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What do you know?
1. Students
have the highest capacity for learning languages
when they are adolescents.
2. Students remember “the meat” (the stuff in the middle) of
the lesson best.
3. Teachers need students to be on task as much of the class
period as possible.
4. Emotion and intelligence are separate functions.
5. An enriched environment means a classroom with posters
& music.
6. Some foods and aromas can help keep students alert
during the school day.
7. It is best for students to get up and move at some time
during a lesson.
Brain Basics
Judgment, creativity,
problem-solving
Processing higher
sensory & language
functions
Vision
Hearing, memory,
meaning, &
language
FACTS: The brain is about the size
of a grapefruit. It is made of 78-80%
water, 10% fat, & 8% protein.
It uses 1/5th of the body’s oxygen.
Neurons (a type of brain cell) make connections with other
neurons to pass along information. New stimulation,
experience, or behavior creates new connections.
The key to getting smarter is growing more
connections between brain cells and not losing
existing connections.
How the Brain Works
The brain pays little attention to
information it does not see as important.
If the information is relevant with an
emotional hook, we pay attention.
Brain can pay attention to only one thing
at a time.
Capacity limited to 72 items.
The brain chunks information
to allow us to work with or
remember more information.
The key word here is “actively.” We
must do something with the
information or it will be lost.
No limits to long-term memory.
Information in long-term memory is
permanent, therefore it needs to be
correct.
Ex. Kids learn it wrong and practice
it that way 30x for homework, you
need to overpower a wrong
memory with 7 times more
practice!
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “Four Corners”
–Teacher poses a question.
–Teacher announces corners.
–Students think & write.
–Students go to appropriate corner.
–Student discuss in pairs or small
groups.
Windows of Opportunity
The brain gobbles up the external environment
through its sensory system and then reassembles
the digested world in the form of connections
which are…
constantly growing
or dying
becoming stronger
or weaker
…depending on the
richness of the
environment.
Primacy-Recency Effect
During a learning episode:
We remember best that which
comes
first, (gets our
attention)
Second best is that which comes last,
and least that which come just past the middle.
As we shorten the learning episode, the down time
decreases faster than the prime times.
So, there is a higher probability of learning taking
place if we can keep the episodes short and relevant-teaching two 20-minute lessons provides 20% more
prime time that one 40-minute lesson.
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “Jumbled Summary”
–After writing as many
implications as you can,
turn your attention to the front of
the room where we will try to
unscramble three phrases that
will help us remember the
content of this section of notes.
Attention Cycles & Breaks
Today’s students are accustomed to quick change and
novelty in their environment, so many find it difficult to
concentrate on the same topic for long periods of time.
30 minutes
90 minutes
30-60 minutes each
Wakeup
AM
Noon
Time of Day
PM
Attention Cycles & Breaks
The percentage of remembering time increases as
the learning episode decreases.
Although some teachers believe that staying on task
throughout the learning period is best, research
indicates that neurons need some down time to
consolidate information.
We are likely to keep students focused during the
lesson segments if we go off task between the
segments…SO GIVE THEM BREAKS!
Degree of
Attending
0
10
18
20
28
36
40
50
55
60
65
70
77
80
Minutes in Learning Episode
Activity between segments:
On Task
Off Task
Learning & Emotions
Get Attention with...music/songs/noises, objects,
living things, video clips, cartoons, skits,
newspaper articles…and make it EMOTIONAL!
Emotions drive attention create meaning, and have
their own memory pathways.
Emotion helps reason to focus the mind
and set priorities.
Teachers who help their students feel good about
learning through classroom success, friendships, and
celebrations are doing the very things the student
brain craves.
Some ways to engage emotions: music, games,
storytelling, model the love of learning, celebrations,
structured debates/controversy, and journaling.
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “”
–After a presentation, discussion, or
video, ask students to reflect on the
material with this framework:
•  One idea that squares with my beliefs
• Three points I want to remember
• One question/idea that is still rolling
around in my head
Enriching the Environment
Positive environments can actually produce physical
changes in the developing brain. 40-70% of the
brain’s wiring is from the environmental impact.
Posters are good…they create a safe, comfortable
space for learners, but an aesthetically pleasing room
does NOT constitute an enriched environment. You
MUST also have:
1. A threat-free room: eliminate the
negatives (embarrassment, finger-pointing,
unrealistic deadlines, humiliation, sarcasm, bullying)
2. Mentally challenging tasks: use new material or
add a degree of difficulty.
3. Novelty: change the décor every two to
four weeks. Change instructional strategies
often (use computers, groups, field trips,
guest speakers, pairings, games, peer
teaching, and journaling.)
4. Choice: students need to believe
that they have some control over
their learning.
5. Learner feedback: it should be
immediate and specific, so that the student
can use it to increase their performance.
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “Alphabet Summary”
–After writing as many
implications as you can,
everyone in the room will
get a letter (a-z). Come up with a
word or phrase that begins with
your letter to describe an
enriched learning environment.
Food & Aromas
Because the brain is over 78% water, we need 12-22
glasses per day for optimal functioning.
Fruit, such as apples, pears, kiwis, and berries
provide water and a quick source of energy
to keep students alert.
Get rid of candy--it’s a quick energy source,
but after it burns off quickly, then kids CRASH.
Aspartame can cause depression and headaches in
older students, and hyperactivity and violent behavior
in younger students.
Aromas to energize or induce a
positive mood:
peppermint, lemon, sage,
cinnamon, basil, pine,
eucalyptus, jasmine.
Aromas to reduce stress or
relax brain waves:
lavender, chamomile, spiced
apple
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “Draw a Picture”
–After writing as many
implications as you can,
draw a picture that graphically
summarizes the effect of food
and aromas on learning.
Learning & Movement
The cerebellum is controls posture, coordination,
balance and movement…but it also has connections
distributed to ALL areas of the brain. The part of the
brain that processes movement is the same part of the
brain that processes learning = Mind-Body Link.
Exercise fuels the brain with oxygen and it feeds it
neurotropins (high nutrient food) to enhance growth
and greater connections between neurons.
Exercise can reduce stress (important because
chronic stress releases a chemical that kills
neurons in the hippocampus, a critical area
for long-term memory formation.)
Having fun decreases stress and improves the
functioning of the immune system for three days
after the fun.
All K-12 students need 30 minutes a day of
physical movement to stimulate the brain. (From
the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports)
Some suggestions include: daily stretching,
walks, dance, theater, seat-changing, and
energizers.
Implications for Teaching
• Strategy: “Whip-Around”
–After writing as many
implications as you can,
everyone in the room will stand
up and share how we can exploit
the mind-body link in our
classrooms. You may sit as soon
as you’ve contributed a new idea.
What do you know NOW?
1. Students have the highest capacity for learning languages when they are
adolescents. FALSE
2. Students remember “the meat” (the stuff in the middle) of the lesson best.
FALSE
3. Teachers need students to be on task as much of the class period as
possible. FALSE
4. Emotion and intelligence are separate functions. FALSE
5. An enriched environment means a classroom with posters, music only.
FALSE
6. Some foods and aromas can help keep students alert during the school day.
TRUE
7. It is best for students to get up and move at some time during a lesson.
TRUE
Resources
Jensen, Eric. Brain Compatible Strategies.The
Brain Store: San Diego, CA. 1997.
Jensen, Eric. Teaching with the brain in mind.
ASCD: Alexandria, VA. 1998.
Sousa, David. How the brain works. Corwin
Press: California. 2001.