Brain Research and Learning Theory

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Brain Research and Learning Theory

• By Caleb Cheung
• June 19, 2007

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Whats Ahead

• Brain Facts
• Basic Brain Anatomy
• Recent Research
• Application to Teaching

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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)

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Basic Brain Facts

• Grapefruit to cantaloupe sized
• Weighs 3 pounds
• Texture of soft butter
• Full of wrinkles or folds to maximize surface
  area
• Unfolded its the size of a newspaper

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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

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Brain Anatomy

• Cerebrum
• Cerebellum
• Limbic System
• Brain Stem

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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

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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

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Cerebellum

• A computing machine for perception and motor
  control

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Limbic System (inner brain)

• Principal regulator of emotions, filters
  information before it reaches the cerebrum.

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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 Brains 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.

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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.

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Information Processing Model
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Learning is like falling in love

• Attraction spark
• Dating
• Exclusive dating
• Engagement
• Marriage
• Mature Relationship

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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
  its concerned with active exploration, ready to
  take on new challenges, develop new interests.

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Classroom Strategies

• Water
• Movement
• Engagement
• Emotional State
• Memory
• Repetition
• Music
• Rewards

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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

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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

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Movement
Exercise is strongly correlated with increased
brain mass, mood regulation, new cell growth, and
cognition
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Stretches
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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.

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Engagement

• Student choose relevant and meaningful learning
  activities.
• Avoid embarrassment, failure, or harm. Help
  students feel safe.
• Keep direct instruction short 8-15 minutes.

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Engagement
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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

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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

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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

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Thank you!