EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES:what’s the brain got to do with it?

Brain functionAttentionMemory

BRAIN DIAGRAMBRAIN DIAGRAM

Hearing words creates hot spots Hearing words creates hot spots mainly in the temporal lobe of the mainly in the temporal lobe of the

cortex. Seeing words mainly cortex. Seeing words mainly involves areas in the occipital involves areas in the occipital

lobes.lobes.

HEARING WORDS SEEING WORDS

THALAMUS: TEENAGEATTENTION-GETTING REGION

LIMBIC SYSTEM- TEEN LIMBIC SYSTEM- TEEN THINKING CENTERTHINKING CENTER

EMOTIONS

MOTIVATION MORE & LESS

EMOTIONAL ASSOCIATION

ExternalStimulus

Initial ProcessingRetrieval

Repetition

Forgotten

Forgotten

Coding

LEARNING & MEMORYLEARNING & MEMORY

• Learning: A change in the nervous system Learning: A change in the nervous system caused by some event that in turn causes a caused by some event that in turn causes a

change in behavior. change in behavior.

Learning in nervous system: Requires a Learning in nervous system: Requires a change in the physical structure or change in the physical structure or

biochemistry of a synapse. Process is called biochemistry of a synapse. Process is called synaptic plasticitysynaptic plasticity. .

LEARNING & MEMORYLEARNING & MEMORY

A group of neurons is repeatedly activated by new stimuli.

Synaptic connections between them will be strengthened.

Circuit will contain the new information.•

Neurons that fire together- wire together.

LEARNING & MEMORYSTRATEGIES

Positive ClimateGlobal thinking/connections

PredictionsUndivided Attention

Higher Motivation-GoalsDirected Focus

Retention During Learning EpisodeRetention During Learning Episode

Time in Minutes

0 10 20 30 40

Deg

ree

of R

eten

tion

Prime-time-1

Down-time

Prime-time-2

Levels of Concern vs.

Degree of LearningD

egre

e of

lear

ning

Level of Concern

Hake (1998)

Types of Assessments• ONE-Minute Paper: End of class-

Brief check of student understanding

• Muddiest Point: End of class- check muddy/misunderstanding

METHODS:• One-Sentence Summary

• Directed Paraphrasing of concept• Classroom Opinion Polls

INTERACTIVE NATURE OF HIGHER LEVEL LEARNING by L. Dee Fink

Content DrivenTeaching-centered Instruction

THROUGHOUT CLASS

• THE PRIMARY GOAL IS:

ACTIVE LEARNINGNOT THIS---

AVAILABLE AT

• http://wb.nmsu.edu/~susanbro/sc2