Karen Gazith Ph.D.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1074.htm

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

• Work in partners

• Each partner must think of one piece of challenging information (something you can teach your partner) that you know well but your partner probably doesn’t

• In passing information to your partner use the following techniques

http://www.hcc.uce.a

c.uk/physiology/phar

macology01.htm

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

1. Visual Images

2. Connect to

life of your partner

3. Ensure they

are active –

doing

something not

just listening

4. Assess

his/her

understanding

Our Entry Point

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

1. The brain can rewire itself

2. Emotions are highly connected to learning

3. Intrinsic rewards create a dopamine effect

4. Learning is all about building neural networks

5. Specific functions in the brain are localized in specific regions

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI1BT7E58WU

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

http://psychology.about.com/od/biopsychology/ss/brainstructure_2.htm

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

• X-Rays – radiation from electromagnetic waves

• MRI – magnetic field measuring blood flow

• PET SCAN – radioactive glucose injected into the subject allowing for observation of tasks

• fMRI – why is this so exciting?

• Why all the buzz - The field of cognitive science,

neuroscience and pedagogy coming together informing teaching and learning

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

1. Is relevant, meaningful and understood

2. Recognizes that attention is in constant flux

3. Provides contextual coherence

4. Appeals to many senses

5. Produces positive/healthy emotions

6. Learning takes place only after the new information is processed (recoded)

7. Information is provided in bite sizes

8. Immediate feedback is provided

9. Learning is done through trial and error

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

1. Learning is meaningful and understood – meaning

must come first

http://atiekwin.wordpress.com

Explain it before you name

it!!

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

First the gist, then the details

Organize knowledge around core

concepts

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Don’t give it a name before you explain

what it is.

Capitalism: Explain it – then name it.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

WHY???????

Words, grammar must be put in context

We communicate for a purpose

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Not this

Hello table

Yes chair

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

This

Brain is wired for survival

Our brains have a surveillance and alerting system

Make it worth it or lose the attention

Saying pay attention is antagonistic – the brain is wired to attend to its surroundings

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/p/payi

ng_attention.asp

Emotions get our attention!!!!

Called ECS: Emotionally charged

Stimulus

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Novelty

Music

Laughter – oxygen to the brain

Movement – neurotropic factors (proteins) that act as miracle grow in the brain. Enhance the growth of new connections (neurogenesis)

Remember – the brain attends to whatever calls attention to it. It’s wired that way

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

What could you do to capture your

students’ attention?

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

The brain is a pattern seeker The more information is isolated – the

more the brain depends on the rote system of learning

Make a connection/Tell a story

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

3. Learning includes

contextual coherence

Once processed info moves to the

hippocampus, a temporary store house, which

evaluates whether it should be distributed into

short- or long-term memory (no context,

remains in short term memory).

Hippocampus

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Connect the new to the known

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

The brain seeks patterns making the multiplication tables challenging

The brain looks for patterns › 7x8 activates 48, 56, 54….

The challenge of learning the times tables - pattern seeking vs correct response

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Pattern interference causes problems

2x3=5 (student sees that is ok)

2x3=7 (we have no pattern for this)

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

The deeper the encoding, the greater the

chance that info will be recalled

What does this mean to me?

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Teacher owns it

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Student owns it

5. Appeals to many senses

(brain is a parallel processor)

Karen Gazith Ph.D. http://www.optimumlearningandhealth.com/Transaction/frmCMS.aspx?T=3&ST=1

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

6. Produces positive/healthy

emotions

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Stimuli

Thalamus Amydgala

Neo-cortex –

prefrontal lobe

Evaluates

its

emotional

content

If the amydala senses

Threat – it sends a signal to

the hypothalamus which sends the

message to the endocrine system

-increase in hormones

Heart rate and blood pressure

Muscles get ready to run

Info goes to the

amygdala 40

milliseconds before

going to the

cognitive centre of

the brain

RAS

Primitive

network of

cells

Precedence

Info most

critical for

survival

Brain

Stem

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Threats, punishment,

embarrassment

Release of cortisol and adrenaline

Puts the system on alert

• Working memory receives new information

and is capable of remembering 7 chunks.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=working+memory&espv=2&biw

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

David Hattie, Visible Learning

Practice makes

Permanent

Very effective because the brain

learns how to make good

choices based on data – what worked

and what didn’t!

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

The key points I am taking from this are

› 1.

› 2.

› 3.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Curriculum

› Teachers must design learning around student interests and make

learning contextual.

Instruction

› Teachers structure learning around real problems, encouraging students

to also learn in settings outside the classroom. Create learning

environments that fully immerse students in an educational experience.

Allow the learner to consolidate and internalize information by actively

processing it.

Assessment

› Often and immediate so bad habits don’t stick. Assess in student’s

preferred style and make it authentic – real life.

Environment

› Relaxed alertness–Trying to eliminate fear in learners, while maintaining a highly challenging environment

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

Or else

10/20 minutes

of new

information – 1

min gist – then

details

10/20 minutes of

recoding

10/20 minutes of

summary or applying

new learning

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

What do you want your students to know,

understand and be able to do by the end

of the session?

› Initial sharing prior to learning is problematic

Karen Gazith Ph.D.

New Learning Recoding Summary