Implications of Brain Research and the Classroom

By Dr. Jeb Schenck Knowa Inc.

[email protected]

Syngnosistraining.com

307 864 3982

Why

Do We Need to Know How the Brain Works?

Why

Do We Need to Know How the Brain Works?

And better informs our leaders about which policies, laws, and practices actually agree with neuroscience research

3 x 5 Card List Three Things

1. Something you’ve heard about the brain works 2. Something about the brain you’d like to know more about 3. A practice or policy you think MIGHT NOT agree with research

More

Complicated than Rocket Science

More

Complicated than Rocket Science Stephen Hawking finds the universe is easier to understand than the human brain

How

Does

The Brain Work ?

Where we are going:

• • • • • • The Brain & Learning Brain’s Use of Patterns Emotional & Attentional Processing Movement & Memory building Study Strategies/assessment Making Useful Applications

Learning Takes Place HERE

A Learning Brain Literally Grows Connections

Use It or Lose It

What Would Your Brain Look Like If you DON’T Use It?

In effect, all animals are under stringent selection pressure to be as stupid as they can get away with.

Richerson & Boyd, Not By Genes Alone, 2005 .

In effect, all animals are under stringent selection pressure to be as stupid as they can get away with.

Richerson & Boyd, Not By Genes Alone, 2005 .

The default state in solving any problem is to do as little as possible.

Brain in Default State

Modern Understanding Started With An Accident

Phineas Gage

SPECT SCANS NORMAL ADHD ON ALCOHOL

Brain drawing/photo of lobes

Brain drawing/photo of lobes

Reasoning, impulse & emotional control Personality Memory starts, sound, emotional tags Heart , respiration & sex drive (automatic processes) Balance Vision

The Brain is Plastic

(Neuroplasticity)

To learn It Must Change

Learning physically changes the brain

Brain Span vs. Life Span

Brain Span: 75 yrs Life Span: 85-92 yrs Increase Brain Span to match Life Span

Some knowledge about the brain is becoming common…but misleading

Teen Brain Maturation

The Brain Grows Everyone grows at their OWN RATE Different parts grow at different times*

*It does NOT grow at the assumed rate of National/State Standards Common recommendations for Literacy Have NO Neurological foundation

The 4,000 Year-old Box of Instructional Methods

The 4,000 Year-old Box

• If they don’t perform by a specified time….

The 4,000 Year-old Box

punish them

A Performance Goal is NOT A problem… if we keep it in line with brain’s cognitive growth.

What is

Red Shirting

?

Why is it done?

•

Brain Grows In CYCLES

Cycles in Cognitive Development

What Can They Do With a Lot of Support?

What Can They Do With No Support?

Kurt Fischer 2008

Cycles in Cognitive Development

What Can They Do With a Lot of Support?

Teaching

Kurt Fischer 2008

Cycles of Brain Growth

• Many cycles in early years •

10-12 Years

•

14-16 Years

•

18-20 Years

•

21-24 Years

(From K. Fischer, 2000)

Cycles in Cognitive Development Principles Direct teacher support Abstractions linked Multiple Abstractions linked into systems Single Abstractions Independent or little support 8 12 16 Age in Years 20 24 28 Kurt Fischer 2008

Cycles in Cognitive Development

What Can They Do With Lots of Support?

Direct teacher support

What happens if we push too fast for that student ?

What Can They Do With No Support?

Kurt Fischer 2008

Optimal Performance During Brain Growth Spurt

• Optimal performance requires direct support/instruction vs instruction by book or computer.

•

Independent

student performance is at a lower level (suboptimal)… You don’t get best performance when they do the task independently w/o coaching • Students can’t transfer from an optimal level in one area to a high performance level in a different area*

Reading Math Comprehension is here A Student Brain Develops Unevenly (Out of Phase) Math computational skill is here

Reading Math Comprehension Where Do You Expect the Student to Perform?

Test level Math computational skill Transfer—Problem Solving Fails when skills have not developed

Incomplete Frontal Lobe Development In A Group • What happens to judgment?

03.05.07Dunk_Shot_1.wmv

• What happens to anticipating how others will feel?

• What happens to anticipating how they will feel?

Incomplete Frontal Lobe Growth

Incomplete Growth

• • • • • • Impaired decision making More impulsive Less emotional control Lower ability to reason Lower ability to see consequences Lower ability to anticipate emotional impact

Fact vs. Fiction

Fact

Brain automatically organizes information

But it doesn’t tell you

How

Fact • Overriding impulsive actions ….

is harder because frontal lobe isn’t fully functional

Fact

Change the brain chemistry and you’ve changed their

memory

FACT

How a question is Asked

changes

memory

FACT

• Recalled information is reconstructed from pieces • Memory is being REBUILT

each

information time you recall & use

Neuro myths

You use only 10%

If you used only 90% you’d probably be in a coma

Neuro myths

Learning

Preferences

• •

Differentiate

w/ levels of challenge w/ different modalities • • • • Teaching and testing to a “learning style” Makes no difference, Roediger and Pashler, 2009 Neurologically invalid, dubious, outdated information (Schenck & Cruickshank, 2015) Wastes time, Wastes $

•

Neuro

myths

Right Brain-Left Brain training

• Ritualized movement produces higher performance (Brain Gym ™) • Intelligence is fixed (can be expressed as a single number) The Flynn Effect • Learning can be expressed as a single number • Preferred learning styles results in higher performances Roediger and Pashler, 2009

Brain Break

4 minutes

•

Stand and in groups of 3:

•

Something that was new or surprised you?

•

Compare your

“What do you know about the Brain” • Something you’d like to know

Systems of the Brain How to Use them Attentional Systems Emotional Systems

Engaging the Brain

Engaging The Brain

Attention Systems Looks for Patterns Tries to Make Sense of Patterns

The Brain must Recognize Patterns to make associations Raise your hand when you FIND TWO patterns

The Brain must Recognize Patterns to make associations Raise your hand when you FIND TWO patterns

Detecting patterns heavily influenced by 1. Prior Experience 2. Brain Growth 3. Knowing What to Look For

The Brain Associates Patterns w/Meaning

A pattern must be

Recognized

or students become LOST

And Frustrated

Patterns

• • May Have

Emotional

Significance Patterns Change our Focus of Attention

Attention

Systems

“ I’m Not inattentive,---- you’re just boring.”

From Thom Hartmann

Attention Systems

•

Systems are limited

• The brain can’t give full attention to multiple tasks = Divided attention

An

Demonstration of Attention

Watch Video Clip Of Student and Stranger

Multi-tasking Experiment

Can We REALLY Focus Our ATTENTION EQUALLY On the Tasks?

Partner Up

You Need: 1 dollar bill or 3 x 5 card Ability to count to 121 Watch Demonstration

Attention Systems

A student must ATTEND to the lesson

No Attention = almost NO CHANCE

of information getting into memory

No memory = No learning

Attention Strategies: Physical —manipulate objects, or move the whole body, such as hands-on, role play, draw, pantomime, build, model, standing a position, MUSIC (non-vocal) Visual Imagery --imagine a picture or object, draw, sketch, build a model, design a poster, create one power point slide for a group Semantic –Reflect, summarize, describe, individually write, note-take, explain, tell,

NOTE THE DIFFERENCES and then SIMILIARITIES Between____________

*** Social --have them watch & text answers/info to explain their partner’s actions Sex Differences Girls are more attracted to activities where EMOTION can be expressed, Boys more attracted to ACTION, MOVEMENT *** Brain can recognize

differences

easily; similarities are difficult to tell apart

Attention Strategies: The Student is

PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

during the learning event

The Brain SEEKS stimulation

If you don’t provide it, the students find it for themselves

What Happens

If Left On Their Own?

+

+ =

The only brain getting benefit of exercise is the dog .

No Engagement, No Activity = Little Learning

Brain Break

Stand, in groups of 2 or 3 Share With Someone Near You The Most important thing about ATTENTION is: Something staff can do to increase attention is:

Take 1 Minute

Compare with a neighbor

what you checked on

“What do you know about the Brain?”

Emotio n

“Emotional Filter” New Memories

Emotions

Enhance Learning Hinder Learning

Emotions

Affect Learning If Emotionally Important, Brain Pays Attention

Make the Connections With Someone First…

then consider the actual message (Papanek & Greenleaf, 2005)

Emotional Significance

• • • • Do You Remember: Challenger blowing up, 9/11, the World Trade Center?

Your

third

algebra test?

What you did on your 21 st birthday?

Your Wedding Night?

Emotions & Memory

• Chemically Made • Changed by Threat or Depression • Negative State NOT rapidly dissipated

A Demonstration

• • • 4 volunteers who like Soda Pop ICE COLD soda pop FREE to 4 volunteers that will participate in….

To Increase Memory

• • • • • Tasks have greater

personal

importance Student is physically &

personally

involved Greater about

natural

consequences that they care Increased Focus of Attention Light to Moderate Stress

Brain Break: 3 minutes

•

Pair and Share:

•

1 idea to make a lesson have more PERSONAL IMPORTANCE

to the student

(and not threatening!)

•

In Groups of 4-5 Share ideas

Working Memory

• It’s what your are thinking about

RIGHT NOW

!

Attention + Emotions

Cowan, 2005

Working Memory is Very limited

Overload

:

We Speak 10-20 Times Faster Than A Student Can Write

AVOID Overload

Overload picture

1 Item Focused Upon Working Memory

3-4 Items Activated, Readily Accessible

Working Memory

1 Item Focused Upon Working Memory

3-4 Items Activated, Readily Accessible • • • • Brain EASILY overloads Focuses on ONE thing Juggles several others Leaves ONLY the gist

AVOID OVERLOAD

Working Memory Strategies • Slow Down • Don’t attempt several overlapping tasks • Present instructions 4 ways ( On board, Verbally, In handout, On-line ) • Repeat back instructions

Working Memory Strategies • Slow Down • Don’t attempt several overlapping tasks • Present instructions 4 ways (on board, verbally, in handout, On-line) • Repeat back instructions

Look At Handout:

What Administrators Should Know

On 2 nd page: Working Memory WHO Should Repeat Back the Instructions?

Working Memory Strategies • Pause during explanations, lecture • Provide skeletal notes to help organization and reduce load • Give Brain Breaks • Use different colors to organize material • Students actively process just 1 item

Brain Break

•

Individually:

Give an example of how you will reduce WM overload & write it down (2 min).

•

Something YOU can do to create Movement within a long Staff meeting:

•

In Groups of 3 Discuss examples

Long-Term Memory Preparing for Assessment

Long Term Memory ?

Remember Working Memory?

LTM Background

Hidden Factors in Long-Term Memory

O X

Mirror Drawing

Hidden Factors A Demonstration • • • • 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 card Mirror Writing utensil Mirror Drawing Practice Sheet & a hard surface

Prior Learning Affects Current Learning

3 4 5 6 7

Memory Stabilizes after 10-14 days

4 th Grade 20%

Discussion but uninterested

13%

Passive: No Discussion

2 1 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83

Days

Schenck, J. (2003)

LTM

Affected by:

Development/age Recognizing patterns Attention Personal Emotional Significance Working Memory Prior Learning Method of Study & Test Practice

LTM

Affected by:

Development/age Recognizing patterns Attention Personal Emotional Significance Working Memory Prior Learning

Method of Study & Test Practice

• • • • • • • • • • Strategies To Build Memory

Personal

Elaborations (Schenck & Cruickshank 2015)

Personal

Applications ( Schenck & Cruickshank 2015) Space practices FAR apart * Mix up the types of practice (Brown, Roediger, McDaniel, 2014) NO cramming [

Binge & Purge Learning

] (Roediger & McDaniel 2014) Sleep on it Practice the TEST w/tests (uses RETRIEVAL CUES ) (Roediger & Karpicke 2006) In Math, do only 3-4 problems of same type Learning Styles have NO EFFECT (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer & Bjork, 2008)

* Start with the Assessment Goals & Design Practices to them

Practice Tests

Practice Test Methods SSSST TESTe, Sm, Te, Sm, Te •

W I D E

Equal Spacing, or Variable Spacing No Cramming

Limit practice

of same type of problem No Rereading Practice of transfer w/application Cahill, & McGaugh, (1995) Callender, & McDaniel, (2009) Karpicke, J., Butler, A.C., & Roediger, (2009) Rohrer, D., & Pashler, H. (2007)

Practice on Same Type of Problem

• More than 4 creates

Cramming Effect

& illusion mastery because problems are familiar.

• AVOID cramming by spreading practices out over weeks.

ReReading

Increases familiarity Faster

recognition &

Creates False Sense of Understanding

Chabris & Simons 2010

ReReading

• • Does not increase depth of knowledge Does not create new-linkages in brain • •

ELABORATING

does help…Explain WHY The student must explain the connections

• Elaborate While Personally Engaged

=

More Robust Memory

Practicing Transfer • • • Practice Conditions (A. Baddeley ) Level of difficulty (K. Fischer; Craik & Lockhart ) Number of Skills Practiced vs. Skills Assessed (Theo Dawson, DTS )

Most Powerful & Long-Lasting

Mind Map that can be Manipulated

Mind Map that can be Manipulated

1. Objects have unique shape 2. Objects have color 3. Can be in sequence or non sequential 4. Student moves & explains 5. Provides immediate feedback 6. Creates multiple forms of memory 7. Faster than writing or lecturing 8. Practice to mastery or past perfection (abt.3-5 times)

Developmental Differences

12 & 10 th grade LTM for Complex, Abstract Material 92

12 th Grade 10 th Grade

40 30 20 10 0 100 90 80 70 60 50 Mind Map 73 Days 60 Lecture 70 32 Mind Map 37 Days Lecture

Getting

Personal

Metacognitive Strategies

• • • • •

Personal

Involvement

Personal

Elaboration

Physical Movement

Elevate Respiratory and Heart Rates

Prompt feedback

(within 1day-- not longer than about 2 days, No help after a week ---Dweck) Meaningful personal consequences that are nearly immediate --They see their approach doesn’t work—as in a video game.

Poor

Test Prep

Causes of Poor Performance • • • • • • Forgotten RETRIEVAL CUES, not the information (It is still there) Mistakes Familiarity with Mastery ( “But I did a lot of the problems”) Used Massed Practice (in either academics or Sports tested extensively at college & pro levels– Spread out the practice tasks, avoid “massing” ) Practices too close together Unskilled and Unaware of It Too Much Screen Time

Brain Break

With A Partner: The most important thing for TEST PREP is:

Something I need to AVOID I can HELP students prepare by….

Ultimately….

Two Brains

Must be Trained:

Yours & Theirs

For PDF’s contact:

Dr. Jeb Schenck Knowa Inc.

[email protected]

307 921-8906