Download Memory Lanes and Learning - Pembina Trails School Division

Body/Brain Connection:
Linking Movement to Learning
MPESA Fall
Conference
September 13, 2006
Patti Field
Grant McManes
Movement: The Untapped Resource
Learning
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Movement Supports
Learning
- Brain Physiology
- Brain Fuelling
- Brain Repair
- Brain Chemistry
- Pleasure
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Movement Is Learning
- Memory: Evidence of
Learning
- Procedural Memory:
the untapped resource
Body/Brain Connection
Brain Physiology
The part of the brain used in
almost all learning, the
cerebellum, is in high gear when a
learner is physically active.
Body/Brain Connection
Fueling the Brain
Exercise fuels the body with oxygen
and feeds it neurotropins which
encourages growth, helps to make
stronger connections, elevates mood
& helps long-term memory.
Body/Brain Connection
Repair
Scientists have now discovered that the
brain can reproduce neurons. This has a
huge impact on education. Newly
formed neurons have a 50%
survival rate in enriched
environments. Increased
physical activity improves
this process.
Body/Brain Connection
Brain Chemistry
Brain chemicals (in particular acetylcholine)
serve to activate neurons for the formation of
a memory trace. This chemical enhances the
ability of the brain to plant a memory. Each
time there is physical movement acetylcholine
is released in the brain. So movement, may
actually enhance learning: not just for
kinesthetic people but for all people.
Body/Brain Connection
Brain Chemistry
Neuroscientists at the University of California
have discovered that exercise triggers the
release of BDNF. BDNF is a
natural substance which
enhances cognition by
boosting the ability of
neurons to communicate
with one another.
Body/Brain Connection
Pleasure:
Sensory-motor experiences feed
directly into the brain’s pleasure
center.
This is not of trivial
importance;
enjoying school keeps students in school
and helps motivate them while there.
Exercise increases serotonin in the brain
so it reduces distress and depression.
Body/Brain Connection
Interesting Facts:
Students who tip back on two legs of their chairs
in class might be stimulating their brain with a
rocking motion that activates the vestibular
system. While rocking in a chair is not to be
encouraged in a classroom, its motion
happens to be good for the brain.
Body/Brain Connections
Movement and Memory: Movement can be
constructed to meet both the brain’s need and
curricular objectives. Movement can:
1. make the abstract concrete,
2. force higher level thinking,
3. provide needed opportunity for
rehearsal and review,
4. motivate students to learn, and
5. plant memories (memories planted
in more than one part of the brain
are easier to retrieve)
Body/Brain Connection
Memory Lanes
Learning and Memory
The Brain in Action
Marilee Sprenger
1999
Memory Lanes and
Learning
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The only evidence we have of learning is
memory
The brain has at least five memory path
lanes
These memory lanes are used to access
and store information for long-term
memory
Memory Lanes and
Learning
Memory
Pathways
Group #1
1. Semantic Memory
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Information learned from words; these words may
be oral or written
Knowledge of facts and data: lists, dates, names,
places, etc.
Book or school learning
Requires intrinsic motivation from learner
Requires much repetition for long-term storage to
take place
Strategies: graphic organizers, jigsaw, acronyms
Group #2
2. Episodic Memory
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Learning is associated with location (contextually
imbedded)
Has unlimited capacity, is effortless, and is used naturally
by everyone
Learning space and people provide opportunity for memory
retrieval
Contamination can take place when you have too many
event memories embedded in one location (rotate seating)
Students who learn information in one room and are tested
in another room have more difficulty than those taking the
test in the original room
Strategies: role plays, masks
Group #3
3. Automatic Memory
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Any learning that has become automatic
may be stored in this memory lane e.g.
decoding skills, multiplication skills but not
comprehension
Sometimes called conditioned response
Strategies: word association, repetition,
drill
Group #4
4. Emotional Memory
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Most powerful kind of memory
Takes precedence over any other kind of memory;
the brain always gives priority to emotions
The correlation between the strength of the original
emotional event and the likelihood of retrieval of that
event is around 90%
Other memory lanes shut down if a strong negative
emotion, like fear or anxiety, is present
Strategies: music, personal anecdotes
Group #5
5. Procedural Memory
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Stores memories about what the body does (sensory,
bodily-kinesthetic): motor learning
Often called muscle memory
remembering ‘how’ to do something
Sequences that are consistently repeated are stored in
procedural memory
Allows the brain to do more than one thing at a time
Helps us learn things that don’t require conscious
attention
Strategies: building a model, conducting an experiment,
hands-on experiences, practice, rehearsal
Procedural Memory: The Untapped
Resource
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Procedural Memory does not require processing first
by the hippocampus
Procedural Memory does not require conscious
thought
Procedural Memory has unlimited storage, requires
minimal review and needs little intrinsic motivation
At school, this type of learning diminishes each year
until it’s virtually absent from all but a physical
education, industrial arts, or drama curriculum