WHAT EVERY TEACHER SHOULD

KNOW ABOUT LEARNING, MEMORY AND

THE BRAIN

Presented by

B.Prabhakar

Principal, JNV Lepakshi.

Dist.Ananthapuram

A.P..

Source : The book

By

Ms.Donna Walker Tileston

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What every teacher should. know about

Learning, Memory and the Brain by Donna Walker Tileston

What is learning?

Learning is not a process left to the brain, it

involves the whole being.

While the old academic model addressed primarily

the intellectual aspects of learning, the prevailing

model suggests that we learn with our mind, heart

and body.

This more holistic view underscores the

importance of considering all of the learner’s

issues “Eric Jenson”

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CLASSIFICATION OF PEOPLE

Smart people:- are those who can store

information quickly and can retrieve it from

storage quickly.

Underachievers:- are those who process

information quickly and retrieve it from

storage slowly.

Overachievers:- are those who process

information slowly but retrieve it from storage

quickly.

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HOW LEARNING TAKES PLACE?

All learning seems to begin in self system of the brain. It decides whether or not to engage in the learning.

If task is judged important, a positive effect is generated or associated with task, the individual will be motivated to engage in the new task.

In order to make this decision, the brain examines the incoming information in regard to the following

1. Is the incoming information important?

unless the student also believes the information is important, the “system” will not view it as important.

• Have I had success in the past with this type of learning?

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FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN STEM

• It is the part of the brain that directs your behaviour under negative stress and is most responsive to any threat.

• Threat…….cortisone……body……higher order thinking.

• “It is not stress that is bad, it is uncontrollable stress that is bad”

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II. PROCESSING INFORMATION

Once the brain had decided to pay

attention to the incoming information, the

metacognitive system takes over. This is

the system that sets goals for the learning

and that monitors the process of learning.

This system is important for the student to

complete a task or engage in the learning

over time.

As a teacher we can assist this system of

the brain by..

Setting goals for the learning.

Provide specific and consistent feed back to study to help them identify where they are in terms of goals.

Directly teach students how to solve problem.

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THE COGNITIVE SYSTEM

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• Most of what we do in the class room revolves around the cognitive system of the brain.• According to Marzano (1998) cognitive system

organizes into four

Cognitive system

Storage and retrieval Information processing Input & output Knowledge use

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I .Storage and retrieval

Provide access to the

knowledge that has

been stored in permanent

memory.

A way storage of new

knowledge

II. Information processing

Manipulates knowledge

Stored to be used for

specific task

IV. Knowledge

System use knowledge to carry

out specific tasks.

Procedural goal carried out

Through this system

III. Input & output

Use knowledge to understand

communication through

hearing, writing, reading ..with

Outside world.

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HOW DO WE ACQUIRE & PROCESS

INFORMATION

Our rate of learning is the amount of time it takes to acquire information.

Rate of learning distinguishes slow learner from typical learners.

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HOW CAN A TEACHER ASSIST?

Short term memory/

Working memory

To long term memory storage

Retrieval from LTMS

Rehearsal

Fo

rgotte

n

From sensory memory

Some facts

99 % what we learn comes through senses

Our brain takes 40,000 bits /sec.

Often in the class room we rely on the auditory and ignore most of the rest of the senses.

An enriched class room takes into account all the senses in learning.

87% of learners do not learn just by hearing (Jensen)

They must see the learning in a visual format and / or experience the learning kinesthetically.

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LEARNING MODALITIES/LEARNING STYLES

Learning Modalities

Visual learners Auditory learners Kinesthetic learners

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There are three learning modalities found in all of us (Jenson et all)

I. THE VISUAL LEARNERS

•Visual learners make up the largest group in the class room.

•Learners need to “see” the learning before it will make sense to them.

• It is important to have visuals for these learners so they can see the information.

•They need pictures, graphics, organizers.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF VISUAL LEARNERS

Have difficulty in remember names but may remember details about the person.

Learn best when there are visual tools to help explain the learning.

Would rather read a story themselves than have someone to read it to them.

Organize thought by writing them down.

Often give away their emotions through their facial expression.

Like puzzles & other visual tools.

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Learning Modalities VisualKinesthetic

Auditory

discussionlistening

Cooperative learning Talking

Models

Sim

ula

tions

outd

oors

Activ

e le

arn

ing

org

aniz

ers

Pic

ture

s

Gra

phs

AUDITORY LEARNERS

Smallest number in the class room, multimedia diminished.

Hearing, lecture, discussion, media important to brain but they must also be given opportunity to talk.

Ex. Murmured reading.

Earliest reading is auditory.

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CHARACTERISTICS

•Remember names better than faces.

• Forget what is read until it is discussed.

•Respect to physical encouragement such as a pat on the back.

•Would rather be in a group discussion about a topic than read about it, are easily distracted by sound.

•Are good story tellers.

•Prefer to give oral reports rather than written work.

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III. KINESTHETIC/TACTILE LEARNERS

Sprenger (2002) says “every lesson should contain movement.

Teachers who rely heavily on lecture face difficulty with kinesthetic learners. These learners need to move, need models that that they can hold and touch.

Sitting long stretches may be brain unfriendly.

Need to have hands on activities, they need to practice. They say" Don't give me lot of directions, just give me the work and let me do it” 19

CHARACTERISTICS.

•Remember best what was done rather than what was seen or heard.

•Would participate in anything than just watch.

• Like simulations, drama and outdoor activities.

• Like models and often build models for independent project.

•Give away their emotions through their body language.

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TIPS

• Teach modalities to your students so that they know their strength and weaknesses.

• If students have difficulty with one modality, reteach in the modality in which they learn best.

• If you have been teaching your class auditory, without visual or kinesthetic opportunities, and you have a group of students who do not understand, you must reach them in a different modality.

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THE PERCEPTUAL REGISTER Also called Reticular Activation system

that helps the brain with all of the incoming data. This decides whether it is worthy of our attention .

If the information in sensory memory is not encoded in the brief time before it decays, it is lost.

The brain discords 98% of all incoming message. The downside is that sometime we discord information that we need to remember.

As information enters the working memory, conscious processing begins.

WORKING MEMORY

Rehearsal

Rote Elaborate like problem solving

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• * Once information enters the working memory, we have about 15 seconds while the brain decides to process the information or to discord it.

• * The key to getting information to long-term memory is rehearsal.

• * As long as working memory is doing something with the learning, it can hold it there indefinitely.

• * Rehearsal performs two functions.

• 1.it maintains information in working memory

• 2. it is the mechanism by which we transfer information to long term memory.

LONG TERM MEMORY PATHWAYS

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Most often used in education

Stores words and facts.

Less brain compatible

Needs a connector

Needs rehearsal pnemonics

Capacity restricted.

-Based on context and

location and emotions

-Information can be

remembered yrs.

- Remember history

-unlimited storage

-Needs little motivation

-Also known as motor

memory

Ex.-bicycle riding

-add movement

Strongest remembering.

Role play.

Memory pathways

Semantic memory pathway Episodic memory pathway Procedural memory pathway