BRAIN-BASED TEACHING

Brittany SmithChelsea GreenJessica CuretonMegan Lambert

What is Brain-Based Teaching? Understanding of how our brain works

and the purposeful engagement in brain based strategies to maximize learning.

Also known as “brain-friendly teaching”

New information is best learned by the brain through brain-based learning.

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

The brain seeks and process information.

The brain is geared for figuring things out and takes the new information it gains and organizes it based on its schema.

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

The brain is social.

Social interaction is necessary for the brain, so it is important that you as a

teacher provide social activities to support the brain.

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

The brain is emotional.

The brain reacts to and remembers things that produce emotion. If you link your information to some kind of emotion your students have, they will be more likely to retain the information.

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

The brain needs nourishment.

The brain needs glucose and oxygen in order to function properly so it is important to encourage movement within

your activities so your students can retain the proper amounts of these two things throughout the day.

5 Principles of Brain-Friendly Teaching

The brain needs safety.

It is vital that the brain feels safe in the classroom. Building relationships, incorporating group work, and implementing routines are things you can do help the brain feel safe in the classroom.

Chalk-Talk Activity

Write the question directed in the center of the butcher paper (only ONE question )

Questions:Table 1: By knowing that the brain responds more effectively to information that evokes emotion, how can you use this in your future classroom?

Table 2: Why do you think it is necessary to provide students with socially interactive lessons?

Table 3: In what ways can you make sure that your classroom reinforces the feeling of safety?

Chalk-Talk Activity•What did you enjoy about this activity?

•Did this activity successfully engage thinking?

•Which of the 5 main principles of brain-based teaching –social engagement, emotional engagement, safety, nourishment, and procession of information– were incorporated into this activity?

Activities that Encourage Brain-Based Teaching

Chalk Talk This supports the all five of the principles.

3-2-1 Bridge This supports the social, informational, emotional, and

safety principles. Round Robin & Rally Robin

This supports the social, informational, and safety principles.

Take Off /Touch Down This supports all five of the principles.

Mix-Pair Share This supports the social, informational, and safety

principles.

More to consider

Neuroplasticity- Brain changes and adapts

Teacher expectations need to be flexible

More to consider

Memories of class are often reconstructed

Repeat and review for student retention

More to consider

Multiple Intelligences /Learning Styles

Present in multiple modalities

Too much of a good thing!

Science

Strategies that can be used in the classroom for brain based learning.

Science

When teaching science, especially for the 4-8 level, you have to get students involved with the different topics and subjects.

When students get involved and participate the material gets drilled into their heads to where they can remember it.

ScienceWith brain based learning, this involves

getting the students to work their brains and have them think rather than their brain

sit there the whole 45 minutes to an hour and hear the teacher talk the whole time. The

strategies given and about to be given can help in any classroom, but for me, I’m going to

incorporate it with the science classroom.

Science

Talking- students don’t learn a whole lot by just sitting and listening. Though this is helpful at times, talking about the material can help students internalize what they’ve learned. In a science classroom, discussion should be a big part of the class. When students talk about the organ systems (for example), they will be able to get a better understanding of it from their peers.

Science

So… giving them that time to talk and share will help each and every one of them get their points across and learn the right material.

Science

Visuals: This is another strategy that I find could work excellent in a science class, or any other. As teachers, we need to give students as many visuals as possible because sight is one of the strongest senses. Visuals help students learn a lot by seeing and touching.

ScienceGoing back to the organ systems example from

before, I would group students up and give them each a poster of a specific type of organ system,

and have them discuss and look over it. Then, after they have looked at the posters, I would

show them a video that goes more in depth about how each one of them works.

Math

Math is based on brain-based teaching.

MathThe first step of learning math is by using actual objects.

MathThe second step of learning math is by using pictorial examples.

MathThe third step is by using just the brain to work out the math.

Applications for Diversity

Students with disabilities &English Language Learners (ELL’s).

Students with Disabilities Important for all educators (IDEA 2004)

Still a lot to research, but here’s what we see…

Students with Disabilities

While expectations should be kept high, educators should recognize that these students will need additional supports in order to succeed in the general classroom environment

English Language Learners NOT special education, but these

students face some of the same challenges

Begins again at Kindergarten level for reading and writing

Accents

English Language LearnersBeing aware of brain differences assists educators in creating a safe and productive learning environment for all.

Reading and Writing•Finding books that are on level and interesting

•Linking vocabulary words with actions (ex: dingy; dinghy)

•Reading groups

•Response Notebooks

Reading and Writing• Making crafts that go along with the book being

read

• Role playing scenes from books

• Predicting, Making Connections, Inferring, Synthesizing, Analyzing

• Solving Words, Monitoring and Correcting, Searching for and Using Information, Summarizing, Maintaining Fluency, Adjusting

Why it’s Important• Brain based learning is active learning. It makes

the students more engaged in the material, which results in greater memory pattern creation, which results in greater retention.

Why it’s ImportantWith all that’s been said, brain based learning stimulates the student’s continual interest in learning. The teaching approach and the safe environment challenge the students more academically, which results in superior understanding of the teaching the material.