Educational professionals who understand the relevant aspects of brain development, alertness, attention, and memory storage and retrieval, and who use strategies derived from this research, will find their work becoming more effective and exciting and will find their students more engaged.

3-D Brain

Nuerons Brain Cells Present at Birth

Lifelong growth of support and connectingcells that enrich communication betweenneurons (dendrites).

Point to the part of the brain for vision while saying “vision”

Point to the part of the brain for hearing while saying “hearing”

Point to the part of the brain for touching while saying “touching”

“Arms” coming from axons (body of neuron)

Increase in size and number in response to learned skills, experience, and information.

New dendrites grow as branches from frequently activated neurons

Brain’s plasticity allows it to reshape and reorganize networks of dendrite-neuron in response to increased or decreased use.

Housed in grey matter of brain.

Dendrites carry information from one neuron (brain cell) to another.

Each neuron may communicate with 50,000 other neurons by dendrites

Multiple neural pathways can help fight Alzheimer’s Disease

5:00 Video Clip

2004 report in Nature Learning to juggle

increased grey matter in occipital lobes.

Once they stop, new grey matter vanished.

Similar structural change in people who learn – and then don’t practice – a second language.

Decrease in connecting dendrites and other brain connecting cells that are not used is called “pruning.”

Just like pruning errant branches of a bush that do not connect to other branches, the brain prunes its own inactive cells.

Active cells require blood to bring nourishment and clear waste, but inactive cells don’t send messages for blood.

Reduced blood causes build-up of calcium ions, which triggers secretion of enzyme called calpain that causes cells to self-destruct.

Learning consists of increasing dendrite formation and connection

For learning to be long term, it must move into the frontal lobe – logic, reasoning, emotions

Present information in a logical multi-sensory approach that promotes reason and if possible plays on the emotions.

Use multiple methods from multiple stimulations for building memory Discussion

Use the element of surprise Where were you when… Or, Or how about… Surprise triggers higher levels of brain

activity – WE REMEMBER IS TRUE!

DO NOT TEACH TO ROTE MEMORIZATION Facts that are often of little interest or

emotional value to the student, such as a list of vocabulary words with nothing to give them context or relationships to their lives, are stored in remoter areas of the brain. With few nerve pathways, this information is difficult to retrieve.

Make cross-curricular connections

When you learned something that seemed obvious or easy, but you soon forgot.

Working memory (aka short term) involves ability to hold and manipulate information for use in the immediate future. This information is only held here for 20

minutes. If not moved into the long term memory through practice and relating material through multisensory approaches the material will be lost or stored in remote brain areas.

Simply reading textbook passages will not help students learn material Break up reading with engaging and

thought provoking questions Incorporate multimedia presentations to

engage current generation Have peer editing of students notes in class

after constructive modeling of how to do this

PET scan results of a student Silent reading, least brain activity Material made multisensory activity

increased Student asked to make connections

from story to his life, still more Then asked to listen so as to teach

someone else the story, greatest amount of brain activity We learn the most when we have to

teach someone else!!!!!!

Involve exterior activities in class Play music or associate a certain smell to allow

students to recall through their experiences and emotions

Breaking down into separate smaller chunks does not allow for deep understanding of material Focus on creating patterns so students can relate new

material to previous material and make connections Japanese math curriculum vs. American math curriculum

Multiple forms of review such as concept maps

Visualize historical event using words or pictures on a paper

Tie information to students own lives

Role-play or pantomime

The amygdala functions on emotions for fear and anxiety Becomes over-

activated when there is a threat

Over-activation blocks input from going into the memory circuits of the brain

Positive emotional states also activate and INCREASE metabolic activity Feelings of contentment,

joy, play, and a comfortable amount of challenging show better working memory and higher order executive functioning and decision-making abilities.

For complex lessons, especially lecture based, the nueral transmission across synapses will be depleted after approximately 15 minutes.

The brain physically needs breaks to rest and re-coup.

Changing your teaching method will prevent overloading and help maintain positive emotional states to promote memory storage.

Give students a “break” to get out materials or ask questions, then have them recap the lesson.

After a syn-nap, have students work on putting material into their own words

The brain files information by identifying similarities and differences Research shows that frequent use of this

instructional technique leads to the greatest increases in learning

Venn Diagrams, generate mental images and associate with previous material, create analogies and metaphors

Repetition of learned material that is reviewed on a regular basis increases efficiency of brain Professional musicians – high brain metabolic

activity initially but decreased after practice showing increased efficiency

Continuous assessment and review of prior important material Math cummulative exam Midterm exams Summation of learned material

Best remembered information is learned trough multiple and varied exposures followed by authentic use of the knowledge by processing it through the executive function centers. Student centered or open ended questions

After reading Of Mice and Men, defend or condemn George’s decision to kill Lennie?

Defend or Condemn the decision of Truman to drop the atomic bomb

Defend or Condemn the invasion of Iraq Whom is the greatest president in – war time,

or economic policy

Work with someone from either your department or another to design a multi-sensory lesson (can be over multiple days) with an ending consolidation. Incorporate visualization, graphic organizers, identifying similarities and differences, evocation of emotions.