Education Connection: Applying Brain Science to Teaching and Learning As the Superintendent of Schools in Lawrence, Massachusetts for the past six years, Dr. Wilfredo T. Laboy has set an outstanding example of what one educator dedicated to change and success can do in a short period of time. Following is an interview with Superintendent Laboy on the subject of education in America today, and what he has done specifically to turn things around in his own school district. What, in your opinion, is the biggest challenge facing educators today? We have to ask ourselves…what are we going to do to see to it that every child has optimal opportunities? For over 150 years, public education has been the bedrock of America’s democracy. What problems have you faced in your own school district? So our biggest challenge is the challenge of educating native language speakers. How are you dealing with this? Another thing we’re changing is to hold ourselves to the highest standards for all kids. All too often, we teach down to children. We do other things as well.
How Children Learn Prepared by Judith Graham, Extension human development specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Revised by Leslie A. Forstadt, Ph.D. For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu/publications/. Like constructing a house, brains are built upon a strong foundation. At birth, a baby’s brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way, and almost all the neurons the brain will ever have. In the brain, the neurons are there at birth, as well as some synapses. “Windows of opportunity” are sensitive periods in children’s lives when specific types of learning take place. Brain Development (YouTube) Scientists believe that language is acquired most easily during the first ten years of life. Stress can become toxic when a child has frequent or prolonged experiences like abuse, neglect or poverty without adult support. Sources:
- The Brain and Learning - Brain Training - Dubai - UAEResources_Home Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School By John Medina John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and research consultant. He is an affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science By Norman Doidge Norman Doidge, M.D., is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher, author, essayist and poet. Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life By Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wong Sam Wang, Ph.D., is an associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University. iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind By Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan Dr. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain By John Ratey John Ratey, M.D. is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
How the Brain Learns Best Easy ways to gain optimal learning in the classroom by activating different parts of the brain By Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. Over the last 40 years we have learned more about the human brain than in the previous 400 years. First, however, it is important to remember that all learning is brain-based. Neural System Fatigue Learning requires attention. When a child listens as you say, "George Washington was 6'4" tall," she uses one neural system (call it A). When a child is in a familiar and safe situation, as in most of our classrooms, his or her brain will seek novelty. The best presentation, the most engaging and effective teaching, has all three elements. The Bob-and-Weave Lecture The most effective presentation must move back and forth through these interrelated neural systems, weaving them together. Human beings are storytelling primates. *This article orginally appeared in Instructor magazine. Back to top
Education Conferences, Professional Development For Teachers, Teacher Conferences Modern myths of learning: The creative right brain First published on TrainingZone, 03/06/2009 Tweet this If you like this you may also like:Modern myths of learning: You only use 10% of your brain “Creative (Right-Brain) people can attain their goals!” “Creative people use the RIGHT side of their brains more than the LEFT” “Do you get bored when teachers lecture too much? All typical statements about the brain drawn from the internet… All based on a myth. There’s a modern myth of learning that certain complex mental tasks are dealt with exclusively by one side of the brain or the other. Left brain, right brain… it’s a no brainer Like previously examined myths (You only remember 10% of what you read, and you only use 10% of the brain) this has a pseudo-scientific aura about it. The science bit Since Paul Broca in 1861 identified an area of the brain critical to articulate speech (Broca’s area) we have known that certain parts of the brain are responsible for particular, specific activities rather than the whole brain being required.
Watching the Brain Learn Practice makes perfect, but how? Two groups of neuroscientists using MRI brain imaging announced last month that they were able to see changes inside the brains of people after mastering a new skill. The big surprise is that the part of the brain that changed has no neurons or synapses in it! The cerebral remodeling during learning was seen in the mysterious and still largely unexplored “white matter” region of the brain. “Grey matter” is synonymous with smarts, but in fact only half of the human brain is grey matter. But beneath the topsoil of the brain lies a dense network of fibers packed into a spaghetti-like snarl that is so complicated it is difficult to study or comprehend. To understand the importance of white matter, consider what is happening under the baseball cap of a left fielder leaping over the wall to snatch a baseball in mid air. That’s the job of white matter—long distant speedy communication. Dr. The brain scan gave the answer as clear as a picture.
fMRI Networks for Learning Motor Sequences Bapi, Dr. Raju S. and Miyapuram, Mr. K. P. and Graydon, Dr. F. Full text available as: Abstract A visuomotor sequence can be learned as a series of visuo-spatial cues or as a sequence of effector movements. References in Article Select the SEEK icon to attempt to find the referenced article. Metadata Repository Staff Only: item control page Brain-based Learning Definition This learning theory is based on the structure and function of the brain. As long as the brain is not prohibited from fulfilling its normal processes, learning will occur. Please note: since this article was published, Geoffrey and Renate Caine, leaders in brain-based learning research, have modified their principles on the topic. Please visit this Funderstanding article to learn about their updated views on brain based learning, which they are referring to as Brain/Mind Principles of Natural Learning. Discussion People often say that everyone can learn. The core principles of brain-based learning state that: The three instructional techniques associated with brain-based learning are: How Brain-Based Learning Impacts Education Curriculum–Teachers must design learning around student interests and make learning contextual. Instruction–Educators let students learn in teams and use peripheral learning. What Brain-Based Learning Suggests A few other tenets of brain-based learning include:
Brain gym – simple exercises for a better mind and body « never knowingly overwhelmed…. A simple series of exercises could help your brain function better, making you sharper, smarter – and far more confident. Brain Gym comprises very easy body movements which have been designed to coax the two hemispheres of the brain to work in synchronisation. Apparently when our brains become balanced, our whole bodies respond, revitalising our natural healing mechanisms, restoring health and harmony. Brain Gym can do everything from speeding up your reading to boosting self-esteem. It can improve your eyesight and even increase your creativity. Brain Gym is the practical self-help side of Educational Kinesiology, a system which developed out of work with dyslexia and learning disabilities in children. However Kay stresses that Brain Gym is not just for children with learning difficulties; it can help everyone, Even those who think they have perfectly normal brain function will find the exercises will help them perform even better. BELLY BREATHING: Place your hands on your abdomen.
Research shows the brain's processing speed is significantly faster than real time Scientists at The University of Arizona have added another piece of the puzzle of how the brain processes memory. Bruce McNaughton, a professor of psychology and physiology, and his colleague David Euston have shown that, during sleep, the reactivated memories of real-time experiences are processed within the brain at a higher rate of speed. That rate can be as much as six or seven times faster, and what McNaughton calls “thought speed.” Memory stores patterns of activity in modular form in the brain’s cortex. Different modules in the cortex process different kinds of information - sounds, sights, tastes, smells, etc. The cortex sends these networks of activity to a region called the hippocampus. Each module in the cortex uses the tag to retrieve its own part of the activity. But while an actual dining experience might have taken up an hour of actual time, replaying the memory of it would only take 8 to 10 minutes. “It’s a slow process,” said McNaughton. Source: University of Arizona