Brain Updates

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Brain Updates

• Sue Pearson
• Linda Jordan
• The Center for Effective Learning

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Agenda
Welcome
Brain Review
The Brain
Closing
The Brain at School
Resources
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Sense of Belonging

• As you have new experiences the brain grows
  dendrites.
• As a result of your trip to Huntington, Indiana
  what new experiences have grown dendrites for
  you?
• Share a travel story with your elbow partner.

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Brain Review
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Lobes of the Brain
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Communication of Neurons

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Environmental Factors Affecting the Growing Brain
David Sousa, 1998
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Amygdala

• The psychological sentinel of the brain because
  it plays a major role in the control of emotion.
  
• It is connected to many parts of the brain and
  plays a critical part in learning, cognition and
  emotional memories.

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Hippocampus

• It helps us remember events in recent past, as
  well as responsible for sending new information
  and experiences to be stored in the cortex in
  long-term memory.
• Critical to learning and memory formation.

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Reticular Activating System

• The RAS receives information from all over the
  body and acts as a central, initial regulator for
  attention, arousal, sleep-wakefulness and
  consciousness. Uses this information to change
  the cell excitation to meet the changing
  conditions in the environment.
• It filters out distractions or trivial sensory
  information.

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CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
PATTERNSEEKING...
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
CLUES CLUES CLUES CLUES
EE p. 4.4
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Mirror Neurons in the Brain

• A new class of brain cells -- mirror neurons are
  active both when people perform an action and
  when they watch it being performed.

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The Brain at School
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What Can Educators Do?

• Teach the Brain Research
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Read/Research/Resources

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Teaching the Brain Research

• Brain Dissections
• Wards Natural Supply
• Begin the Year with Brain Information
• Brain Structures and impact on learning
• Mirror Neurons
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Stay Current

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Sedentary Students

• 7.5 hours a day screen time
• 30 of US schoolchildren are overweight-6X more
  than 1980
• 2001 fit kids scored 2X on academic tests as
  their unfit peers

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STRESS

• Chronic stress can tear at the architecture of
  the brain
• Exercise controls the emotional and physical
  feelings of stress
• Any degree of stress activates brain systems
• Attention, energy, memory
• Regular aerobic activity calms the body

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Its what happens after exercise that optimizes
the brain

• Increases energy production at a intercellular
  level
• Chews up waste
• Triggering production of insulin
• Increases BDNF production
• All together helps make bloom and prevent the
  damage of chronic stress

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Current Trends in Nutrition

• 11 of children under the age of 2 eat french
  fries daily
• 24 eat hot dogs daily
• Many consume soft drinks regularly
• Many families do not eat together
• Children eat on the floor in front of the TV,
  while playing video games or at a computer
• Many different foods prepared for individual
  family members.
• (Fox, Pac, Devaney, Jankowski, 2009)

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• 1970 Americans spent about 6 billion on fast
  food
• 2001 Americans spent more than 110 billion on
  fast food
• Americans now spend more money on fast food than
  on higher education, personal computers, computer
  software, or new cars.
• They spend more on fast food than on movies,
  books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and
  recorded music---combined
• (Fast Food Nation)

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Resources

• Brain Connection dedicated to providing
  accessible, high-quality information about how
  the brain works and how people learn.
  ttp//brainconnection.positscience.com/
• Sharp Brains a leading market research and
  advisory services firm covering the growing
  cognitive fitness market. http//www.sharpbrains.c
  om/
• Dana Foundation supports brain research through
  grants and educates the public http//www.dana.org
  /Default.aspx

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Resources

• Society for Neuroscience advance the
  understanding of the brain http//web.sfn.org/
• Brainy Kids part of the brainconnection website
  http//www.dana.org/resources/brainykids/
• Neuroscience for Kids facts, games, contests
• http//faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
  
• NIH National Institute of Health curriculum
  http//tinyurl.com/yavjpwh

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Reflection/Discussion

• Stand
• Walk and touch 7 chairs
• Form groups of 2-3
• Share your ah-has, questions, wonderments
• What will you do as a result of being here today?

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The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use
we feel very good. Carl Sagan