1 an inquiry into the brain, learning and teaching practice · sparrow mouse fish eagle rat cat...

1

Dr. Robert K. Greenleaf

www.greenleaflearning.com

[email protected]

An Inquiry into the Brain, Learning

and Teaching Practice: Review, Strategies & Applications

for Consideration

Brain & Learning Institutes in Frankfurt, Lausanne, North Carolina, Vancouver,

New Mexico, Nashville, Beirut, Ontario, Prague & Madrid.

© 2018

http://www.greenleaflearning.com/

Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and the Brain

G. Christian Jernstedt ~ Dartmouth College, 2004

“The biological limits to our potential are relatively minimal

compared to the cultural and environmental limits.

There are sound and weak techniques of learning and

teaching, more than bright and dull minds.”

Cellular Level

• Each “fires” 2x second…. or more

• 100 Billion Neurons

• 10,000 dendrites per neuron—

connections to other cells

• Each as complicated as a major city [David Eagleman, 2008]

+/-8 “steps” along the way to creating

and strengthening memory… (next slide)

Neural spikes in a Leech brain

Cellular Micro-Perspective: Production of Long-term Memory

Up to 400 Billion Times Per Second—Neurons are doing the following

9 new proteins synthesized

10 connectivity is strengthened

“The Search for the Memory Switch”Rusiko Bourtchoiuladse, Cerebrum, 2002



[email protected]


Levels of Activation & Areas of the Brain “Within 0.7 seconds, areas across the brain are involved.” G. Yonus, Potomac Institute, 2009

L/R work

independently?

Not unless you

work in 0.7

second

intervals.

Developing Responsible, Long-term BehaviorsMemory Formation Path

seesmelltastehear

touch

Input Via Senses

“Desktop” ProcessingShort-Term, Working, or

Continuous Memory Processing Level

“The Barn”Long-Term

Memory

“Blue cars”



[email protected]

Path

to

Mem

ory

Problem =1

2

3

Most inputs depart quickly.

Neural Processing on

the “Desktop”


Overarching Educational Benefit to date

from the Neuroscience Literature Regarding Learning

ALL teaching / learning practices

must be geared to cause learner engagement

in active processing toward long-term memory,

recall, and transfer.



[email protected]


Strategy #2

The Creation & Development of Meaning

Meaning = Personal meaning, purpose,

context… to the learner



[email protected]


Two “Minds-On” lenses for exploring

Long-Term Memory, Recall & Transfer

as it applies to our practice.

“Minds-On” Lens 1: S/he who does the work, learns.

#1: Who is doing the work of learning in your classroom?

“Minds-On” Lens 2: The formation of long-term memory requires

more than participation. It requires active processing.

#2: What must the learner actually “do” in order to

complete the task assigned? (#1 assignment: words)



[email protected]


Student Generated Learning

PAIRS EXERCISE

sparrow mouse fish eagle rat cat

hornet kangaroo fly deer elephant

snail shark opossum dog human

turtle rabbit whale ant snake

salamander worm mosquito buffalo

bear leopard koala alligator spider

bat robin eel mole lobster horse



[email protected]

Source: Brain Based Teaching,”

www.GreenleafLearning.com


9 Most Effective Strategies for Achievement

a la Marzano et. al. 2001 (2011)

PERCENTILE NUMBER

CATEGORY GAIN Of STUDIES

Identifying Similarities and Differences 45% 31

Summarizing and Note Taking 34% 21

Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition 29% 21

Homework and Practice 28% 134

Nonlinguistic Representation 27% 246

Cooperative Learning 27% 122

Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback 23% 63

Generating and Testing Hypotheses 23% 63

Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers 22% 1,251Dr. Robert K. Greenleaf


[email protected]

"CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION THAT WORKS"


Image/shape Example



[email protected]

Which would you

put together?

Who is doing the work?


Classification is a basic,

fundamental cognitive structure.

Patterning, grouping, organizing,

debating, critical thinking, and so forth…

all require varied levels of

classification-related elements.

Context Availability & Classification Example

Frequent Task / Assignment



[email protected]

Source: Brain Based Teaching,”

www.GreenleafLearning.com

Habitat Travel Outer layer Skeleton Diet-etc.

Your

Choice

Most

Similar

Most

Different


You have 1 minute. In Pairs identify 3 characteristics

the 6 orange shapes have in common.



[email protected]


Effects of Self Generated vs. Instructor Generated Examples

on Retention of Selected Concepts

Gorrell, Jeffrey; & Hunter, Downing

Presented at the Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association ~ Louisville, KY; Nov. 1998



[email protected]

90.8% 90.8%

78.6%

75.9%

self

gen

era

ted

Short-Term

self

gen

era

ted

Long-Term

teach

er

gen

era

ted

teach

er

gen

era

ted

S/he who works, learns.


Please write something down…

about active processing before

“answering, calculating, or completing”

a task or an assignment.



[email protected]

Intermittent Pause #3


Applied Relevance with Active Processing

Patterns & Classification

Welcome to Geometry!



[email protected]

“Parallels” with 2 responses each

Student generated

Second wait time

Processing prompts

Nature, Geography, Sports, Fine arts


Strategy #4:

Overlays to Focus Attention

Wholes to Parts to Wholes



[email protected]


Story Reconstruction: Classics & Fairy Tales

Five Minute Exercise

1. Form groups of 3-4

2. (10 sec.) Who will volunteer?

3. (15 sec.) Select a story/tale

4. (5”) Re-write the essence of the story/tale

5. OVERLAYS ~ as you re-write….

Group(s) 1: no word twice

Group(s) 2: 3 adjectives

Group(s) 3: no verbs

Group(s) 4: 2-3 word sentences only

5. Take liberties… be playful with your new

version of this story/tale.

6. Begin!Dr. Robert K. Greenleaf


[email protected]


Context Availability

…having a “place” to hold new ideas and

information while pattern & meaning are

being explored and developed...

…provides greater retention (processing for

meaning) during the “construction” of

networks—as well as for transfer to other

domains of learning.



[email protected]


What do students, educators, and parents

need to understand about context &

classification regarding study habits,

making memory and improving recall?

Please write something down.



[email protected]

Intermittent Pause #4




[email protected]

Other books by the presenter:

See book sales table if

you are interested in

books on this topic

Please contact me if you have

questions!

1 an inquiry into the brain, learning and teaching practice · sparrow mouse fish eagle rat cat...

Documents