What Brain Research Implies of the Nature of the Brain
All Brains Move Through Developmental Stages
Our unique brain changes as we age. The brain develops on different, but normal timetables which can be from 1 to 3 years apart in early developmental and pubescent adolescence stages. Knowing this, should we hold boys and girls or particular grade-level learners to the same standards?
Energy Moves Through Our Brains in Cycles and Rhythms
Our brain is designed for ups and downs, not constant attention. Hormones, diet and emotions trigger chemical fluctuations that affect attention, memory, and learning.
The term “on” or “off” task is irrelevant to the brain as chemical and electrical activity is determining the ability to ‘attend.’ We increase the chance of success with variety and choice since each of us may be on different chronological, biological, and hemispheric timetables.
Presence of Safety Helps the Brain Thrive
Creating a presence of safety in the learning and nurturing environment counteracts high anxiety, threat and learner helplessness, creating a calm, friendly, engaging state.
It’s important to remember that the brain is well equipped to protect itself; so well equipped that when presented with perceived threat, the brain actually priorities and dictates that coping with the threat is first and foremost. A cascade of ‘new’ chemicals literally dump from the brain’s system. These chemicals affect everything from body temperature and heart rate to attention and survival. As the brain attempts to learn something new and is interrupted due to the need to pay attention to a threat it works even harder to maintain a spirit of motivation and desire. The brain will always work to survive first, then thrive. It’s how the mechanics work. This is so important when we know threat and stress can impact the body’s chemistry resulting in a reduced capacity for learning, memory, and higher order thinking.
Emotions: Critical to Survive and Critical to Thrive
While excessive emotions can impair rational thinking, the absence of emotion and feelings are equally damaging to reason and rationality. Positive emotions create excitement, motivation, and love of learning. Strong emotions that are not acknowledged or expressed can lead to cognitive, emotional, and academic problems.
Finding Meaning by Identifying Patterns and Connections
We gain meaning three ways; through patterns, emotions, and relevance. The brain is poor at learning isolated facts. We learn best in real-life context, by seeing the big picture, identifying relevance, and recognizing interdisciplinary relationships.
Holding learners’ attention in a lecture format does not provide choice and should be limited to 20 percent or less of any class time.
The Brain Thrives on Enrichment i.e., Music, Theater, Debate, Dance, etc…
Optimal learning happens with multi-sensory, real-life stimulation. The brain is rarely over- stimulated; it perceives parts and wholes simultaneously. It thrives on music, role-play, dance, arts, and movement. Learning happens at the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, conscious, and non conscious level. The arts, especially music, can increase spatial-temporal reasoning and most certainly help manage states or micro-moods.
Memory: The Pathways in the Brain
Our brain does not store memories; it creates them, very approximately, every time you recall. It is poorly designed for textbook, rote and semantic learning. It is better at learning in contextual, episodic, event-oriented situations, or by using motor learning, location changes, music, and rhythm. Use of multiple strategies works best followed by daily and weekly reflection.
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