BRAIN

BASED

LEARNING

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

Caveat - Nothing is an absolute, but we

are learning more and more every day
about how the brain functions and how
that translates to behavior - including
teaching and learning.

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

is not

Mind, brain, and

education science
because

this is the
discipline itself

that
is
the
basis
of

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

refers to

Teaching methods, lesson

designs, and school programs
anchored on

Latest scientific research on how the brain learns

such as

Neuroplasticity

is the selective organization

of connections between
neurons in our brains

Cells that fire together, wire together

when people repeatedly practice an activity or
access a memory, their neural networks
shape themselves according to that activity or
Group of
memory or when people stop practicing neurons
that
The more cars
fire together,
new things, the brain will
going to certain
creating
destination, the
eliminate or prune the
electrochemical
wider the road that
carries them needs connecting cells that formed the pathways
to be. The fewer
pathways The more times the network is
cars traveling that
way, however, the
fewer lanes are
needed.

stimulated, the stronger and

more efficient it becomes.

Neuroplasticity

What does this mean?

The brain continues to grow and change physically.

Intelligence is not fixed.
Brain-based learning techniques from neuroplasticity:
Practice. Repeating an activity and reviewing
material in a variety of ways help build thicker,
stronger, more hard-wired connections in the brain.
Contextualize information. Present material by
connecting it with already existing pathways (what
they already know).

Neuroplasticity

What does this mean?

The brain continues to grow and change physically.

Intelligence is not fixed.
Brain-based learning techniques from neuroplasticity:
Let students know that this is how the brain works.
Research found out that both morale and grade points
took a leap when students understood the idea that
intelligence is malleable.
(Blackwell, Trzesniewski, and Dweck, in Child
Development, 2007)
Let them know that intelligence is not pre-determined.
Encourage those who believe they are not smart

Memory
(and
what the internet is doing to our brains)
Consolidation
Pre-historic Age.
1. You are less likely to be attacked by a
predator if you know more about your
surroundings.
2. Our brains release dopamine when we
acquire new information.
Getting new information is not only crucial to
survival but it also feels good.

Memory
(and
what the internet is doing to our brains)
Consolidation

Contemporary Times. Predators are not

much of an issue, but we still have the
same brains
Getting new information is not only crucial to
survival but it also feels good.
Part of the reason we use THE INTERNET
so much and we form a compulsive behavior
to use it
We are in a perpetual state of distraction and interruption.

Memory
(and
what the internet is doing to our brains)
Consolidation

Transfer of information from short-term

(working) memory to long-term memory
The process that gets compromised as we
are hit with one piece of information after
another or when we get distracted.

e.g. when one cute cat video leads to another and another and another, etc.

Drowns out the calmer and more

contemplative modes of thinking
which are essential for THINKING

Memory
(and
what the internet is doing to our brains)
Consolidation
What does this mean?
Adequate time is needed when learning something
Brain-based learning techniques from memory consolidation:
Unplug, Disconnect, Calm Down. Teach the importance of
disconnecting and having a calm mind to concentrate while
learning, or have specific times for calm and focus work.
Teach students how to filter information. The internet
makes it easy for students to be vulnerable to information
overload. Help them combat this by teaching them how to
look at which information is important and which is not.

postulates that the

brain has 2 cognitive Dual Coding Theory
(and the use of brain movies)
subsystems which
simultaneously deals
What does this mean?
with
language

representation

(speech or writing)

nonverbal

representation
(objects, events,
behavior)

tapping into both the

verbal and nonverbal
systems would help
comprehension

Brain-based learning techniques from dual coding theory:

Encourage the use of brain movies. These are the images

that form in ones mind when one reads, which, when used,
taps into two cognitive subsystems which could help
comprehension.

Dual Coding Theory

(and the use of brain movies)

Steps in introducing brain movies in the classroom

1. Select a book, poem, or reading passage with vivid,
sensory-rich language to read aloud.
2. Introduce words or concepts that may be new to
students before reading, and share photographs,
websites, and other images to help set the stage.
3. Ask students to share examples of movies based on
books they've read, and lead a discussion about the
difference between reading the book and watching
the movie. Emphasize that as we read or are read
to, our imagination creates its own brain movie.

Dual Coding Theory

(and the use of brain movies)

Steps in introducing brain movies in the classroom

4. Recommend that as you read the selected passage,
students create their own brain movies based on the text
by imagining the characters, setting, and action. Suggest
that some students may find it easier to visualize if they
watch you as you read, close their eyes, or gaze out the
window.
5. Read with inflection and emphasis on striking language.
6. When you are done reading, pause to let students finish
translating the text into brain movies. Then ask for
volunteers to share their favorite imagery or scene.

Dual Coding Theory

(and the use of brain movies)

Steps in introducing brain movies in the classroom

7. Discuss how students' experiences helped them relate to
the story and create their brain movies.
8. Note how many people find that visualizing what they read
helps them to understand and remember the subject
matter.
9. Encourage students to continue conjuring movies in their
minds as they read. Emphasize that creating brain movies
requires reading carefully and attentively. And suggest that
if they have a hard time visualizing a passage, they should
reread it and look up any unfamiliar words.

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

refers to

Teaching methods, lesson

designs, and school programs

is not

Mind, brain, and

education science

anchored on

latest scientific research on

how the brain learns

that
is
the
basis
of

because

this is the
discipline itself

such as

dual coding
neuroscience memory
consolidation
theory

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

Things to remember:
Brain-based learning is authentic learning.
Because brain-based learning is anchored on recent
brain research, then application of such findings are
always changing. It takes a skilled teacher to be able to
reinvent and adjust her practice according to new
information about the brain.
Concepts of neuroplasticity, memory consolidation,
and dual coding theory are recent concepts
discussed in the study of the brain.
These are not the absolute frameworks for a brainbased learning. Such a framework will evolve in the
emergence of future findings of brain research.

BRAIN
BASED

LEARNING

References:
Bernard, S. (2010, December 1). Neuroplasticity: Learning physically changes the
brain. In Edutopia. Retrieved March 6, 2015 from
http://www.edutopia.org/neuroscience-brain-based-learning-neuroplasticity
Brain-based Learning. (2013, August 29). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of
education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/brain-based-learning/
Culatta, R. (2013). Dual coding theory. In Instructional Design. Retrieved March 7,
2015 from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/dual-coding.html
Epipheo. (2013, May 6). What the internet is doing to our brains [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKaWJ72x1rI
Wilson, D. and Conyers, M. (2014, May 20). Brain movies: when readers can picture
it, they understand it. In Edutopia. Retrieved March 6, 2015 from
http://www.edutopia.org/neuroscience-brain-based-learning-neuroplasticity

ALEKXANDRA TOYHACAO
Cognate in Education St.Scho Manila
March 2015