Learning in 20X0 - evidence-based

investigations of creativity and physiology in

phenomenon-based social learning

Minna Huotilainendocent of cognitive science

PhD in Engineering (biosignalprocessing)Helsinki, Finland

Contents• Which are the 21st century skills that we should teach our kids?• How can we make use of data from cognitive science in schools?

1. Enhanced learning with creativity, especially music2. Enhanced learning with physically active learners3. Empowering the learner with learning data4. Co-creation in learning5. Phenomenon-based learning

• Future studies and applications for evidence-based teacher education

21st century skills

Creativity, curiosity,

imagination, innovation

Research skills

Critical thinking, problem solving

Self-direction, planning, self-

discipline, goal-directed

behaviour

Oral and written

communica-tion, public speaking, listening

Leadership, teamwork,

collaboration

ICT and media literacy,

programming

Social justice, ethnic and

ethical thinking

Global awareness,

multicultural skills

Environmental thinking,

ecosystem understandingScientific

reasoning, science literacy and methods

Health and well-being, nutrition, exercise, safety

21st century skills

Creativity, curiosity,

imagination, innovation

Research skills

Critical thinking, problem solving

Self-direction, planning, self-

discipline

Oral and written

communica-tion, public speaking, listening

Leadership, teamwork,

collaboration

ICT and media literacy,

programming

Social justice, ethnic and

ethical thinking

Global awareness,

multicultural skills

Environmental thinking,

ecosystem understandingScientific

reasoning, science literacy and methods

Health and well-being, nutrition, exercise, safety

Subject-area

courses?

Assessments?

Project-basedProblem-based

Phenomenon-based learning

Content vs.

skills?Flipped classroom

How can we make use of data from cognitive science in schools?• Cognitive science provides us with plenty of data on learning

1. Enhanced learning with creativity, especially music2. Enhanced learning with physically active learners3. Empowering the learner with learning data4. Co-creation in learning5. Phenomenon-based learning

• We need to make these findings useful for the practical work at schools

• For this, we need experimental work at schools, ranging from kindergarten to university level

1. The amazing power of music learning to cognitive skills

• What happens in children’s (and adults’) brains when they learn music?

• How could and should we find interventions to make use of this knowledge?

• Several areas are found to be larger, thicker, and more folded in adult musicians brains (Gaser & Schlaug, 2003).

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Motor and somatosensoryParietal lobe

Temporal lobe Frontal lobecerebellum

Larger corpus callosum

Larger, thicker and more folded cortical areas in adult musicians’

brains

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Stronger white matter tracts

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• Several white matter tracts, including those between the brain and the muscles (capsula interna) and those connecting different brain areas together (corpus callosum, arcuate fasciculus) are stronger in musicians (Bengtsson et al., 2005).

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Fast and strong effects in children’s brains

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• Already after 15 months of piano training, the motor, somatosensory and auditory areas have grown stronger (Hyde et al., 2009).

• Training makes the cortex thicker and brings more connections between brain areas.

• These are not ”music areas” in the brain but are used in all audition, sensation and motor activity.

liikeaivokuori

aivokurkiainen

kuuloaivokuori

Brain responses recorded at school and daycare premises during learning

How brain responses change in children who practise a musical instrument?

Putkinen, Saarikivi, Huotilainen 2014

How brain responses change in 2-6-year-olds when exposed to musical play?

NEPSY Neuropsychological test battery

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10 y 12 y1.0

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10 y 12 y

3.5

Speed of answering Amount of mistakes

Music as a hobby

Other hobbies

Attentive skills in children with musical hobbies

Saarikivi & Huotilainen

Musical intervention affects child’s cognition

• Several intervention studies show that children’s cognitive capabilities are enhanced by musical training.

• Effects are found in mathematical and spatial tasks, reading, writing, detecting phonemes, and in recognizing speech prosody (Gardiner ym., 1996; Rauscher ym., 1997; Standley & Hughes, 1997; Gromko & Poorman, 1998; Bilhartz ym., 2000; Costa-Giomi, 1999; Rauscher & Zupan, 2000; Graziano ym., 1999; Thompson ym., 2002)

• We need music in many forms to support learning

Music Tower: possibilities for learning and research

Distributed

cognition

Social learning

2. Physical activity enhances learning• Physical activity, even slight movement, enhances learning and helps

to build stronger memory traces• How could and should we find interventions to make use of this

knowledge?

Sports as a hobby and academic performance

Author Sample Milieu Outcome measure ResponseSignificant association

Nelson and Gordon-Larsen [20] US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health USA Grades

Risk ratio for higher results 1.20 for mathematics and 1.21 for English

Field et al. [21] 52 girls and 37 boys in suburban high school USA GPA Higher GPA

Dwyer et al. [24] 7961 schoolchildren, aged 7–15 years in 109 schools Australia Rating by the school principal

school performance positively associated with PA in the preceding week

Pate et al. [25] Youth Risk Behavior Survey adolescents USA Perception of academic

performance Inverse relation with level of PA.

Williams [26] England GPA positive association between school sports participation and AA

Sigfudsdottir et al. [27] Iceland self-reported school performance r = -0.11 with absenteeism and r = 0.09 with grades

Negative or null outcomes on AATremblay et al. [28] 6,923 grade 6 children New Brunswick (Canada) GPA and self-esteem Inverse relation PA and AA

Daley and Ryan [29] 232 boys and girls (13–16 years old) England self-reported PA and GPA

No relationship except for the duration of PA time vs. marks for English (r = -0.29 to -0.30)

Dollman et al. [30] Primary school children grades 3, 5 and 7 in 117 schools Australia Reading and maths scores No relation

Yu et al. [31] 333 Chinese pre-adolescents (aged 8–12) Hong Kong, China Examination results and conduct

gradesNo relation with AA but relation with self-esteem

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Trudeau & Shephard 2008 review

Sport interventions and cognition

Author Sample Milieu Intervention Outcome measure Response

Fourestier [7]Children in final year of primary school 13 years

Vanves (Paris)Various sports and other activities, 13 h/wk increase for one year

Overall academic performance

Enhanced in experimental group

Shephard et al. [8] 546 children in grades 1 through 6 Trois Rivières, Québec

5 h of specialist physical education per week for 6 years

Teacher ratings, Standard Provincial examination, WISC tests

Enhanced teacher ratings, Maths but not English improved in Provincial exams, 3–4% gain on WISC

Sallis et al. [9] 655 children grades 5 and 6 California

27–42 min additional physical education per week for two years

Metropolitan achievement tests

Non-significant trend to gains in English, arithmetic and behaviour

Dwyer et al. [11] 500 10-year-old students South Australia 75 min/day of

endurance trainingScores for reading and arithmetic

Non-significant trend to gains in English and arithmetic at 2-year follow up

Ahamed et al. [13] 287 9–11 year old primary students British Columbia

Added 47 min/wk of varied activities for 16 months

Canadian Achievement Test (CAT-3)

Slight trend to improved scores

Coe et al. [14] 214 grade 6 students Western Michigan, U.S.A.

Nominal 55 min/day (actual 19 min/day) physical education for one semester

Classroom assessments and nationally standardized achievement scores

No change in academic performance except in sub-group who exercised vigorously

Raviv et al. [15] 358 kindergarten and grade 1 students Israel One-year movement

education programReading skills and arithmetic skills

Both improved relative to controls

03.05.2023 18Minna Huotilainen

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Trudeau & Shephard 2008 review

Polar & Faros Virpi Kalakoski

Measure movement with accelometers

Empower the childInform the child

Heart rate variability: stress and flow

Electrocardiogram: heart signal

Firstbeat & Faros

Sleep is a window to ANS activity

Beddit.com

SleepBot (free)

Virpi Kalakoski

Affects of sleep

on learning and

memory

Children recorded at daycare with ANS

UFight or flight

ThreatFlow

Inspiration

SleepDrowsiness

Positive vs negative states

Activ

e vs

pas

sive

stat

es Optimal state for

learning and working

Why are ANS measurements interesting for cognitive learning science?

Active learner• Actively solving relevant problems in his/her everyday

surroundings• Actively asking questions and searching for information• Physical activity is targeted for learning via data from animal

studies: we need confirmation data from human studies• Change of the use of school premises

Situated cognition

3. Empowering the learner with learning data

Very easy but quickly adapting

Motivating assessments

Positive feedback on learning

Ekapeli

Empowering the learner with learning data

Individual

learning choices

Assessments: full

practice data or

specific tests

Students creating the learning apps for themselves and each other

Temporally accurate data on the learning process

4. Co-creation of knowledge• In the midst of co-creation, students

are focusing on content while also learning 21st century skills

• ICT tools for co-creation of knowledge for schools

• Tools equipped with performance measure, assessment tools and temporally accurate learning data

• Children of different ages• Learning by observing others

Socio-cognitive theory of learning

5. Phenomenon-based learning• When learning starts from a

phenomenon that is of interest to the learners, learning is accelerated

• Typically, learners are heavily engaged and learning continues also after school

Contributions to evidence-based teacher education• Basic scientific knowledge on why arts, creativity, physical activity,

problem-based learning, and knowledge creation helps learning• Experimental culture of applications of these knowledge• Inclusion in scientific experiments during studies

Conclusions

Basic work on socio-cognitive grounds of

learningPhysiological

foundations of good learning states

Innovations on learning

enhancement tools