Brain Based

Learning

Eric Jensen

Presented by Marcia Harrell

Teaching With the Brain in
Mind
 Overview
Teaching With The Brain In Mind

Student Human Brain Learnin

Achievement g

Teaching
Planning Research Techniques
 Neuroscience is Exploding!

• We’ve learned more about the

brain in the last 10 years than
in the previous 100 years!
• Over 255 brain journals now
published!
• 37,000 scientists from 62
countries produce countless
studies daily
• Have you noticed the news?
 Why Explore the Brain?
Everything You Do at School
Involves the Brain!
Nutrition
Physical activity
Curriculum
Social Climate
Instruction
Academic Climate
Physical Building
Time/Schedules/Calendar
What is Brain-Based Learning?
It’s E-S-P!
It’s the Purposeful
Engagement
of effective
Strategies
derived from
Principles of
neuroscience
 New Paradigms
Six Ideas?
“I can remember six!”
1- E-S-P
2- Neurogenesis
3- Environments & Genes
4- Allostasis
5- Emotional States
6- Malleable Memories
Neurogenesis: the birth
of new brain cells
 Many new neurons
survive and become
functional
 This process
is regulated by
stress, diet and
exercise + more!
 Highly correlated
with learning
and memory
 The Learning Brain
• Learning physically changes the brain
• The human brain can rewire itself
through:

»New Experiences
»New Stimulation
»New Behavior
 LEARNING:
The brain develops the capacity to
perceive, integrate, remember and
motor plan

Applies to ALL learning regardless of

content
 Take Home Message
Brains can change. Kids are not stuck the
way they are. You can change them for the
better if…
1) you know how
2) have the resources
3) have the will
4) you get support
 Planning to Change
the StudentÕs Brain?
Make Your Choices!
Enrichment
Accommodations
Skill-building
PLUS, HOPE! (without hope, all else will fail!)
 Environments Matter More
Than We Earlier Thought
• K-12 students are
in large cages
(school) in social
groups;
for 13,000 hours
• That’s plenty of
time to change the
brain and alter gene
expression
 Classroom Environments
PHYSICAL: lighting, temperature,
acoustics, movement and space
SOCIAL: reduce random interactions, build
positive pro-social structures
CULTURAL: embed learning and success
within the student’s culture or create new
school culture of success
ACADEMIC: student asset building with
high expectations
 Enriching Classroom
• Remember challenge and feedback stimulate
the brain

• Posters Graphics Mobiles

• Graphic organizers Maps

Students should create the environment

Change class walls every 2 to 4 weeks
 Enriched Environments and the
Brain
• The brain can literally grow new
connections when exposed to stimuli
• Dendrites grow more branches
• Synaptic growth occurs
• The brain modifies itself structurally
• The process of making connections is
what counts
 How can we enrich the brains of
our students?
• Provide interesting stimulating materials
for reading
• Teach cursive before manuscript
• Teach children to write stories
• Provide time for journaling and discussion
• Provide opportunities for movement
• Provide problem solving situations daily
 To Enrich the Learner’s Brain
Learning Must Be:
• Challenging
• Include new experiences
• Provide interactive feedback
• Include variety, change and novelty
• Provide time for reflection and thinking
• Provide connections to experiences
What to Look for…
In classrooms where teachers
understand and use this
principle, you’ll likely see:

Purposeful use of positive

classroom rituals, colorful,
inspiring walls, the use of teams,
affirmations, clubs and
partner work.
Hope May Be the Single
Most Essential Ingredient
Hope is positive expectancy.
It improves brain chemicals.
That increases mood and
persistence, which increases
the results. Even if you do
everything else right, if the student doesn’t think
you believe in him/her, you’ll lose ground. Most of
these kids have had enough negatives. They need
persistent hope based on the real science of change.
What to Look for…
In classrooms where teachers
understand and use this
principle, you’ll likely see:

Teachers attentive to stress levels,

purposeful de-stressing activities,
stretching and the explicit teaching of
tools for self-regulation like deep
breathing and positive self-talk.
 Emotional States:
What Do I Do About Them?
1) Only a small number of
Examples of
states are conducive
Possible Tools: to classroom-based
learning scenarios.
Energizers 2) Read, manage, empower
Groupwork student states.
Storytelling 3) Savvy teachers are
Compelling Qs proactive, not passive.
4) They orchestrate events,
Social Structures
interactions and
Purposeful Music strategies in ways
that enhance good states.
What to Look for…
In classrooms where teachers
understand and use this
principle, you’ll likely see:

Teachers use activities and energizers

when energy levels fall. There’s
proactive state management with
little or no discipline issues. Things
are kept going with brisk transitions.
 What’s in a School that Uses
Brain-Based Research?

Use of positive schoolwide/classroom rituals

Positive School Nutrition
Teachers managing student emotional states
Physical activity for all 30 min./day
Arts for all students
Differentiation used by teachers
Cooperative structures used
Better Buildings (light, control, safety, access)
Curriculum is functional, on the brain’s timetable
Continual staff development
Memories are Malleable
The old paradigm is
that our memory
works like a still
photograph or an
audio recording.
But memory is not a
“thing,” but an
ongoing process.
This discovery means
that memory is
neither fixed nor
permanent.
What to Look for…
In classrooms where teachers
understand and use this
principle, you’ll likely see:

Purposeful encoding using

rhyming, song, repetition,
emotions and movement.
You’ll also see chunking down
the content into smaller chunks
and pauses after new learning.
 Summary
• Brain research indicates a need for change in
teaching practices
• Class environments must be safe, stimulating,
and challenging
• Teaching strategies must be varied, well
planned and include activities to engage all
learning modalities
• Students must be taught how to learn
• Time must be provided for processing and
reflection
• Follow up and effective feedback is crucial