I had the opportunity to spend the week out at UCSB for a Learning and the Brain conference presented by Dr. Judy Willis entitled “Neuroscience and Classroom Engagement: Strategies for Maximizing Students’ Attention, Focus and Potential.”
Below you will find links to my full storified notes for each of the 5 (half day) sessions.
- Day 1 – Engaging Students from the Start
- Day 2 – The Impact of Emotions on Learning and Memory
- Day 3 – Memory, Narratives and Neuroplasticity
- Day 4 – Building the Environment for the Memory & Cognition
- Day 5 – Maximizing Students’ Highest Potentials
I also tried to pick out some highlights, which you will find below:
Engaging Students from the Start
Syn*naps 3-5 mins – our brain needs a break after a chunk of new info/lecture; imp to discuss in grps & talk abt why info is relevant
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
Syn-naps: brain breaks needed after 10-20 minutes of intense concentration; allows amygdala cool down, neurotransmitters replenished
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Syn-naps brain breaks do not need to mean running around/off topic. Can be discussion, reflection, synthesis activities.
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Connections thru personal relevance: learners who make connection to the lrning by making personal connection have deeper lrning experiences
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
Dopamine is the source of intrinsic satisfaction. Response to increased release of dopamine is more: pleasure, attention, motivation, memory
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
The most powerful dopamine released comes from the intrinsic satisfaction of making correct predictions (achieving challenges)
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
Process over product. This question doesn’t just ask for an answer (multiple choice) but a calculation of an amount (which requires them to come up with a thoughtful response)
Question: Wld you rather have $.01 & double every day for 30 days or $100,000? How much do you earn? My answer in pic pic.twitter.com/sNCIckhsHp
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
When talking through answers, have each student explain the process by which they came up with an answer. There many ways to come up with the correct answer for this problem, for example (formula, spreadsheet, etc)
@buddyxo https://t.co/t8N5hFoJb8 pic.twitter.com/AkDPOFZnae
— Darren Kuropatwa (@dkuropatwa) July 20, 2015
The Impact of Emotions on Learning and Memory
At start of class/lessons, use “curiosity boosters”. Youtube videos are are good source:
Curiosity builder: what happens when a bowling ball & a feather are dropped together under conditions of outer space https://t.co/65M5DMVZ7X
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 20, 2015
The amygdala is a switching station, determining the flow in/out of the pre-frontal cortex. Low/high stress has a high effect on this flow
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Brain w/out stress – input comes in the intake filter; input goes through to pre-frontal cortex; reflection precedes action
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Brain w/stress – amygdala block; less active in pre-frontal cortex & executive fxn area; instead of being able to reflect, in reactive state
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
F/F/F = fight (act out), flight, freeze (zone out)
Frequent failures decreases access to pre-frontal corex=less memory; brain takes control of behavior (F/F/F); fixed mindset, reduced effort
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
MindUP is a research-based training program for educators and children: http://t.co/lb2xe5Aoq9 @hawnfoundation
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
By teaching students about the brain and neuroplasticity, we can help them understand that they can change their brains and build the brain they want!
It’s imp to teach stds abt their brains: high stress puts brain in involuntary state, neurosplasticity: you can build the brain you want!
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Question: how can we take the “game model” mentality and build it into what we do? Can we use adaptive learning systems and websites that provide instant feedback to help?
Game model: ongoing prediction opportunities = every time you make a wrong move, there’s going to be an immediate 2nd chance; dopamine boost
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Student-constructed understanding is needed for the concept to be sustained in long-term memory; drill for rote memory doesn’t work
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Idea: use photos (videos) of previous year stds doing an activity; in looking at pics, ask ss to identify ppl in pic -> buy-in/personalize
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 21, 2015
Memory, Narratives, and Neuroplasticity
The key to short term memory = patterning. Our brains seek patterns! Our brain interprets input w its existing patterns.
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
When related memory is waiting in hippocampus, new input *links* to prior knowledge. If no related pattern, it *disappears*
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
Memory: must root to prior knowledge; only have 1 min from time the knowledge hits the hippocampus until the time you need to make that link
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
As teachers, what are we doing to help students make the link and connection between the new information they are learning and the old information they already know? On a cross-curricular level? From one year to the next? From one teacher to another teacher? Are we working on vertical alignment within our departments to ensure that we are using similar vocabulary to allow students to make these links and connections? It is important to teach students about neuroplasticity and the “infinite potential” of their brain (explain through science). Students taught that they *can* change their brains have shown increase effort and test scores.
Neuroplasticity: each neuron holds *tiny* part of a memory; neurons connect->memory construction; connections grow stronger w freq exposure
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
If we don’t allow students to fail in the classroom, we are setting them up for failure in the real world.
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
As educators, it is important we don’t avoid assigning questions that might be “too challenging” (to avoid student frustration) or answering teachable moment questions (time pressure/content & curricular pressures)
If teachers aren’t embracing stdnt mistakes as ss learning opps, ss misconceptions: speed=efficiency; mistakes=stupid; only 1 right approach
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
If you provide *timely* corrective feedback (within a minute), you can rewire networks (neuroplastic changes) Add practice to that -> accurate, long-term memory
Idea- use illusions w multiple interpretations to warm ss up to no correct ans http://t.co/CLiMnydXnc (warning: not all images for use w ss)
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 22, 2015
Building the Environment for the Memory & Cognition
Memory of a memory: when you remember a life event, you recall the last time you remembered it, *not* the actual event
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 23, 2015
Multisensory experiences improve stds memories: teach a song w gestures; add mov’t to demo (revolve/rotation of planets); labs/experiments
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 23, 2015
Mental manipulation techniques: symbolize, categorize, transfer, summarize
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 23, 2015
To take something and *concisely* summarize it, student is required to understand it pic.twitter.com/YWTl5hg6Tn
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 23, 2015
Failure to construct concept memory; memorizing≠understanding; to apply knowledge, must construct an understanding of topic/concept
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 23, 2015
Maximizing Students’ Highest Potentials
Today’s stds must be flexible in their learning. Need prep to use new info & tech as it becomes available. Be prepped for “facts” to change
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Pre-frontal cortex: the last part of the brain to mature; has the developing networks of executive functions. Use EF -> neuroplastic growth
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Help stds organize (builds self knowledge/reliance): color code folders/notes; checklists; ask how they organize music on playlist, for ex
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Help stds prioritize (distinguish low relevance details from main ideas): in groups, pick out valuable info or predict test topics
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Help build judgement & reasoning (avoid stds jumping to conclusion): discuss book, situational ex’s, use past experience to predict outcome
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Cognitive flexibility: inattention blindlness=focus so intently on something, you miss everything else, ie: http://t.co/sX0NbaiaSf
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015
Imp for ss to gain cognitive flexibility so they can understand & see multiple perspectives; cognitive inflex->bias, hard to adapt to change
— Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) July 24, 2015