THE BENEFITS OF A BRAIN-COMPATIBLE EDUCATION

CARRIE KAISER
EDU 417
PROF. JOANNA SAVARESE-LEVINE
MARCH 17, 2016

PURPOSE:
To present an overview of how brain-compatible learning is beneficial to students
and student success;
To start at the beginning- how different parts of the brain process and function
different types of information;
The relationship between genetic and environmental factors and learning;
The information-processing model and how it creates meaningful learning;
A modified lesson plan example and how it supports brain-compatible learning;
A listing of websites that encourage brain-compatible learning

LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF

Hi! My name is Carrie Kaiser and I live in Everett, WA. Currently I work as a Pharmacy
Technician for a retail chain and I have been a Technician since 2003. I do have some past
experience teaching at vocational schools as a Pharmacy Technician instructor, and I truly love
the world of higher education and teaching adults. This is my last class here at Ashford as I am
completing a B.A. in Cognitive Studies and would like to work toward a Master's degree in higher
education so I can go back to teaching. I recently got engaged and my wedding will be in April
of this year, so between work, school and wedding planning I have been quite busy! I plan on
taking a short break from school after completing my B.A. before starting the Master's program.
My general understanding of brain-compatible learning is that all people learn differently, think
differently, and that how they learn can be assessed. In the classroom, it is difficult to cater a
lesson to all learners, but it is important to know "how" each of your students learn and what
their interests outside the classroom are and try to apply it to the curriculum. With adult
learners, I have found that they want "hands on" activities, and it is difficult at times for them to
sit down and listen to a lecture. So, I try to set up learning "stations" where we apply what we
learned in lecture to an activity that gets them up and moving. I hope to learn more in depth
about brain-compatible learning in this course and to take away teaching strategies.

BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION AND LEARNING: WHAT IS IT?

Brain-based education says that we use evidence from all disciplines to enhance
the brains of our students (Jensen, 2008).
Learning is an engagement process, and teachers need to be aware of how the
brain works and the science behind why we do what we do in order to create and
utilize teaching strategies that secure the success of each student.
That being said, there is the neuroscience concept of growing dendrites where the
result is information acquisition, development of critical thinking skills and
increased ability for problem solving (Alferink, Farmer-Dougan, 2010).

OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO! MIND-MAP BASICS

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: TRADITIONAL LEARNING AND BRAIN-COMPATIBLE

LEARNING

TRADITIONAL:

Same general subjects taught to an outdated curriculum set: art, music, reading,
writing, P.E., computers, etc.

One-size-fits-all structured teaching

Does NOT address individuals needs for learning

Does NOT in most cases allow for students of all learning needs to actually
learn.

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE:
Schools add programs that enhance skills and
interests
Provides a new, healthy learning environment
Provides something for everyone and old
material becomes new again!

Encourages creativity, expression, and

socialization

Success for all students

Teaches real world experiences/scenarios

Think outside the box approach to teaching

and learning

Genetic and Environmental Factors that impact learning:

*When students come into the classroom, they are coming to us from all
different cultural backgrounds, life stressors, nutrition and sleep issues,
learning deficits may be present, and all different life paths. What
standardized curriculum does NOT take into account are these factors.

What chemical and environmental factors affect learning? Lets start with the
Neurotransmitters, then move forward with environmental factors that affect learning:
All human behavior can be traced to the communication among neurons (Wolfe, 2010).

Neurotransmitters communicate or talk to one another through a junction or

synapses. It is through a lock and key method- where terminals of one cell lock onto
dendrites of another cell causing chemical and electrical reactions. The cells must fit
together or nothing happens.

DOPAMINE:
Two of its major roles are to control conscious motor activity and to enhance pleasurable
feelings in the brains reward system (Wolfe, 2010). The pathways that dopamine takes lead
to the frontal lobes and the hypothalamus of the brain. The frontal lobes are responsible for
speech and cognition, while the hypothalamus regulates appetite, maintaining homeostasis,
and the fight or flight response that helps us survive.
SEROTONIN: Called the feel good transmitter. Also plays a role in memory, sleep, appetite
control and regulation of body temperature. This neurotransmitter is also linked to sensory
perception. Tryptophan, an amino acid increases the action of serotonin.
ACETYLCHOLINE: Involved in REM deep sleep and memory circuits. Acts as an inhibitor. Its
cells are found in the motor cortex and sympathetic nervous system which operates all
voluntary/involuntary muscles.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND LEARNING:

EXERCISE: It is a good release of oxygen into the bloodstream, stimulates growth and
learning ability. It is also a good release of serotonin as well. Not only should kids get
enough exercise and activity throughout the school day, it has been linked to a decrease in
obesity and an increase in better eating habits. Exercise during the day also promotes
teamwork and a better self-esteem.
NUTRITION:
It has been said over time that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? What
you put into your body is important! Good nutrition is essential for brain development and
function. Studies have shown that a nutritious breakfast can lead to test score
improvement, better mood, and better focus in the classroom. Studies have also shown
that children who eat breakfast have fewer behavioral problems in the classroom. They
pay attention better, their attention span is longer, they are less fidgety and overall, less
disruptive (Murray, 1998).
What affects nutrition the most? Blood glucose levels and vitamins. What we put into our
bodies also affects our hair, skin, and nails. Vitamin deficiencies can develop due to lack of
essential nutrients and are reversible once the vitamin is reintroduced into the body.
Blood glucose levels are crucial. When these levels are raised consistently, the ability to
learn and retain is improved. Adults and children can benefit from not only a healthy
breakfast, but eating more often throughout the day to keep glucose levels balanced and
the ability to learn and retain information at an optimum level.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND LEARNING: (CONT).

SLEEP: Sleep has an impact on how we think, feel, and behave throughout our lifespan. Studies
converge to identify that both the quantity and quality of sleep are positively associated with
childrens concurrent and longer term learning, behavior, and health (Staton, Smith, & Thorpe,
2015).

Even though humans spend about 1/3 of their lives sleeping, the brain is still active, even when we
are not. How does sleep affect learning? Through the process of consolidation- the process of
stabilizing a memory trace over time, moving it from short-term to long-term memory. New
information is not fixed the moment it is heard or read; it takes time to become gelled or
consolidated (Wolfe, 2010).
Sleep strengthens the learning connections and when information to be retained is increased.

WHY SHOULD WE BE AWARE OF THESE ISSUES?

*Based on what we know so far about how the

neurotransmitters work and which factors can affect
learning, teachers should be aware that if a child is sleepdeprived, they are not getting adequate nutrition and
their activity level is decreased it DOES affect how well
they retain information, how well they relate to their
peers and teacher, and their overall grades.
Brain-compatible classrooms dont take care of all
outside issues, but they foster an environment that is
fun, promotes success, promotes teamwork, and the
student to teacher approach is positive to address
outside issues.

THE INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL: A SAMPLE ACTIVITY PLAN THAT

FOCUSES ON ATTENTION

What we know according to the model is that attention is

selective. No two people are alike when it comes to
paying attention and they can both experience the same
stimuli but take away from it different aspects.
Attention has a lot to do with Novelty. Have we seen it
before? Does it grab our attention and stand out?
Humans are also creatures of Habituation- where the
same stimuli is presented over and over again and at
some point our brains ignore it because we are familiar
with it.
Stimuli must have meaning and emotion attached- In
other words, the neural networks check out sensory
stimuli as soon as they enter the brain to see if they form
a familiar pattern. If a match occurs, then the
information makes sense or has meaning. (Wolfe,
2010). If not, then the brain will not process the stimuli

THE INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL: (CONT).

Emotion and its role in attention and learning:

The working memory: Once stimuli has been processed
from our sensors, and it is deemed meaningful and grabs
our attention, it is then moved toward the working
memory: where it is broken down and processed toward
long-term memory. If we go back to the mind-map, we
can conclude that emotion strongly influences whether or
not the brain initially pays attention to the information and
the short path-way between the thalamus and the
amygdala ensures that we react quickly to emotionally
relevant information (Wolfe, 2010).
Educators need to provide more learning stimulations and
role-play in learning- the information will be retained
longer and students are eager to know how subject matter
applies to the real world.

SAMPLE ACTIVITY PLAN: TYRANNOSAURUS REX

1st Grade Students

Area of Deficit: Attention
Exercise Objective: To have children be able to focus attention on certain aspects of the dinosaur and then use their memory and attention skills to put Tyrannosaurus
Rex back together again. This is a fun introductory to dinosaurs activity.
Suggested Time: 1 class period
Resources: N/A
Materials: Tyrannosaurus Rex picture, balloons, small push pins, cork board.
Exercise/Activity: Have students split into teams of 2-3 and assign a part of the picture of Tyrannosaurus Rex to study for 5-10 minutes. Remove the picture, then
have students come to a board of balloons that when popped, contain a puzzle piece. If the puzzle piece they find belongs to a different group, then they get 1 more turn
to find assigned pieces. When all puzzle pieces have been found, then the teams come up to the board and put them where they think they should go based on how well
they paid attention to the initial picture.
Check for Understanding: How did each group do putting their puzzle pieces in the correct place? Ask each student how difficult it was to only look at a picture for 510 minutes then have to place puzzle pieces correctly to make a replicate of the initial picture. If the picture does not come out correctly with 1 attempt, have each
student come to the board to re-place their piece in the correct spot. How well did the students pay attention not only to the initial picture, but instructions to follow?
Memory and attention go hand in hand. Students will have to rely not only on how much they paid attention to the initial picture, but their memory as well.
Since attention is selective, no two students are alike when it comes to paying attention; each can experience the same stimuli but take away from it completely
different things.

What we see has to do with the concept of novelty. Have we seen it before, does it grab our attention and stand out?
Even if a stimulus has been seen before, it can be categorized in our brains as habituation- stimulus presented over and over again gets ignored because we are familiar
with it.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE BY

MAURICE SENDAK AND
BRAINRUSH.COM GAMES

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: A BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LESSON PLAN

CARRIE KAISER
EDU 417
PROF. JOANNA SAVARESE-LEVINE
March 11, 2016
Telling Stories: How Words and Pictures Work Together
Scenario 2: You are a Program Coordinator working for an after school enrichment program for children K-5. The director of the program has asked you to create an after
Compare picture books and their animated adaptations before investigating sequence and animation through flip books
school
activity
Grades: 12,
35 for a group of 10 children of varying abilities. The director wants the activity to be fun and engaging. You have just taken this Capstone class at Ashford
University
Print
and are excited to put your knowledge of brain-compatible learning into practice! You are to choose an age appropriate lesson plan and modify it to become a more
Share
brain-compatible
activity.
3
Here is the modified lesson plan, using the Track changes button within Word. I have provided a few modifications and made room for more hands-on activities. With this
Overview
lesson plan, I felt that students needed the freedom of choice- and could choose from a variety activities, while learning the same material, having fun while doing so, and
Inspired by the language and imagery of beloved childrens books, Morton Schindel decided to form Weston Woods, a studio dedicated to creating short films from well-known childrens stories.
taking
away
from students
it something
that theyaspects
created.
This lesson
introduces
to the fundamental
of storytelling and making their own story murals through either art or journal entries to share with the class, based on their own special places to escape.
Lesson Plan

Objective
In this lesson, students will:
Investigate how pictures and words are used to tell stories
Have fun and learn!
Suggested Time: 2-3 Hours

Vocabulary
Sequence

REFERENCE LINKS:
Brainrush.com- create free learning games
Bubbl.us- create mind-maps
Scholastic.com- free lesson plans for all ages

References:
Alferink, L.A. & Farmer-Dougan, V. (2010). Brain- (not) based education: dangers of
misunderstanding and misapplication of neuroscience research. Exceptionality, 18(1), 42-52. Doi:
10.1080/09362830903462573.
Jensen, E. P. (2008, October 1).A fresh look at brain-based education.Florida Association of School
Administrators. Retrieved from http://www.fasa.net/upload_documents/neuroplasticity10.29.pdf
Murray, J. (1998). Nutrition and Learning. Foodservice Director. 11(9), 108.
Scholastic. (n.d.).Lesson plans. Retrieved from http://
www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/free-lesson-plans

REFERENCES: (CONT).
Stanton, S.L., Smith, S.S., & Thorpe, K.J. (2015). Do I really need a nap? The role of sleep science in
informing sleep practices in early childhood education and care settings. Translational Issues in Psychological
Science. 1(1), 32-44. Doi: 10/1037/tps0000011.
Wolfe, P. (2010).Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.