Janet BrohmLois Oestreich

Salt Lake Community College

Cell phones Active Be sure to ask Share your experiences

John Medina: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Elizabeth Barkley: Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty

We don’t pay attention to boring things

We pay attention to: Emotions Threats Sex

Can I eat it? Will it eat me? Can I mate with it? Will it mate with me? Have I seen it before?

• The brain and multi-tasking?

• The brain and driving vs. the cell phone?

• Schools actually encourage multi-tasking– Your error rate increases 50%

• When you’re always on(line), you’re always distracted

Human brain can only hold about 7 pieces of info for less than 30 seconds! Repeat to remember

Improve memory: Elaborately encoding in initial

moments

Medina’s work in Seattle schools

If brain scientists got together with teachers May eliminate (or greatly reduce) homework

It takes years to consolidate a memory. First grade = sophomore year

Medina’s dream school One that repeats what is learned 90-120

minutes after the initial learning How do you remember better?

Repeated exposure Specifically timed intervals

If you want to remember, remember to repeat repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat

Senses work together Stimulate them

Sight, sound, taste, smell, touch

Smell Evokes memories

The learning link Multisensory environments produce better

learning