WHAT EVERY TEACHER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LEARNING, MEMORY

AND THE BRAIN

Presented by

B.PrabhakarPrincipal, JNV Lepakshi.

Dist.AnanthapuramA.P..

Source : The book By

Ms.Donna Walker Tileston 1

What every teacher should. know about Learning, Memory and the Brain

by Donna Walker Tileston

What is learning?Learning is not a process left to the brain, it involves the whole being.While the old academic model addressed primarily the intellectual aspects of learning, the prevailing model suggests that we learn with our mind, heart and body. This more holistic view underscores the importance of considering all of the learner’s issues “Eric Jenson”

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CLASSIFICATION OF PEOPLE

Smart people:- are those who can store information quickly and can retrieve it from storage quickly.

Underachievers:- are those who process information quickly and retrieve it from storage slowly.

Overachievers:- are those who process information slowly but retrieve it from storage quickly.

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HOW LEARNING TAKES PLACE? All learning seems to begin in self system of the brain.

It decides whether or not to engage in the learning. If task is judged important, a positive effect is

generated or associated with task, the individual will be motivated to engage in the new task.

In order to make this decision, the brain examines the incoming information in regard to the following

1. Is the incoming information important?unless the student also believes the information is important, the “system” will not view it as important.

• Have I had success in the past with this type of learning?

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FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN STEM

• It is the part of the brain that directs your behaviour under negative stress and is most responsive to any threat.

• Threat…….cortisone……body……higher order thinking.

• “It is not stress that is bad, it is uncontrollable stress that is bad”

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II. PROCESSING INFORMATION

Once the brain had decided to pay attention to the incoming information, the metacognitive system takes over. This is the system that sets goals for the learning and that monitors the process of learning.

This system is important for the student to complete a task or engage in the learning over time.

As a teacher we can assist this system of the brain by..

Setting goals for the learning.

Provide specific and consistent feed back to study to help them identify where they are in terms of goals.

Directly teach students how to solve problem.

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THE COGNITIVE SYSTEM

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• Most of what we do in the class room revolves around the cognitive system of the brain.

• According to Marzano (1998) cognitive system organizes into four

Cognitive system

Storage and retrieval Information processing Input & output Knowledge use

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I .Storage and retrievalProvide access to the knowledge that has been stored in permanent memory.A way storage of new knowledge

II. Information processingManipulates knowledge

Stored to be used for specific task

IV. Knowledge System use knowledge to carry

out specific tasks.Procedural goal carried out

Through this system

III. Input & outputUse knowledge to understand

communication through hearing, writing, reading ..with

Outside world.

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HOW DO WE ACQUIRE & PROCESS INFORMATION

Our rate of learning is the amount of time it takes to acquire information.

Rate of learning distinguishes slow learner from typical learners.

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HOW CAN A TEACHER ASSIST?

Short term memory/Working memory

To long term memory storage

Retrieval from LTMS

Rehearsal

Forgotten

From sensory memory

Some facts 99 % what we learn comes through

senses Our brain takes 40,000 bits /sec. Often in the class room we rely on the

auditory and ignore most of the rest of the senses.

An enriched class room takes into account all the senses in learning.

87% of learners do not learn just by hearing (Jensen)

They must see the learning in a visual format and / or experience the learning kinesthetically.

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LEARNING MODALITIES/LEARNING STYLES

Learning Modalities

Visual learners Auditory learners Kinesthetic learners

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There are three learning modalities found in all of us (Jenson et all)

I. THE VISUAL LEARNERS

•Visual learners make up the largest group in the class room.

•Learners need to “see” the learning before it will make sense to them.

• It is important to have visuals for these learners so they can see the information.

•They need pictures, graphics, organizers.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF VISUAL LEARNERS

Have difficulty in remember names but may remember details about the person.

Learn best when there are visual tools to help explain the learning.

Would rather read a story themselves than have someone to read it to them.

Organize thought by writing them down.Often give away their emotions through their

facial expression.Like puzzles & other visual tools.

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Learning Modalities VisualKinesthetic

Auditory

discussionlistening

Cooperative learning Talking

Models

Sim

ulations

outdoors

Active learning

organizersP

ictures

Graphs

AUDITORY LEARNERS

Smallest number in the class room, multimedia diminished.

Hearing, lecture, discussion, media important to brain but they must also be given opportunity to talk.

Ex. Murmured reading.Earliest reading is auditory.

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CHARACTERISTICS• Remember names better than faces.• Forget what is read until it is discussed.• Respect to physical encouragement such as a

pat on the back.• Would rather be in a group discussion

about a topic than read about it, are easily distracted by sound.

• Are good story tellers.• Prefer to give oral reports rather than

written work.18

III. KINESTHETIC/TACTILE LEARNERS

Sprenger (2002) says “every lesson should contain movement.

Teachers who rely heavily on lecture face difficulty with kinesthetic learners. These learners need to move, need models that that they can hold and touch.

Sitting long stretches may be brain unfriendly.

Need to have hands on activities, they need to practice. They say" Don't give me lot of directions, just give me the work and let me do it”

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CHARACTERISTICS.• Remember best what was done rather than

what was seen or heard.• Would participate in anything than just

watch.• Like simulations, drama and outdoor

activities.• Like models and often build models for

independent project.• Give away their emotions through their

body language.20

TIPS

• Teach modalities to your students so that they know their strength and weaknesses.

• If students have difficulty with one modality, reteach in the modality in which they learn best.

• If you have been teaching your class auditory, without visual or kinesthetic opportunities, and you have a group of students who do not understand, you must reach them in a different modality.

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THE PERCEPTUAL REGISTERAlso called Reticular Activation

system that helps the brain with all of the incoming data. This decides whether it is worthy of our attention .

If the information in sensory memory is not encoded in the brief time before it decays, it is lost.

The brain discords 98% of all incoming message. The downside is that sometime we discord information that we need to remember.

As information enters the working memory, conscious processing begins.

WORKING MEMORY

Rehearsal

Rote Elaborate like problem solving

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• * Once information enters the working memory, we have about 15 seconds while the brain decides to process the information or to discord it.

• * The key to getting information to long-term memory is rehearsal.

• * As long as working memory is doing something with the learning, it can hold it there indefinitely.

• * Rehearsal performs two functions.• 1.it maintains information in working memory• 2. it is the mechanism by which we transfer information

to long term memory.

LONG TERM MEMORY PATHWAYS

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Most often used in educationStores words and facts.Less brain compatible

Needs a connectorNeeds rehearsal pnemonics

Capacity restricted.

-Based on context and location and emotions-Information can be remembered yrs.

- Remember history- unlimited storage

- Needs little motivation

-Also known as motor memory

Ex.-bicycle riding-add movement

Strongest remembering.Role play.

Memory pathways

Semantic memory pathway Episodic memory pathway Procedural memory pathway