ADVANCE NOTICE Listen carefully to today’s information and notice the modeling done by the instructor
At the end of the session, you will be given tokens to play bingo on your Brain Research Board. Participants must take turns explaining the boxes during the game. “Must Have” door prizes will be available for good participation
BRAIN RESEARCH Bingo Card
Change the State Novelty Water
Peppermint
Sleep
Humor
Emotion
Respect
Left Brain/Right
To Be Left-Brained or RightBrained?
That is the question
• Right Brain • Creative, visual, verbal • Needing dance, art, music, and creative projects to send info into long term memory
• Left Brain • Linear, Concrete, taskoriented • Needs focused instruction with governing rules and formulas
Which are you?
You’re both! We all are right and left brained at times. We cycle into one and out of another every 90 minutes. This enforces the notion that you must you use both modes of instruction at all times since you don’t know which kids are on which side at any given moment
The Social Brain
• Physical movement of talking about what you just learned helps to internalize and solidify new learning in nerve networks • After presenting new information, allow students to share verbally, with a partner, how the info relates to them personally
Did you know?
Lighting effects concentration – consider purchasing lamps with a “nice light” Plants and Ionization helpful also – consider purchases as good investments
RESPECT – A “no-brainer” Stress has a negative effect on learning
Students will be more receptive to your lessons when they know you care about them as people Kids are very perceptive to how you feel about them
EMOTION HELPS YOU
1. 2. 3. 4. Name the 10 richest people in the world according to Forbes Name 3 teachers who had a profound or positive effect on your life #2 much easier – emotion is involved Use of cartoon overheads such as Calvin and Hobbs turns the brain into more active gear
Humor
• Directly linked with Emotional Component • When emotions are triggered such as a good laugh, the brain is more likely to remember the information taught
Sleep
• Your body cycles in and out of REM sleep every 90 minutes • Take your wake-up time and go back by 90 minute increments to find the optimum bed time • Plenty of sleep helps with memory retention of material learned that day
Peppermint
• Sense of smell has the closest link to the brain • Scented oil in a diffuser, use of peppermint candy, essential peppermint oil by Aveda can be applied directly above upper lip • Good practice to do all the time – during learning – as well as during testing
Brain is over 80% water; body is 70%
By the time you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Adults need ½ gallon per day Students bringing water bottles to class has been a successful practice at some schools
You Change A Situation When You Change A State Of Mind
There are
no unmotivated students, just students in unmotivated states
Change of State A method to motivate kids and de-escalate problems Tone of voice, volume, and pauses New Roles and Responsibilities Water Dehydration = bad news for your brain Water makes thinking clearer Change of locations Brain Gym Exercises "Brain Buttons" Cross Crawl Hook-ups
Movement, exercise, stretching Use of music, food, aromas Surprise, Novelty, Shock Re-grouping
PROVERB
The longer the time spent in a chair, the greater the depth of student despair
NOVELTY
• The brain tunes out the ordinary – driving to work/home is secondary over time • Novel Approaches wake up the mind
– Lessons done outside or in new places – Teach in different areas of the room – Use of music to evoke emotion – fast music for small group brainstorming/slow for individual work – Use of color in overheads and worksheets – Games, drama, or stories to music to increase retention
Metaphors
New information tries to connect with prior knowledge. No link with prior knowledge = no information stored in long term memory Offer a concrete reminder: a token or artifact for students to use to trigger a memory of your lesson