortex development and the advent of new mobile learning platforms like the iPad?

• What does this all mean for our students’ learning?

• What does this all mean for our learning?

DEBRIEF/SHARING

Major new learnings: pleasure principle, engaging with curiosity and prediction, RAS is filtering system

Teachers need to be more active, varied to keep students curious, predict, use all senses

Age group 8-early 20s take “defeat to heart” – dopamine level drops

Be careful about calling on students, “pay attention now” More volunteer participation from students Use it or lose it – brain pruning and rewiring Faculty need to keep up with tech to try to keep ahead of

students E.g., twinkie experiment – prediction Dopamine enhanced by interaction; learn so they can teach it

DEBRIEF/SHARING P2

Bingo, Music, Movement, card table group methods – stimulus connected to cognition; also use of social media

Link to memory, prior knowledge iPad in student comfort zone, fun – non threatening so

avoids flight, fight, freeze syndrome Portability, accessibility of images/text, ease of use iPad is an initial prop, novelty to get interest, the hook,

curiosity Faculty and students working with each other in terms of

brain and tech Get rid of 19th c model of “sage on the stage” Individual to group learning

DEBRIEF/SHARING P3

Methods to help faculty get out of ingrained habits of teaching

Group work using opposing views, can tap into prediction, work with undecided students

Use of scaffolding to reach higher order thinking skills Ipad is DOPE! Societal change reflected in student attitude,

democratization, effect of angry teachers – dopamine Inducing dopamine release – music, movement, etc., we as

faculty also need to be in that state to do that effectively When the prediction is incorrect, if explanation is given,

dopamine level still goes up. Idea is to go over things with them in a short time period