Transcript Slide 1
If It’s Your Job To Develop The Mind, Shouldn’t You Know How The Brain Works?
Kenneth Wesson Educational Consultant: Neuroscience
(408) 323-1498 (office) (408) 826-9595 (cell) San Jose, CA [email protected]
How The Brain Works
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How the brain works and how it learns best
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How the brain makes its most critical cognitive connections (disciplines, conceptual, vocabulary, etc,.)
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Active learning for deep/long-lasting learning
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“I will’s…”
“Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work, which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.” - “The Messenger” by Mary Oliver
1900 Workplace Demands
Highly skilled Low skilled • Avg. age to enter work force • Avg. age to leave work force • Life expectancy 14 47 47
2010 Workplace Demands
Highly skilled Low skilled • • Avg. age to enter the workplace Number of career changes • Est. Life expectancy in 2100 21 5-8 107 -124!
Today’s Kindergartners…
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Will
retire
in the year 2072 (?)
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In what ways are you preparing them for success in
the years between
2012 and 2072?
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What foundations for learning must we establish for them?
It is your job to prepare our students for new occupations that 1. have yet to be created 2. for a future that we have neither encountered nor envisioned in detail 3. demanding the mastery of skills that we cannot even imagine.
Preparing Students for YESTERDAY OR THE FUTURE?
Today: 30,000 to 35,000 new research fields Newly hybridized scientific areas creating new disciplines: Neuropharmacology Neuroendrocrinlogy Psychoneuroimmunology Developmental Neurobiology Bio-organic Chemistry Molecular Biophysics Cognitive Neuroscience Microelectronics Microbiology Evolutionary Biology Biophysics Geophysics/Astrophysics Heteronuclear Isotopic labeling Neuro-oncology Environmental Toxicology Protein Engineering Pharmacogenomics Molecular Endocrinology Molecular Psychiatry Molecular Genetics Gene Therapy Plasma Physics Evolutionary Psychology Geothermal Engineering Physical Chemistry Behavioral pharmacology
21st Century Skills for Creative Thinkers Learners
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Agricultural Age → Industrial Age → Information Age
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Moving from the
Information Age
→ The
Innovation Age
Learning for the 21st Century
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Learning to learn in order to learn more, and to
re-learn
several times during one’s lifetime (“information explosion”)
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Flexibility in thinking
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Modifying one’s thinking/understanding based on new information
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Higher-order thinking
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Creative and innovative thinking (visualization)
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Working cooperatively
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Communicating within a diverse (multi-cultural, multi ethnic, international) environment
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Living with new number sense/new Technologies
Living with Large Numbers How far back was _____ seconds ago? 1 million secs. 11.5 days 1 billion secs. 32 years ago 1 trillion secs.
32,000 years What Is A $14 Trillion Deficit?
The illiterates of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, un-learn, and re-learn.
--Alvin Toffler
New Information:
The Knowledge Explosion
“The sum total of humankind’s knowledge doubled between 1750 and 1900. It doubled again between 1900 and 1950, again from 1950 to 1960, again from 1960 to 1965. It’s been estimated that the sum total of humankind’s knowledge has doubled at least every five years since then.
It’s been further projected that by the year 2020, knowledge or information will double every 73 days.”
Dr. James Appleberry - President, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
International Astronomical Union
... Jupiter's Moons retinue of moons with "reasonably secure" orbits of any planet in the Solar System.
Saturn? 59
“The 21st Century”
Technology will not replace the need to be literate.
--Rebecca Alber, UCLA
We don't need more information; we need more effective strategies for 1.
retrieving
just what we want (memory or technology) 2.
understanding
it 3.
managing information
How the Brain-body Works
Evolutionary biologists the physiological transitions of a brain that has changed dramatically over the past 4 million years. Developmental psychologists building.”) - the information-processing software (preloaded during the early stages of “brain Experimental psychologists dig deeper into “the roots” of human behavior. Until the 1980s, brain research centered on diseases, abnormalities and dysfunction.
Now neuroscientists are examining the brains of healthy individuals to understand average "normal" brains (cognitive enhancement).
Enhanced Cognition
• • • • •
Indentifying ways to improve cognition by enhancing the Capacity of cognitive processing Efficiency Endurance of processing of memory Facility of Ability to recall
apply
stored cortical information in novel situations. The purpose of memory is not to recall the past, but to use stored memory resources to navigate the present world and to solve future problems.
Fetal Origins: College preparation begins when?
Neurogenesis: 250K – 1M brain cells/minute Gender differences The “education” of the motor circuitry and sensory systems (touch, taste, sight and sound) begins during fetal development. All human competencies become fine-tuned following birth depending on the richness of the environmental at which they find themselves (quality/quantity of subsequent stimulation and experiences.)
How the Brain Learns
1. An emotional and biological brain 2. PERC 3 S 3. We learn through direct experience
Expanding the Traditional Model of
Thinking and Learning
Does the name “Pavlov” ring a bell?
Stimulus
Response
S
R
Teaching
Learning
Thinking and learning are neurobiological processes that take place inside the brain, just as digestion is another biological event that takes place in the pancreas and the stomach.
Factors Influencing Stimulus
Response In addition to desires, tendencies, appetites, instincts, inclinations… Genetics +Pre-natal care +Early development
(0-3)
+Parenting +Physical history +Neuro-physiology +Prior learning
(situated L’)
+Prior experiences +Need state +Strengths +Epigenetics and early nutrition +Age +Emotions/emotional state +Gender +Perception/expectations +Memory +Diet +Self-esteem +Disability +Neural circuitry/plasticity* +Formal Education +Stress factors Learning/Behavior * Neural plasticity: The flexible nature of the brain to modify structures, alter its functioning and re-route neural circuitry as a response to new stimuli and ongoing learning experiences.
Emotions “An emerging theme is the question of how emotions interact with and influence other domains of cognition, in particular attention, memory, and reasoning.”
Dolan, R. J.
Emotion, cognition, and behavior
. Science. 298(5596): 1191-1194 2002
Learning and memory can be positively or negatively impacted by the learner’s emotional environment.
S.A.I.L.
The environmental preconditions that should be experienced by students prior to initiating formal instruction include...
S afety A cceptance I nclusion, i nteractions and i nvolvement (interpersonal/social aspect of memory formation)
After satisfying these prerequisite neurophysiological and hierarchical conditions, students are biologically ready for
L earning
(students feel their immediate environment is secure enough for them to take risks, explore and discover).
Source: Kenneth Wesson (2011).
Education for the Real World; Six great ideas for parents and educators
. Brain World, Issue 2, Volume II Winter 2011.
Learning and Experience
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Epstein: “We are what we read.”
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“We are what we experience.”
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Our experiences (or the lack there) change how we respond, how we think (S = R),
what
we think (connect), and whether our background knowledge suggests that any response to the stimulus is warranted (if we respond at all.)
Brain-considerate Learning: PERC 3 S There are five BC elements that the human brain seeks while processing incoming stimuli for personal “meaning,” which makes the information “memorable” and worth remembering.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) P atterns E motions R elevance C ontext, C ontent, and C ognitively-appropriate S ense-making Patterns, emotions, relevance, context, content and sense-making are critical factors in driving (1) attention, (2) motivation, (3) learning, (4) memory formation, and (5) recall. Collectively, these 5 factors are the primary criteria for transfer into long-term memory storage.
BC Attention-getting Teaching Strategies
• • • • • • • •
Humor Change C o l o r Movement Novelty Prior knowledge activation Music Surprise Discrepant events Personal relevance Patterns Emotions/social interactions A… suspenseful pause Activate the intrinsic reward (dopamine pleasure) system No attention = No engagement = No Learning
Cognitive Rehearsals When playing with objects, learners are simultaneously manipulating and
playing with ideas
(using internal dialogues to attach words and meaning to actions) Exploring and experimenting involve examining relationships, interactions and systems, where learners formulate their own personal “theories” (mental constructs) Thinking is a
rehearsal
for discourse Discourse is a
rehearsal
for writing
Cognitive Rehearsals Playing with objects and ideas, exploring and experimenting, thinking, talking, and writing become rehearsals (background knowledge) for reading.
Writing and reading clarify one’s thoughts, generate coherent thinking, and cultivate
precision
in expressing one’s inner thoughts Discourse and writing become
rehearsals
for assessment
Source: Kenneth Wesson (2011).
Education for the Real World: six great ideas for parents and teachers.
Brain World, Issue 2, Volume 2.
The STEM Initiative is not NEW
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Human beings were (and still are) engaged in STEM experiences
before
we called them STEM.
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Our human advances have nearly always been dependent on an improved understanding of science (“knowing”)
The Heritage of the Human Brain
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Human beings have always been naturally explorers/scientists and have been so inclined for the last 4.5 to 5M years.
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In their quest to respond to
danger and opportunities,
and the most important of all cognitive tasks - survival.
The Human Brain Evolved As… 1. An emotional 2. A pattern-seeking device 3. Finely tuned to solve problems in the context of the real-world 4. While moving about outdoors 5. In largely unpredictable conditions in order to survive to the next day or beyond. (brain-compatible schools?)
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Lived → passed on the genes that carried those
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successful adaptation strategies (inquiry) Failed → a “final” exam
What does a modern scientist look like when he is working? Relevant questions, imagination, predictions, inferences, patterns, hunches, experimenting (trial/error) skepticism, thinking, memory, curiosity, minimize errors, sense making, a quest for knowledge → Survival
What is the difference between knowing and understanding?
1. Experiencing/doing 2.
Distinguishing “what” from “why?” 3. Adaptation and application Can we distinguish exposure from experience?
Thinking Scientifically Kelly: Personal Construct Theory …everyone and every student is an “Intuitive Scientist,” formulating hypotheses about the world, collecting data that confirm or disconfirm these hypotheses, and then altering his/her conception of the world to include this new information. In this way, everyone operates in a manner similar to the scientist.
The goal is to
synthesize
data and information not to memorize it.
Information must be taught in a way that emphasizes
use.
Motivation is stimulated by the expectation of use.
-- Paul Hurd
Balance
Transfer
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Transfer is facilitated by knowing the multiple contexts under which an idea applies (i.e., effective transfer is inextricably linked to the conditions for applicability; rote learning rarely transfers.)
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New learning depends on prior learning and previous learning can often interfere with new content that is being taught.
Engineering: The Cantilever Bridge Challenge
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Have you ever designed and built a cantilever bridge model?
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How far can our bridge extend without toppling?
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Agree on a distance with your tablemates.
Balance and Engineering: The Cantilever Bridge Challenge
= washers = 12 inch ruler How far?
2 inches 1 inch
Table
20 20
Balance and Engineering: The Cantilever Bridge Challenge
= washers = 12 inch ruler
6 more rulers = 21 in total
4 12 20
Table
1 inch 1 inch 2 inches
The cantilever bridge will extend 28+ inches from the edge of the table with no hinges
Physics/systems Bridges Balance The geometric shape used most in construction?
Toys, playground equipment, amusement parks = balance and motion (physical science) History of toys; different toys used by children around the world = S.S.
Engineering: The Cantilever Bridge Challenge Structural engineers, architects and scientists experiment with various models asking, “What makes this one strong(er)?” “What makes parts of a bridge weak?” “How can we design the most reliable structure?”
Good thinking is a matter of making connections, and knowing what kinds of connections to make.
---David Perkins
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What are some of the obstacles preventing our students and children from making viable, reliable and flexible connections?
Obstacles to Successful S.T
2
.R.E.A.M. Learning
1. A weak foundation in concrete learning and working memory formation – prerequisites for complex and abstract thinking 2. Reading, writing, discourse, argumentation and mathematics are taught as subjects tools we use in the rather than as pursuit of knowledge (in science).
3.
↑ time memorizing viable curricular facts (and testing) connections instead of on S.T
2 .R.E.A.M.
Obstacle:
Conceptual “holes” in a student’s thinking caused by a lack of
clear
connections and practice knowing (finding, seeing and understanding) where the connections are and what the connection
is.
The Hole Illusion
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Roll a sheet of paper lengthwise into a tube shape approximately 2 inches in diameter.
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Hold the tube up to your left eye with your left hand.
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Focus on an object 12-15 feet away with both eyes, with the left eye still looking through the tube.
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Hold right hand 8-10 inches in front of right eye - with right hand open/palm facing towards you.
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Move your right hand towards side of the paper tube until your little finger touches the edge
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With both eyes open you should see a strange sight.
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What happened?
A Hole in Your Hand Illusion Both of your eyes see the same thing, but from two slightly different visual fields. Your brain must combine two slightly different viewpoints in order to see depth, 3 dimensions and to judge distances. We have interfered with that process.
X
A Hole in Your Hand Illusion
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We gave your brain two different images to process.
o
Your right eye sees the palm of your right hand.
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The left eye is looking at a distant object.
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When combining the two images, information is merged in order to “perceive” what is in front of you.
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A significant portion of the information entering from your left eye is blocked by the interior tube walls. So your brain processes
more
information from your right eye
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The limited amount of information coming in from your left eye is combined with a disproportionate amount of information entering from the right eye. When combined, they produce what appears to be a hole in your right hand.
I find that the great thing in this world is not so much where we
stand
as in what
direction
we are headed.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
Reflect and Connect
At some point within the next 24 hours, write:
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What did you learn from tonight’s conversation?
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Write down two “I will” statements from tonight’s conversation