A Teacher’s Guide to the Brain

Karen MillerBSWP Summer Institute 2010

Good teaching is like chicken soup

Brain Basics

• 3 brains in 1Lizard brain (brain stem)-always in useMammalian brain (fight or flight, food, mates)The basics for survival plusamygdale: emotionshippocampus: short to long-term memorythalmus: processes sensory info/sends it outHuman brain (cortex)-all of the amazingly complex stuff we do

Brain Basics

• The brain is plastic• Learning changes the physical structure of the

brain

Brain Basics

• Brains are different—same major highways but very different surface streets (Medina, 63)

Brain Basics

• Prefrontal cortex=complex thinking (Rock, 2009)

Tap Into the Natural Explorer

• Problem based lessonsExamples:The Two LakesThe Snake Mystery

• Active testing of ideas Examples:

Using Scientific MethodWriting Process

• Our brains developed while solving problems regarding the 4 Fs…Fighting, fleeing, feeding and…reproductive behavior (Medina, 2008)

Maximize RememberingMemories are fragile and are split up into different brain regions Retell, Repeat, Elaborate

• Retelling cements detailsPartners retell concepts

• Repeat at regular intervalsA great week in science:Same idea, diff delivery

• Elaborate encoding at the moment of learningExamples = lots of connectionsReal world examples

MAKE LEARNING STICKY• Start with Big Ideas• Make the 1st time great

Lots of examples, againArouse the brain in intro

• Stimulate more senses• Grab those emotions

Funny sayings/cartoonsA little fearTap into Wow!Novelty

Capture the Power of Kodak Moments

• Vision wins for learning• Vision bullies other senses• Pictures convey lots of info

in an efficient packetRevamp Power Points—more pictures, fewer wordsConceptual drawingsBuffer graph vs mult choice

Give the Brain a BreakMinds wander after 10 min

• Use hooks Tell stories, use “wow” examples, “buy” the next 10 minutes

• Get them movingSitting in a classroom or cubicle isn’t what our brain is used to

Give the Brain a BreakMinds wander after 10 min

• Change brain tasksDiagrams in notesWriting/sharingPlay with a new concept

• Play musicContent connectionsFinding partners/groups“Cocoon” sharingIntro/conclusion

Beyond Chicken Soup