Brain Research and Learning Theory By Caleb Cheung June 19, 2007
What’s Ahead • Brain Facts • Basic Brain Anatomy • Recent Research • Application to Teaching
Warm Up What do you know about your brain? What was learning in school like for you? • Think about a positive memory of a teacher or classroom experience • Think about a negative memory of a teacher or classroom experience. • How old were you? • Cognitive (mind) vs. Emotional (heart)
Basic Brain Facts • Grapefruit to cantaloupe sized • Weighs ~3 pounds • Texture of soft butter • Full of wrinkles or folds to maximize surface area • Unfolded it’s the size of a newspaper
Basic Brain Facts Contents: • 78% water • 10% fat • 8% protein Made of: • 100 billion Neurons – process and transmit information • 1-5 trillion Glial Cells – provides support
Brain Anatomy • Cerebrum • Cerebellum • Limbic System • Brain Stem
Cerebrum Receives, categorizes, and interprets information. Involved in rational decisions and activation of behavioral responses. Right – processes information as a whole, in random order, and spatially (creative), controls movement on the left side Left – processes information in parts, sequences, and language (logical), controls movement on the right side
Cerebrum • Frontal Lobe – judgment, creativity, problem solving, planning, short term memory • Parietal Lobe – higher sensory and language functions • Temporal Lobe – hearing, memory, and language • Occipital Lobe – vision
Cerebellum A computing machine for perception and motor control
Limbic System (inner brain) Principal regulator of emotions, filters information before it reaches the cerebrum.
Limbic System (inner brain) • Hypothalamus – Asks “What is happening inside?” Monitors regulatory system, automatic functions, emotions, “flight, fight or freeze”. • Thalamus – Asks “What is happening outside?” Relays all incoming sensory information. • Amygdala – Brain’s 911 system, reacts to incoming survival and emotional information. Encodes emotional messages to memories for long term storage. • Hippocampus – Plays a principle role in learning and memory. Checks new information with stored experiences. Creates new meaning, converts short term to long term memory.
Recent Research • Adaptability (plasticity) – the brain changes constantly and grows new neurons potentially at all ages. It is influenced by our actions, experiences, and the environment. • Integration – brain structures compete and cooperate, the limbic system can be a gate keeper to learning. • Sophistication – the brain is highly complex.
Information Processing Model
Learning is like falling in love • Attraction – spark • Dating • Exclusive dating • Engagement • Marriage • Mature Relationship
What does this have to do with our teaching??? At age 5-12 (elementary & middle school, the brain has learned language and motor skills, now it’s concerned with active exploration, ready to take on new challenges, develop new interests.
Classroom Strategies • Water • Movement • Engagement • Emotional State • Memory • Repetition • Music • Rewards
Importance of Water • If your body needs water, your brain starts to shut down. • We have an electrical systems in our body. Water helps our cells talk to each other. • If our brain was a computer, we would plug it in to get electricity… for the electricity to work in our brain, we need water. • The more water you drink, the more energy you have. • “Brain Juice”
Water • Most people are dehydrated • Sipping little bits at room temperature all day • Water conducts electricity – without it, there is a short circuit • Formula - Half your weight in ounces each day • Stress depletes the body of water – increase the amount when under stress • All academic skills are improved • Improved concentration, mental and physical coordination • Lack of water is the number 1 trigger for daytime fatigue
Movement Exercise is strongly correlated with increased brain mass, mood regulation, new cell growth, and cognition
Stretches
Silly Sports and Goofy Games • Find a partner • Decide whose birthday comes first (January – December) • The one whose birthday comes last holds the invisible ball • Catch, basketball, tennis, baseball, racquetball, soccer….
Engagement • Student choose relevant and meaningful learning activities. • Avoid embarrassment, failure, or harm. Help students feel safe. • Keep direct instruction short: 8-15 minutes.
Engagement
Emotional States • Occur in the lower part of the brain • Four basic states • Fear/Threat - Fight, flight, or freeze • Joy/Pleasure • Sadness/Disappointment • Anticipation/Curiosity • Not who we are, transient
State Changes • Find a new seat • Inside to outside • Large group to small group • Find three people who…. • Exchange some high fives • Put your pencil in the air • Thumbs up • Imagine…
Recap • Turn to the person sitting next to you, in front of you, or behind you • Tell them 2 new things you could incorporate into your classroom • Tell them the 1 thing you found most useful
Thank you!
