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More Brains?: Brain-Based Learning Strategies to Use in Library Instruction

Kael MoffatSaint Martin’s Universitykmoffat@stmartin.edu @kmoff64

Image by Ditmar Dimitrov from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Link to music: Putumayo Asian Groovehttps://youtu.be/MgRCUlyS2_c

Quick brain physiology Color w/ suggestions Humor w/ suggestionsBTW, posting objectives is a brain-based learning strategy called intentional priming, “which means you provide cues in advance of the actual learning” (Jensen, 2005, p. 140).

Objectives

Pedagogical practices that are rooted in neuroscience

Practices that will help the brain take in and store information more efficiently

Has really taken off in the last 30 years as we have learned more and more about the brain

Brain-Based Learning

Brain CellsNeurons: Do the information “storing” and “transmitting” in the brain

Image by Nicolaus.Rougier from Wikicommonsused under Creative Commons License

Dendrites exchange information between neurons

Cell body is the “central processor”

Axon moved information from cell body to dendrites

Glial cells nurture and maintain neurons; they come in many shapes and sizes depending on their function

Learning occurs when groups of neurons “connect” and “communicate” with one another; “Nerves the fire together wire together”

The brain is divided up into the “outer” brain and the “inner” brain as well as into hemispheres

Learning depends on coordination of different parts

How we teach can appeal to different parts of learners’ brains

Brain Structure 1

Image by aboutmodafinil.com from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Brain Structure 2

Image by Zill fag from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Brain Stem: Basic bodily functions like breathing, heartbeat, swallowing, initiates sleep

Cerebellum: Processes sensory input and controls major motor movements like posture, balance, speech

Cerebrum: Higher brain functions like decisions, imagination, thought, judgment; also contains emotion “centers”

The “outer” brain is called the cerebral cortex and divided up into 4 lobes

Each processes different types of stimuli

“Outer” Brain

Image by aboutmodafinil.com from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Occipital: Vision

Parietal: Language & sensory input (touch, pain, temperature, limb position)

Frontal: Judgment, creativity, problem solving, planning, short-term memory

Temporal: Hearing, memory, language

In charge of receiving stimuli and “distributing” information

“Inner” Brain

Image by Liz Henry from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Prefrontal cortex: Contextual memory

Amygdala: Emotions

Thalamus: Sensory input, except smell

Hippocampus: Working memory

Hemispheres Hemisphere dominance is a bit overstated, though they do process things differently.

Left hemisphere: Information as pieces, sequences, language and text representation

No guarantee of logic

Right hemisphere: Information as a whole, random order, spatial context

No guarantee of creativity

Image by vaXzine from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Rough Learning Process

1. Stimuli taken in from “outside”

3. Information routed to “inner” brain structures (amygdala, for example) to judge threat

5. Information routed to the appropriate “outer” brain structure (lobes)

2. Information routed to the thalamus

4. In case of emergency, amygdala will respond appropriately

6. Some information routed to the hippocampus for long-term processing

7. The hippocampus distributes information to memory centers of the brain

Image by Shannan Muskopf from flickrused under Creative Commons License

There are a number of different types of memory: Short-term memory—information is held in

auditory, visual, kinesthetic areas for immediate processing or elimination Can be held for only 5-30 seconds

Working memory—“significant” information is held in the prefrontal cortex for further processing Can be held for several hours

Long-term memory—the most important information is held for long-term use Can be held for days to years

Types of Memory 1

Different types of long-term memory: Semantic memory—tied up with language Procedural memory—tied up with repeated

stimuli Automatic memory—also called “conditioned

response memory”—responses to stimuli that take place without conscious control

Emotional memory—tied up with feelings Episodic memory (see next slide)

Types of Memory 2

Most one-shot library instruction taps into “episodic” memory From Greek: in addition + entering

Deals with location, context, spatial relationships (Sprenger, 1999)

How do we make our “space” memorable?

Episodic Memory

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All stimuli evaluated by emotion centers (inner brain) which are quicker than sense making (outer brain) structures

Our emotions have a strong influence on learning

Robert Sylwester: emotion “drives attention, which in turn drives learning and memory” (1994, p. 60).

We need to maximize “good” emotions and minimize “threat”

Emotional States/Memory

Image by Farukkh from flickrused under Creative Commons License

How do you react to the image on the following slide?

Color

Image from Paul Townsend from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Color has a huge effect on perception, attention, motivation, and mood

Color 1

Image from Paul Townsend from flickrused under Creative Commons License

“Colors have strong psychological and cultural impact” (Berman, 2010, p. 153)

In educational settings, color can impact our ability to learn “Proper color usage on classroom walls

creates an enriched learning environment that increases student achievement, accuracy, instructor effectiveness and staff efficiency” (Grube, 2013)

Good use of color can reduce eyestrain and “stimulate a student’s brain” (Engelbrecht, 2003, p.3)

Color 2

Good use of color can help provide a “‘feel good’ atmosphere that can stimulate positive emotion…and can [contribute to] a feeling of security for students” (Grube, 2013)

Color’s effect is preconscious “The mental stimulation passively received

by the color in a room helps the student and teacher stay focused on the task at hand” (Engelbrecht, 2003, p.3) Ellen Grangaard found in her dissertation

research that colored walls and full spectrum lighting “reduced students’ blood pressure and reduced off-task behaviors by 22 percent” (Grube, 2013)

Color 3

What is the color of royalty?

Color Question 1

Purple; but in Portugal and Brazil it is the color of mourning.

Answer 1

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What is the color of cleanliness?

Color Question 2

White; but in the Far East, it is the color of death

Answer 2Image by misskoko from flickrused under Creative Commons License

What is the color of evil?

Color Question 3

Black; but it is also the color of wisdom and elegance

Answer 3Image by Paval Hadzinski from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Different cultures interpret colors differently

If your instruction sessions involve people from other cultures/countries, it might be a good idea to understand these differences

Culture and Color

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Fascinating study on the color red by Elliot, et al. (2007) Hypotheses:

1. “…red undermines performance on achievement tasks”2. There is a “link between red and avoidance motivation

that do not require conscious access to activated motivational processes”

3. “…the perception of red would evoke motivation to avoid failure, as indicated by both behavioral and psychophysiological markers of avoidance motivation” (p. 156)

They performed 6 short experiments, exposing some participants to red, some to green, and others to neutral colors

Red 1

Findings:1. Participants whose number was written in red or whose

instruction sheet was in red scored lower on anagram and analogy tasks performed in lab and classroom settings compared to participants who saw green and neutral numbers/instruction sheets (1-4).

2. Participants, after being exposed to red, exhibited higher rates of avoidance motivation by selecting less “risky” tasks compared to participants who were exposed to green and neutral colors (5).

3. Participants, after being exposed to red, engaged in avoidance motivation as measured by increased activity in the right front cortex compared to participants who were exposed to green and neutral colors (6).

4. Although almost all participants noted the colors, but none of them were able to pick out color as the operant variable

Red 2

Why? “…red is associated with danger, specifically [in

academic settings], the psychological danger of failure”

This perception is “bolstered and elaborated” over time with its similar connotations “in other contexts in which negative possibilities are salient, such as the red of stoplights, the red of fire alarms, and the red of warning signs”

Furthermore these associations may also have biological roots with color being associated with “the superiority, aggressiveness, or attack readiness of an opponent” (Elliot et al, 2007, p. 156)

(Of course, red can also be associated with love, lust, and passion, but in contexts in which “danger” is present, we seem to react to this schema.)

Red 3

Kuhbander & Pekrum (2013) studied how color’s emotional impact would effect memory They exposed participants to word lists, each of

which contained 12 words, eleven of which were in black, but 1 near the middle was either red (negative), green (positive), or blue (neutral); the words were correspondingly negative, positive, or neutral, but were not always colored as such

Findings:1. “Both red and green words were better remembered

than blue words”2. “…memory for negative words was boosted by red

color, compared with green color…and blue color”3. “By contrast, memory for positive words was boosted

by green color, compared with red color…and blue color” (p. 377)

And if that wasn’t enough…

What are several ways we can use color effectively in our sessions to

enhance learning in our IL sessions?

And the connection is?

Image by Michael Bently from flickr

used under Creative Commons License

What colors are we using in our learning materials? Do our PPTs or Prezis signal danger to students?

 (Reds, for sure, but vibrant yellow and orange can have similar effects on learners)

1. Fear is reflexive it kicks in before “logic” &2. fear leads to stress which can block or reduce

learning* (Morrison, 2010, p. 47-8) What colors are we wearing when we instruct?

 Our clothes can send subtle messages

* Morrison notes that because of cortisol, the stress hormone, frequent or prolonged fear responses can even lead to memory loss because it can damage the hippocampus (2010, p. 48).

Instructional strategies

Color coding: colors on handouts correspond to specific related concepts or ideas Could we color code LibGuides, too?

Colors to emphasize words/terms on slides (have you noticed this in the presentation so far?)

Tapping into Episodic Memory

Humor

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Unexpected/“off-script” stimuli reach inner brain first (like color) and is tested for “threat”

If threat is severe we go into fight or flight response

If threat is not severe, our frontal lobes assess the stimuli and here is where humor takes place

Humor & Brain 1

Our “frontal lobes recognize incongruities or discrepancies between the predicted developments and what actually occurs.” (Morrison, 2010, p. 45-46)

Brain areas that process humor include those “related to speech, general information, and the appreciation of contradiction and illogicality” (Restak, 2013, p. 21)

We have to be able to interpret the stimuli for it to be funny EX. Zwei Luftbalons flößen mit dem Wind.

 Der einer sagt dem Anderen, “Vorsicht vor dem Dornbusssssssssssssch!”

Humor & Brain 2

All humor involves playing with...scripts (also referred to as frames). (Restak p. 21)

Scripts are largely unconsciously accessed (p. 22) Ex: I say, “Let’s go to a basketball game!” (Do you

think of grass and chalk lines?  Balls and strikes?) Scripts are “so generalized and compressed,

we tend to make unwarranted assumptions based on them” (p. 22) Ex: German joke: A man drives into a gas station in

a Trabi [an economy car made in East Germany] and says, “I’d like a rag for my Trabi.”  The gas station attendant looks at the car and says, “Sure.  that’s a fair trade.” (What script(s) does this joke mess with?)

Quick & Dirty on Humor 1

Three main theories (Restak, 2013, p. 22-23):1. Tension release theory―we experience

tension, some form of threat caused by our expectations being challenged, but that’s released when we get the “punchline” of the joke, image, etc.

2. Incongruity resolution theory―“involves the solving of a paradox or incongruity in a playful context”

We expect logic, but incongruity involves a degree of distorted logic; if aspects of the joke/image are “consistent” with one another or vaguely plausible, we accept the incongruity and try to solve it

Quick & Dirty on Humor 2

How is this Far Side example internally consistent vaguely plausible?

Example

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3. Superiority theory―humor rooted in “someone else’s mistakes, misfortune, or stupidity.”

This kind of humor should generally be avoided during instruction, unless it is mild and is either self-directed or inclusive EX. How do we all feel when

somebody asks for a thesis statement right off the bat?

Quick and Dirty on Humor 3

Image by Karen from flickrused under Creative Commons License

Image by Arturo J. Paniagua from flickrused under Creative Commons License

What the hell does all this have

to do with learning?

How does this image violate scripts?

Vossler & Scheidlower (2001) list several ways in which humor helps IL instruction:

Makes instruction less “boring” Expresses personality Establishes trust Part of a “good” delivery, which can help

establish credibility Reduces student anxiety Captures and holds attention Promotes comprehension and

retention Makes our job a bit more interesting;

helps us avoid burnout

Why humor

Humor encourages “an atmosphere conducive to learning” (Hellman, 2007, p.37)

Stress/anxiety reduction Humor/laughter “reduces levels of stress

hormones such as cortisol” (Restak, 2013, p. 20), which has been linked “decreased prefrontal lobe activity” (Morrison, 2010, p. 48)

Berk and Nanda (1988) found found that “amusing lectures significantly improved [students’] attitudes” in undergrad and grad stats courses (as cited in Walker, 2006, p. 118)

Reduction in stress leads to an “increase in mental sharpness” (Garner, 2206, p. 177)

How Humor Helps 1

Can encourage divergent thinking Morrison (2010) quotes Martin Seligman on

how positive mental states “broaden the scopes of attention, cognition, and action, widening the array of precepts, thought, and action presently in mind” (p. 65)

Promotes physical health important to brain/body efforts Berk noted “improved respiration and

circulation, lower pulse and blood pressure, exercise of chest muscles, greater oxygenation of blood, and the release of endorphins into the bloodstream” (as cited in Garner, 2006, p. 177)

Endorphins increase awareness

How Humor Helps 2

Can encourage positive social interactions Laughter at non-superiority-based humor can be a

sign acceptance into the social group (Morrison, 2010)

Can help lower defenses and “serve as a bridge between educators and students by demonstrating a shared understanding and common psychological bond” (Garner, 2006, p.177)

Can create positive associations or positive “emotional memory” of  information which affects long-term memory Again: “Nerves the fire together wire together” Forges neural pathways which “streamline”

learning (Morrison, 2010, p. 51)

How Humor Helps 3

Cautions

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Caution Hint 1

How could this image be appropriate in an IL setting?

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Humorous bits must pertain to the class: “must be specific, targeted, and appropriate to the subject matter” (Garner, 2006, p.178)

Off-topic humor can distract students and be perceived as a waste of time (Walker, 2006)

Caution 1

What is the relationship between these kids?

Caution Hint 2

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Divisive humor or sarcasm directed at students or things they find important can kill your credibility [It’s] okay to laugh with people, just not at

them” (Girdlfanny, S., 2004, p.24) Humor that works according to superiority

theory and creates winners/losers or insiders/outsiders and a “threatening” environment, fostering fear/anxiety

Topics to avoid: “sex, male and female bashing, spousal put-downs, and attacks on politicians [or political issues] and international celebrities” (Walker, 2006, p. 120).

Caution 2

What is she feeling?

Caution Hint 3

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Don’t overdo it! Walker (2006) quotes a study which found

that “three or four jokes per lesson [is] the optimal dose” (p. 120)

We risk “risk transforming the lecture into a circus and distracting the students” (Walker, 2006, p. 120)

Overdoing it risks “[sacrificing] the professional atmosphere” and can jeopardize our credibility and appears like time wasting (Hellman, 2007, p. 38)

Caution 3

Humor doesn’t always have to be “hahaha” Walker (2006) points out that a warm and

“easy” atmosphere and relationship with students accomplishes similar effects (p. 120-121) Smile and greet students “[When] a student is wearing sports team

attire, ask her if that is her favorite team or make a nice comment about the team” (p. 121)

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 1

My wallpaper has a picture of my favorite soccer player, this creates immediate good will with soccer fans

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 2

Image from: http://sportlerwallpaper.deviantart.com/art/Bastian-Schweinsteiger-Wallpaper-466738870not used with permission

Use appropriate humorous images or visual puns This example

illustrates how brains process images easier than text

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 3

Thanks to Stefanie and Erik for the modeling

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 4

Created using http://memegenerator.net/

Situation-specific jokes or humorous quotes EX. “From the moment I picked your book up until

I put it down I was convulsed with laughter.  Some day I intend reading it.”  Groucho Marx (http://www.guy-sports.com/funy/libary_story.htm#Libary_Jokes_and_One-liners)

There are a number of websites with library jokes/cartoons

Be spontaneous and willing to joke mildly about yourself (Walker, 2006, p. 121) EX. When a student finds a splling airer in

your PPT you could say, “My fingers must have been on strike when I typed this up.”

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 5

Humorous and appropriate video clips EX. This one’s pretty good for introducing

research tools: https://youtu.be/vg4UjOppxpw References to well-known films and TV shows

Don’t have to necessarily be “funny”; just making a good pop culture reference will loosen up the atmosphere

Work in oxymorons, alliterations, or acronyms (Hellman, 2007) EX. jumbo shrimp EX. Rules for Really Rotten Research EX. Windows = Will Install Needless Data Onto

Working System (Hellman, 2007, p. 39)

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 6

Humorous and appropriate video clips EX. This one’s pretty good for introducing

research tools: https://youtu.be/vg4UjOppxpw References to well-known films and TV shows

Don’t have to necessarily be “funny”; just making a good pop culture reference will loosen up the atmosphere

Work in oxymorons, alliterations, or acronyms (Hellman, 2007) EX. jumbo shrimp EX. Rules for Really Rotten Research EX. Windows = Will Install Needless Data Onto

Working System (Hellman, 2007, p. 39)

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 7

Begin with a humorous example, then teach the concept (Walker, 2007, p. 122)

Don’t shy away from humorous personal examples When did you find research frustrating? Moderate self-disclosure improves student/teacher

relationships (Walker, 2007, p. 123) Get students involved

Give them funny examples to read (Walker, 2007) Encourage them to generate funny or outrageous

examples “Sometimes, you need to be quiet” and let them say

something silly or stupid…but DON’T ridicule them (Hellman, 2007, p. 39)

Don’t feel like you have to generate all the humor, just be able to find humorous stories, images, etc.

More Tapping into Episodic Memory 8

Berman, M. (2010). Street-smart advertising: How to wind the battle of the buzz. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Rowman & Littlefield. Retrieved from ProQuest ebrary.

Elliot, A.J., Moller, A.C., Friedman, R. Maier, M.A., & Meinhardt, J. (2007). Color and psychological functioning: The effect of red on performance attainment. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 136 (1), 154-168. DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.136.1.154

Engelbrecht, K. (2003). The impact of color on learning. Retrieved from: http://sdpl.coe.uga.edu/HTML/W305.pdf

Garner, R.L. (2006).  Humor in pedagogy: How ha-ha can lead to aha!.  College Teaching 54 (1), 177-180. Girdlefanny, S.  (2004).  Using humor in the classroom.  Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers

79(3), p.22-25. Grube, K. (2013). The color on the wall. American School & University. Retrieved from:

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1636404658?accountid=39173 Hellman, S.V. (2007). Humor in the classroom: Stu’s seven simple steps to success. College Teaching

55(1), 37-39. Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind, 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Kuhbander, C. & Pekrum, R. (2013). Joint effects of emotion and color on memory. Emotion 13 (3), 375-

379. DOI:10.1037/a0031821 Restak, R.  (2013).  Laughter and the brain.  American Scholar 82 (3), 18-27. Sprenger, M. (1999). Learning & memory: The brain in action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Sylwester, R. (1994). How emotions affect learning. Educational Leadership, 52(2), 60-65. Tate, M.L. (2010). Worksheets don’t grow dendrites: 20 instructional strategies that engage the brain,

2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Vossler, J. & Sheidlower, S.  (2011).  Humor and information literacy: Practical techniques for library

instruction.  Santa Barbara, CA: LIbraries Unlimited. Wolfe, P. (2001). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Walker, B.E. (2006).  Using humor in library instruction.  Reference Services Review 34 (1), 117-128.

 DOI: 10.1108/00907320610648806

References