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• Brain Compatible Strategies, 2nd Edition by Eric Jensen

So why is it necessary to change up instruction?

As your brain gets numb-er Your brain gets dumber

Changing STATES

Change up instruction 5-10 min. for pre-adolescents, and

Every 10-20 minutes for adolescents into adults.

Thinking About It

• Why would you want to change states when you finally have students quiet, sitting in their seats, and looking like they are listening to you?

• Because the brain needs a chance to refocus and start again.

• When you stand up blood flow to the brain increases.

Synapses or Brain BreaksJudith Willis

• Change activates and turns on different parts of the brain.

• Dopamine is a pleasure neurotransmitter that makes you feel good and is released during certain activities and depletes over time.

• Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, needs an opportunity to recharge and rebuild.

• Brain breaks (synapses) help to replenish.

Primacy-Recency Effect

• During a learning episode we remember best that which comes first, second best that which comes last and least that which comes just past the middle.

• Applies from the time period from state change to state change.

Changing States

• Find Someone Who• Clock Partners• Think-Pair-Share• Write-Pair-Share• Stand up, touch 3 walls• Stand up, hand up, pair up and share• Inside-outside circle• Split the line or fold the line

Changing States• Find Someone Who• Clock Partners• Think-Pair-Share

– Share while moving around the room or in hallway• Write-Pair-Share• Stand up, touch 3 walls• Stand up, hand up, pair up and share• Inside-outside circle• Split the line or fold the line

Change of States

• Sitting on larger bouncing balls• 10 second stretches• Deep breaths• Posture, sit up straight• Stress balls• Stand up to talk• Snowball fight• Follow the leader

Change of States

• Mirror me, watch me• Agree and disagree on different sides of

the room• Stimulate frontal lobe (rub your forehead)

Massage the brain• Write word or letter on back and tell what

the letter is• Have everyone shut books at the same

time

Changes of State• “write” first name with elbow, last name with hip,

“write” friend’s name• Have a student lead stretches• Play different types of music• Provide choice, you may touch 3 walls and come

back or do 10 toe touches• Play “Simon Says”

– Simon says shake hands with someone you don’t know, stand on your chair

– choose a student leader.

Puzzle face up and face down

• If you can see where you are going it makes a difference. You need the picture

When You See My Hand Up:

• Raise your hand– This lets me know that you have seen my

signal.– This lets others in the room that may not be

looking at me become aware of the signal.• Finish your thoughts with your partner or

group.• Wait for clarification or more directions.

A Cooperative Learning ActivityLine-ups

• Participants line up as to knowledge about a topic, a value about a topic, or just for class-building information.– Your knowledge and understanding about cooperative

learning– Height, birthday (excluding year)– Value (merit pay, tolerance of an issue, etc.)

• Demonstration

Line Up Instructions

• Smile and nod during line up.• When you see that I have my hand up,

raise your hand, finish your thoughts and stop talking.

• Question: Should teachers eat lunch with their students?

Process the Activity

• What did this activity accomplish?

Rally Partner• Smile and nod during line up.• Partner A, Partner B• Partner A shares one thing they learned, thought about or pondered

with partner B.• Partner B shares one thing they learned, thought about or pondered

with partner A.• Partner A shares one thing they want to know more about with

Partner B.• Partner B shares one thing they want to know more about with

partner A.• Demonstration

Inside-Outside Circle• Two circles facing each other• Students are facing a partner• Provide notes, cues, questions• Rotate the circle• Demonstration• My web-page,

– instructional strategies, Note-taking, flash card plus

Choral Response

a way for all age groups to rehearse and reinforce

Questions & Choral Response

• Making Choices– Provide contexts for students to decide

whether the target word is appropriate or which word of those given is best.

– To differentiate: • visual cues• literal/recall stems• abstract or higher order stems (and ask students to

justify)

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 57)

Making Choices

leisurely or in a hurry?• Taking a walk in the park

• Firefighters getting to a fire

• Runners in a race

• Sitting and talking to friends

• A dog lying in the sun

T-P-S: Think of more situations that sound leisurely.


Making Choices

• glimpse scrutinize– Which can you do more quickly?

• inspector spectator– What would you probably call every person

watching a football game?

• largo ritardando – Which tells me to slow down gradually?

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 80-81)

Making Distinctions

• Would you pay homage to something tolerable?

• Would you suppress a profound thought?

• Would blurting out your thought be an example of indecorum?


I Have…. Who has….

• My web-page, – instructional strategies, Note-taking, flash

card plus

Matching With Folder

• My web-page, – instructional strategies, Note-taking, flash

card plus

Find a threeish group

• Stand up• Threeish group is a group of 3, maybe 2

or 4• Can not be someone at the same grade

level or subject area.• Someone that you “don’t know” very

well.• Fill in a venn diagram with

characteristics about yourself.

Pause and ReflectStrategy

Think - Pair - ShareRead about the

strategy.Think of one

application for this strategy

Think-Pair-Share

Think about:

Pair up with neighbor

Share your thoughts

Think-Write-Pair-Share

Think about:

Write about:The power of writing!

Pair up with neighbor

Share your thoughts

Think-Pair Share

• Share a grading story that has left a lasting impression.

Stand Up

Hand Up

Pair Up

Share

Stand Up

Touch 3 different walls

Find someone who you have not shared with

Vocabulary Clock Partners

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Clock Partners

• Cooperative learning activity• The teacher designates a time, the students

meet, and share ideas on designated topic. • A specific time, for example 12:00 is designated

as homework partner. That clock partner is responsible for getting assignments and handouts when either is absent.

• For today fill in a different partner on your clock for 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00

Vocabulary Clock Partners

• Place vocabulary words around the clock.• When the students meet with their 2

o’clock person, they begin by sharing their understanding of the word then share ideas on designated topic.

REVIEW ACTIVITIES

Review Activities

• The more you know the more you can know– Background knowledge

• The more we retrieve, the more we remember– Strengthening neural connections by

repetition.

Get One, Give One

• List items individually• Walk around room

– Find someone– Give them something off of your list– Get something from their list– If nothing new create a new item

• Go until you get 6 ideas• Time limit 90 seconds

Memory box

• list items individually• pair up cooperatively

– Add to both list• pair up slight competition

– get one point for each item on your list that your partner does not have

Processing

• Builds a community of learners• The student is doing the talking• Forces the student to do the review• Number of repetitions

– Write down, read to neighbor, listen to neighbor, read for points.

• Also uses compare and contrast

Lotus Notes

Lotus Notes

Use of Zeros

Find Someone Who …..

• Take the sheet around and have someone sign in each place.

• When they sign have them tell you the answer to the question.

• Only sign a sheet if you know the answer.• Once everyone has their sheets

completed a person will be picked to begin and we will continue in order.

Clock Partners

• Cooperative learning activity• For today fill in a different partner on your

clock for 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00• To help students connect with a variety of

students have different times designated by hair color, height, birthday month, etc.

• Designate a time. That clock partner is responsible for getting assignments and handouts when absent.

Vocabulary Clock Partners• Place vocabulary words around the clock.• When the students meet with their 2 o’clock

person, they begin by sharing their understanding of the word.

• A similar strategy could be used with lotus notes. Place names in the concept boxes.

• Label the coordinate plane– Quadrants, origin, axis ….

• Label parts of conic sections– Vertex, focus, directrix, point of inflection

Running the Tournament• This activity is designed to help you become

familiar with several topics, not necessarily to determine a winner.

• Become familiar with the concept that is on your card.

• Place the cards on the table in a bracket• From each pair decide which card moves on to

the next round.• Complete the rounds until a single card is left.• You may select a runner up from all of the cards

that did not advance.

Run the Tournament:Most relevant, interesting to learn

• Use a “tournament bracket” to decide which characteristic is most relevant or interesting.

1. Each person will receive one characteristic.2. Read yours carefully and be ready to defend your

characteristic as most relevant or interesting3. Line up the eight characteristics (randomly).4. For each pair, decide which should advance.5. Once a winner is decided, choose one

consolation characteristic from any of the other seven.

Musical Cards

• On an index card write one of the “Craft Knowledge” strategies you like the best and a short description of that strategy.

Musical Cards• This activity is designed to help you become familiar

with several topics, not necessarily to determine a winner.

• Walk around the room shake hands and introduce yourself to people in the room and trade index cards. (model)

• When the music stops, remain with that person.• Read each card and together distribute 7 points

between the two cards to represent the degree of importance and relevance toward the question: Which strategy do you like best to enhance student learning.

• Write the points awarded on the back of the card.

Musical Cards

• Trade cards while the music plays.

• When the music stops, partner with the person currently trading with you.

• Read each card and together distribute 7 points between the two cards to represent the degree of importance and relevance toward the question: Why should I teach some words explicitly?

Walk to the Music

• May be used to get to know other people. When exchanging cards introduce themselves and – what they enjoy most about teaching, – What going to do different to begin year

Continue• Points may awarded 7-0, 6-1, 5,2 or 4-3• Write the points on the sticky note on the back of

each card. • Trade cards and walk around the room until the

music stops again.• Share the information on the cards, assign

points and trade cards.• After several rounds stop and add up the total

number of points for each card.• Cards with the highest point total do the best at

meeting the desired criteria.

Ball Toss Review

• We are going to toss a ball as a form of review.

• When you catch the ball you need to state one fact from what we have learned about the brain.

• If the ball drops we will start over again.• You may get help from your table group.

“The more we understand the brain, the better we’ll be able to design instruction to match

how it learns best.”

Pat Wolfe

The Importance of Processing Time

• The brain needs time to create connections and pathways to create long term memories.

• The hippocampus can only hold so much • Example of glass of water.• Too much, to fast, it won’t Last.• 10-2 or 5-1 rule

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