welcome to brain compatible strategies day 1 facilitated by: stacy brady and judy cichoracki
DESCRIPTION
Follow up in 2-3 coaching sessions in the first 2 quarters of 2008 (observation with feedback) One class meeting during PLC in the beginning of 2 nd quarter, 2008TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to Brain Compatible
Strategies Day 1Facilitated by:
Stacy Brady and Judy Cichoracki
What’s in it for me? Some strategies work well with kids, some
do not. Why? Understanding how the brain works will
help guide a teacher to more informed and deliberate instructional decisions
As teachers we want to see a measurable increase in student achievement and student learning
Follow up in 2008-2009 2-3 coaching sessions in the first 2
quarters of 2008 (observation with feedback)
One class meeting during PLC in the beginning of 2nd quarter, 2008
Objectives Day One: Describe how the brain learns Explain why the teen years are a critical
time in brain development Collaborate with other teachers regarding
brain compatible strategies Modify or create lessons using brain
compatible strategies
The Mysterious Teenage Brain Quiz
Quiz Answers:1) T 9) F2) F 10) T3) F 11) T4) T 12) F5) F 13) F6) F 14) F7) F8) T
Secrets of the Teenage Brain UNLOCKED
100 Billion Brain Cells!!!
Brain is made up of 2 different types of cells1) Neurons: the basic functional unit of the
nervous system--only 10% of the brain--do not regenerate
2) Glial cells: provide support and bring nutrients to the neurons
--90% of the brain--will regenerate
The Learning Brain
Neurons The body’s communicator
Coordinates thoughts, ideas, and feeling
Composed of 3 main parts: cell body, dendrites, and axon
Space between neurons is called the synapse
The NeuronCompare to your arm,
what would the dendrites be? The cell body? The axon?
How Do Neurons Communicate? When a neuron is stimulated, it sends an
electrical impulse down the axon to the terminals at the end of the axon branch
This releases chemicals (neurotransmitters) which cross the synapse between axon terminal and the dendrite of the receiving neuron
The Synapse Firing of a Neuron
Neurons and Learning When you have a new experience or learn
something new, connections between dendrites are made
When learning occurs, the axon fires a signal across the synapse
Memory is the ability to reconstruct or reactivate the previously made connections
Think-Pair-ShareThink about this question silently to yourself:
How do neurons communicate?
Turn to a neighbor and share your answers aloud. Be prepared to share your partner’s answer to the class.
Volunteers to share answers aloud?
2 things happen as the brain matures…
1) Overproduction of neurons/dendrites and synapses which results in an information overload
1) Following this overproduction is the pruning process. The brain selects and strengthens neurons based on activity. Synapses frequently used will flourish while the rest whither away, lost forever.
Major Overproduction/Pruning
occurs twice:
1) From birth to age 3 (hence the terrible twos!)
1) And during adolescence, age 12-16 (no wonder teens are often unorganized, spontaneous, and misinterpreted!)
Teenage brain…clay to be molded
This overproduction and pruning is an OPPORTUNITY for teens to train in all kinds of areas.
This is a neurological reason to involve kids in responsible activities and to introduce them to all kinds of positive, new experiences
WARNING!!!Teens can also build their brains around sex,
drugs, and negative experiences. The overproduction/pruning process will build the brain around these and other destructive patterns as easily as it will the positive experiences.
Personal Reflection TimeThink about the following question:
What are some of the implications of the overprocessing/pruning process
in teens, for teachers?
Write a response to this question on the side of your paper. Be prepared to share some of your ideas.
Pay Attention!Approximately 99% of all information entering the brain through the senses
is immediately dropped!
The brain filters out sensory information that is not relevant.
When it comes to paying attention, the brain is much more like a sieve than a sponge!
Brain is for survivalPaying attention serves 2 primary purposes:
1) Survival (rarely do teens need to worry about their “survival” at school)
2) Maintaining pleasurable feelings
Attention GrabbersIntroduce novelty to engage all of the
students’ senses: vary the pace and tone of your voice circulate around the room use colored dry-erase markers rearrange your room change student seating Dress in costumes Play different types of music Burn lemon-scented candles Tell stories or jokes related to your content
Personal Assessment1) On the previous slide, circle things you
already do to create novelty2) Next, circle the things you would be
comfortable doing3) Last, add any other ideas you have for
creating novelty in the classroom4) Share some of these ideas aloud
Inattention or Processing Time
Genuine “external” attention can only be sustained at a high and constant level for about 10 minutes or less!
Allows one to react quickly to predators and prey Allows one to update his/her priorities by
rechoosing what to pay attention to
Therefore it is essential that teachers allow for and encourage personal processing time after new learning for material to solidify.
Personal Reflection Time Examples Think-Pair-Share-(write)* or any combination
of those such as just “think-write” Mini-quiz with immediate feedback Create and analogy/metaphor for what is
being learned Unscramble the steps of a process being
learned Use physical movement* to define a word,
explain a concept, or show an idea Shape-up review* The First Word*
“The First Word” Reflection Activity Working in a small group generate a short
phrase or sentence that begins with each letter of the chosen word.
The sentence or phrase should contain important information or key characteristics about the topic.
B R A I N C E L L
Shape Up ReviewIn the heart write one thing you learned
from the presentation that you want to remember when teaching in the fall
In the triangle write 3 important things you learned from the presentation
In the square write 2 questions you still have about the brain and how it learns
In the circle write one statement that summarizes the important ideas from today’s presentation