The Brain and Differentiated Instruction in class

1. The Brain andDifferentiated Instruction in class Jacqueline MacDonald jmacdonald@ebrschools.org

2. Brain research implications • 1) emotion is the gatekeeper to learning; • 2) intelligence is a function of experience • 3) the brain stores most effectively what is meaningful from the learner’ s perspective.

3. First ConceptIntelligence is the function of experience. • In the development of the human brain there are "windows of opportunity" when the hard, permanent wiring must take place.

5. The hard, permanent wiring for each of the centers develops at a different time before and after birth, which has led experts to label these periods as "windows of opportunity."

6. It allows the child to recall past experiences as if they were happening at the moment. ( the wiring that is)

7. The windows of opportunity open for1.Emotional and social attachment at birth and close around age two. 2.Second language opens around birth and closes between the ages of 8 –10

8. 3.. Vocabulary opens around the age of 2 -64. Math and logic opens around the age of three and closes around age 6.depending upon individual child***Parents and pre-k teachers be aware!!!

9. The windows create connections in the brain that form the foundation for: spoken language, reading, comprehension of written language, writing, and problem-solving.

10. The brain has 19 senses that it uses to understand. • Being there- most preferred because it uses all 19 senses • Immersion experience- replicate a real experience(immersion wall,pond or mural) • Hands-on- “ an example is the “real” frog” living on the student’s desk • Hands-on representational- fake frogs • Second hand-models, pictures and videotapes of real experiences . This form of input only makes sense if there has been "being there" experience prior to this experience. But it is better than…. • Symbolic- least favorite/letters that create words, numbers that create math problems, notes in music, and equations and formulas found in science or math

11. Symbolic information is the most difficult for the brain because it engages only one or two of the 19 senses. However, most of our teaching is centered around this.Why?

12. Well… to me • Traditional teaching practices • Lack of resources • It takes too much time • Most of our curriculum is geared towards this form. • Lack of money • Anything else?

13. Nevertheless… the research has proven that we have to incorporate as many senses as we can.

14. Second Concept: Emotions are the gatekeeper to learning.

15. Students need to understand how their emotions can take control of their thinking resulting in little or no cognitive processing and building of mental programs. Teachers can help students understand their emotions and the results of negative emotions . Positive emotions such as love, excitement, enthusiasm and joy enhance the ability of the cerebral cortex to process information and create permanent mental programs.

16. Info can go three ways • Students process the information depending on whether or not the person "feels" safe. • There are many articles on Paul Mclean’s model of the Triuble brain. • What does this mean in the classroom?

17. Student is experiencing some satisfaction. Student is mad. Student feels unsafe.

18. Third concept Humans in all cultures use multiple intelligences to solve problems and to create products.

19. Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind: A Theory of Multiple Intelligences • has identified at least eight different ways of solving problems or producing products. • He has established criteria for these eight intelligences including where they are located in the brain. • Gardner firmly believes the human brain has all eight, but many are not developed or are underdeveloped due to lack of experiences.

20. Do you possess some of the characteristics?

21. Linguistic Intelligence – The students have a book with them at all times just in case things get boring. Individuals can be linguistic in four different ways, reading, speaking, listening and writing. It is possible to have a highly developed linguistic intelligence and not necessarily be good in all four ways.

22. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence – Students are listeners and appreciate things done in a sequential manner. They like order and insist that all drawers and doors be closed, encyclopedias need to be in order and they use post-it notes to tab reading materials.

23. Spatial Intelligence - Students look up toward the ceiling when asked a question. They are looking for the answer to the question by forming a picture, from their experiences, in the prefrontal lobes of their brain. The most important thing teachers can do is allow "wait time." Time for the answer to form so they can respond.

24. Musical Intelligence – “Most distracted person in the room." Their brain is trying to make sense from every sound it hears. Students look toward the source of the sound, a speaker in a classroom a door opening or a book dropped on the floor. Any source of sound is a distraction. They can be called the "hummers and drummers" since they often are trying to tap out the rhythm of the voice of the teacher. Stopping the tapping or humming will cut off the input to the brain .

25. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence - to experience input via the long muscles of their arms and legs. They need to have the freedom to move, stand or walk around.After an assignment is given by a teacher the bodily-kinesthetic individual will get up to sharpen a pencil go back and sit down, get a book and sit down, get a drink of water and sit down, get another book and sit down. What they are doing is processing the directions to do the assignment or task. These students need to be allowed to stand and work or need to be assigned tasks such as collecting papers and passing out materials.

26. Naturalist Intelligence - this is the newest of the intelligences identified by Howard Gardner and involves the ability to distinguish, compare or make sense of man-made things and things found in nature. The most observable clue is their need to be out side doing "real" things. They gain the most from "being there" experiences. Naturalist among us include farmers, forest service people, and those people who we believe have a "green thumb."

27. Interpersonal Intelligence - They believe collaboration is the way to solve problems and produce products. They want and need to be part of a group. Students are often heard in the form of a verbal "Yes!" when told they will be working in groups today.

28. Intrapersonal intelligence - "Can I do this alone?" They firmly believe they can do a job better by themselves. This intelligence is one that will suffer the more classrooms move toward collaboration. Time needs to be set aside for the intrapersonal person. Silent sustained reading and silent sustained writing must be silent to honor this intelligence.

29. Lets take a few moments to look over these intelligences and see if you can see one person in your class that might be inclined to work this way. Many people are not completely in one or the other, but definitely have a preference. Jot down your thoughts and we will share them , in five minutes.

30. How do we find what are students’ intelligence are?http://www.mitest.com/omitest.htm Harcourt has one in the teacher resource guide.Volunteer anyone to take this test when we take our break? It will only take a few minutes.

31. Third Concept The brain's search for meaning is a search for patterns.

32. The human brain is constantly seeking patterns in its environment. The brain does not take in patterns in a logical, sequential manner. It takes them in randomly. In order to determine the patterns in ones environment the brain needs many, many real experiences. Pattern recognition is the ability to identify and understand the things in the environment. The brain needs quantum amounts of experiences to understand and apply the patterns. Application of patterns are how mental programs are built.--Leslie A. Hart, Human Brain and Human Learning

33. How many real experiences have our children had? How does this affect their learning?

34. Fourth Concept Learning is the acquisition of useful mental programs.Please forgive the next slide; it is me on my soapbox.

35. To build a mental program takes lots of pattern repetition. For example, if teachers taught multiplication facts using the pattern-seeking ability of the brain and repeated the patterns until the brain was able to identify and understand them, all students would master multiplication facts. The reality is teachers do not do enough pattern-seeking and move on too quickly, thus multiplication is taught at every grade level 3 - 12 and every college and university in the United States offers multiplication in its remedial math classes. Mental programs allow humans to use the patterns they have identified and understand.

36. Mental programs allow humans to use the patterns they have identified and understand. More curriculum connections and mastery could result from building mental programs.Lets take a few and write down some ways you can make that happen and share.Leslie A. Hart, Human Brain and Human Learning

37. Fifth Concept One's personality has an impact on learning.

38. Beginning in the fifth grade and continuing through life the personality and temperament of person has a direct relationship to how the person learns, takes in information, how he/she organizes during learning and when applying learning, decision-making, and orientation to other learners in group settings or in the classroom.

39. Some characteristics of each of the personality and temperaments include: • Orientation to life: introversion (lose energy) or extroversion • (gain energy) • Lifestyle: judging (organized, closure) or perceiving • (spontaneous, open) • Take in information: sensing (details, concrete) or intuitive • (wholes, hunches) • Decision-making: feeling (subjective, empathetic) or thinking • (objective, logical)

40. How does this affect us? In developing grade level or interdisciplinary teams ,all teachers need to be aware of the differences in the personality and temperament of their teammates. Middle and high school teachers need to be aware of the personality and temperament styles of their students, especially when grouping. David Keirsey and Margaret Bates, Please Understand Me: Temperament and Personality

41. What you need to know • Differentiated instruction takes into account the personalities, learning styles, and prior experiences of each individual student, and allows the teacher to plan activities with this in mind. • Learning should be interesting most of the time.

42. Activities • Hands-on • Multi-sensory • Cooperative • Involve meaningful real life experiences ( field trips) • And practiced over and over

43. Where to start?????? • Assessment of your students ( Dibels, Mulitple Discipline, • observation, parent surveys, student surveys) • 2. Assessment/ reflection of your practices • a. Where can I get the most bang for the buck • b. Start slowly and observe ( Rome was not built…) • c. Observe classes where you know they are successful • d. Get teachers to share ideas ( student teachers • saved my life)