An Overview & Guide

One of the things that we, as educators, must become aware of is how our students are developing not only socially, but mentally. In his book, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen explores many of the myths, truths, and ideas surrounding the development of the teenage brain.

In this PLC, I will break down the major sections of the book into separate blog posts. You can navigate through each of these posts using the link list to the right of this post. This will allow you to focus your reading and understanding. Each section allows for comments, so please contribute your thoughts and questions regarding some of these sections there.

Here is an excerpt taken from Amazon.com about the book to further your understanding of what the aims and goals of the book are focusing on:

"Every year, millions of parents trust that the professionals who teach their children know something about the brain and processes of learning. But most schools of education offer psychology, not neurology, courses. At best, these psychology courses provide indirect information about the brain and how children actually learn.

"Teaching with the Brain in Mind fills this gap with the latest practical, easy-to-understand research on learning and the brain. Consider important questions such as

• Biologically, can you truly expect to get and hold students' attention for long periods of time?

• How has research on rewards been misinterpreted?

• Do students actually "forget" what we teach them, or do we ask them to recall information in the wrong way?

• What are the surprising benefits for learning across the board when students participate in some sort of physical education or movement?

"Teaching with the Brain in Mind balances the research and theory of the brain with successful tips and techniques for using that information in classrooms. From its primer on brain biology to in-depth discussions of emotion, memory, and recall, Teaching with the Brain in Mind is an invaluable tool for any educator looking to better reach students through truly brain-compatible teaching and learning."

1. The New Winds of Change

This section of the book focuses on the history of the brain and our approach in history to how we look at it. Early theories were based on a reward/punishment system (if it feels good, do it) but as techniques and processes became more sophisticated it allowed us to look more closely at what was being done and how we could address it.

One interesting focus is on the emergence of the "chemical learner" in the 1990s. This theory posited that those with the right "brain chemicals" (more or less serotonin, dopamine, or other related compounds) will succeed while those whose chemistry is not quite right will turn out slow, stupid, violent, or lazy.

The book then goes on to talk about how "brain-altering medications, mind food, and smart drugs" started coming out and there was the rise of "ritalin, dads on prozac, and moms on provera."

Thoughts about how all of these chemicals work still remain a divided and controversial subject today.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How do you feel about the use of mood-altering drugs, such as ritalin? Is this a positive for kids or do we perhaps need to take a look at instructional methods and attempt to meet their needs? Please be respectful in your response.


From there, this section teases about the possibilities of 'brain-compatible' learning, suggesting that there may be alternative approaches that we can consider in looking at the developing brain.

2. The Learning Brain

The Human Brain:

Interesting fact:

"The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1300-1400 grams). By comparison, a sperm whale brain weighs about 7800 grams, or 17 pounds! A dolphin brain weighs about 4 pounds and a gorilla brain about 1 pound. Your dog's brain weighs about 72 grams, which is only about 6 percent of your own brain's total weight."

This section focuses on the facts involving the human brain. This includes, but is not limited to, size, weight, and appearance. It also talks about which section of the brain is responsible for our various behaviours and actions.


Where does learning begin?

There are two kinds of brain cells: neurons and glia. The majority are glia (90%) while the rest are neurons (10%) which is where the thinking takes place. Humans have about 100 billion neurons (in comparison, a mouse has 5 million). Adults have about "half the number of neurons found in the brain of a 2 year old." Where do all of our brains go?

Every day, we lose brain cells through attrition, decay, and disuse. Opinions vary but it is estimated we lose between "10,000 to 100,000" per day (Howard, 1994). Breathe easy, though, as the author promises that we have more than enough for our lifetime. Even if we lost a half million neurons per day, it would take centuries for us to "lose our minds."

This suggests, and it should be no small surprise, that the younger we are the more open we are to learning. Think about all a child has to do: learn to walk, talk, function on their own, master language, social conventions, and hone motor skills. Given the rate of decay that occurs before we become adults, it is obvious that we need to stimulate and engage our children as early as possible.


How do we learn?

"Learning changes the brain because it can rewire itself with each new stimulation, experience, and behaviour." This is why it is essential for differentiated instruction to be included with our lessons. These kinds of activities could include new experiences, a jigsaw, an oral presentation, creative writing, or an art project. This stimulates the brain to form new pathways and develop.


Discussion Question: Given this new information about brain development, how important a role do you see DI playing in your classroom? What challenges are there as a result?



It is estimated that we use less than 1 percent of 1 percent of our brain's projected processing capacity and theoretically, we could connect with far more than we are. "Could this potential connectivity be responsible for so-called 'genius' behaviour in isolated individuals?" the author asks. It's possible. There are documented cases where subjects have spoken "a dozen or more languages, demonstrated thought transference, performed speed reading, or showcased a super-memory," claims the author.

While largely theoretical, it is something to think about (no pun intended).

3. Getting Students Ready to Learn

"Interestingly, there is some evidence that children today really are less prepared for school than they were one or two generations ago (Healy 1990)." The evidence for this can be seen in areas such as emotional development and school-day readiness. Let's break down some of the research found in this section.


Emotional Intelligence Begins Early

Most emotional intelligence is learned in the first year as children learn how to react in hundreds of simple cause-and-effect situations with parents. They guide them about how to feel pleased, disappointed, anxious, sad, proud, ashamed, apologetic and more. This is a process known as 'attunement'.

As far as temperament goes, the author beleives that about half is learned and half is inherited. The first "24 months of child-raising provides the difference between several dramatically different and possible futures." (Kagan 1994).

Our vision develops most in our first year, especially between the ages of 2 and 4 months. A variety of objects, games, and responses from parents shape the way vision develops. Television is not a good option as it's better to talk to children directly to provide them with more of a hands-on approach.




Sleep Time

The natural time for a teenager to sleep is between midnight and 8 am, stimulated by the hormonal changes during puberty. The interesting fact here is that sleep experts discovered that teens COULDN'T fall asleep early as their parents tried to encourage them to do. The research here suggests, in other words, that we need to push back the start of classes to maximize their potential for learning. A time suggested in the book is around 9:30 for high school level students. For elementary, the suggestion is that as early as 7:30 is appropriate.


DISCUSSION QUESTION:
How do you feel about adjusting the time of the school day? At the present, it's geared toward the adults in the school and the conventions of society. Given that students aren't developed yet in that area, are we causing them difficulties that they don't need to face?


Eating to Learn
Not surprisingly, what we eat has an impact on how we learn. Too many kids eat too much saturated fat, sugar, and simple carbohydrates without eating enough fruit, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. That's insufficient for basic learning and memory (Wurtman 1986).

What is good to eat? Leafy green vegetables, salmon, nuts, lean meats, and fresh fruits.

Another surprising but obvious issue is dehydration. To be at their best, learners need water. With less fluids, stress levels and blood pressure go up. In addition, "if water is available in the learning environment, the typical hormone response to the stress is markedly reduced or absent."


Suggestions:

1. Talk to students about better nutrition
2. Do projects on nutrition to increase learning
3. Keep a private journal of what they eat to help them link up to learning in school
4. Arrange for guest speakers
5. Model good eating habits
6. Influence what gets served at school cafeterias
   

Any other suggestions that you can think of?

4. Enriched Environments & The Brain

"Today, consensus tells us that heredity provides about 30 - 60% of our brain's wiring and that 40 - 70% is the environmental impact" The variety comes from a variety of factors including the genes that each parent brings to the table.

As educators, we can most influence the "nurture" aspect of our students. We can start by removing threats to the environment. This includes "embarassment, finger-pointing, unrealistic deadlines, forcing kids to stay after school, sarcasm, or simply being bullied." According to the book, there is no evidence that threats are an effective way to meet long-term academic goals. Once threats are gone, we can work on the enrichment process.


DISCUSSION QUESTION
At my school, they have what is called the 'drop-dead' date for an assignment, suggesting that's what the students can do if they miss it. Is this kind of approach valuable or intimidating? Don't we need limits put on our students? For myself, my policy is that if you make an effort and hit the deadline, you can resubmit as much as you want to improve on your mark. Thoughts?


Brain plasticity is touched on in this section. This theory argues that as your environment changes, so too does the way your brain develops. This can be tricky because if it is an environment that a student doesn't like due to an earlier incident in their lives which their brain now is associating this new environment, there will be a lot of negativity. Case in point, look at the students in your school who hate being there. Well, if that's how their brain perceives the environment, it takes a lot to get it to change how it views your class as well.

There is a myth that suggests only "gifted" students benefit from enrichment. However, this is the farthest thing from the truth. We need to stimulate all brains, not just those we deem extra-worthy of the opportunity.

For example, it's much easier to learn to play an instrument before the age of 10. If your school doesn't offer that, it might be time to look into it so that you can offer as much stimulation and opportunities for growth as possible.

What constitutes enrichment, however, is up to you to decide. Typically, it's extra activities, field trips, and a diversified learning environment. For example, it could be as simple as reading a book. Parents should read to their kids at 6 months of age and not wait until they're four or five years old.

Sports is another enrichment opportunity as it is important for motor stimulation. If athletes love participating in the field, then this makes sense that they adopt it for kinesthetic learning in their academic classes.

Other places to develop enrichment:

• arts, drama, and music
  
• puzzles
• word games
• hypothetical problems
• new surroundings/field trips
• seating arrangements in classrooms

DISCUSSION QUESTION:
What other opportunities can you think of to develop or provide enrichment?

5. Getting the Brain's Attention

"When we are awake, we have an important decision to make every single moment: where to turn our attention. A normal person makes this decision a 100,000 times a day. The brain is always paying attention to something as our survival depends on it."

Attention can be external or internal, focused or diffused, relaxed or vigilant. We ask our students to pay attention to one thing and to ignore another. This can be challenging at times, but it's a reasonable request so long as the learning is relevant, engaging, and chosen by the learner.

Priming the brain is one of the keys to success. If we don't set up learning properly, it is less likely students will pay attention. By using scaffolding, students are priming their brains to accept the new stimuli, ideally in a positive way. This can also be hard to break out of. An example given is a noisy classroom... the students are already primed for this, so raising your voice is unlikely to get the attention that you want.

That said, there is a roller-coaster of thought going on in these periods, called attention cycles, where students need to focus. The message here to help learning? Take it easy. Several researchers say that mental breaks of up to 20 minutes several times a day increase productivity. And no, running from one class to another in five minutes is not true "down time" or "transition time."


DISCUSSION QUESTION: How do we build in breaks into our day at school to allow students to relax? Many are stressed out and need time to process what they've learned. How can we adapt or use our library spaces to bridge this gap?


In the classroom, it is unrealistic to demand constant attention. Our students can only process so much so why should we frustrate them and ourselves by doing an 'information dump' that they aren't going to remember anyway?

Teaching new content to novice learners may "require processing time of 2 - 5 minutes every 10 - 15 minutes." A review of old material may only require "a minute or so every 20 minutes." Use this as a guide to frame your instruction practices for maximum effectiveness. As a guideline, use "5 - 7 minutes of direct instruction for K - 2, 8 - 12 minutes for 3 - 7, 12 - 15 minutes for 8 - 12."

How can we rest their brains then?

• Mini-lectures
• group work
• reflection
• individual work

Any other suggestions? Add to the comments below!

Teachers need this down time too! Find a few moments of quiet time each day, if possible.


ADD
The book splits hairs in this section. It allows for both scientific value and diagnosis of individuals, but also stresses that environmental factors could as easily be to blame. The basic shared view is that it all stems from our ability to pay attention. ADD can involves either not being able to focus or paying too much attention to a task. Jensen believes that ADD is over-diagnosed and that environmental or structure changes can alleviate many of the symptoms. If medication is used, monitor it carefullly.

6. How Threats & Stress Affect Learning

"Threats have long served as the weapon of choice to regulate human behaviour. When schools were optional, threats were less relevant; a student who was upset might have simply left. But today, students find that they must endure threats because their presence at school is mandated by law."

What are common threats we make?

• detention
• lowered grades
• loss of school privileges

These kinds of threats aren't always effective, either. This section of the book examines what happens on a biological level.

Stress

When we get stressed, we put our body through the ringer. These symptoms can include depression, weaker immune system, blood pressure, and importantly: the ability to form both short term and long term memory. Not surprisingly, a stressful environment leads to less academic success.

How can we improve this? One study suggests that we modify our classroom space. An interesting experiment was done to modify the lighting to simulate natural light. The regular light bulbs apparently emit bursts of light and a hum that causes stress. 65% fewer students missed class in the natural lighting room. This research carries over to television, finding that the amount of time kids spend watching TV can produce the same kinds of stress and result in the need to wear glasses years earlier than they should have to.

Stress can also result out of social situations. If they do well at home, but not at school, this can be a stresser. Stress also builds out of the many frustrations that can occur in a day as well. That said, we can't get rid of everything, can we?


DISCUSSION QUESTION: How can we modify our school environment to reduce stress, rather than increase it? Think of reasonable short and long-term goals we can put in place to increase our happiness. Threatening Environments:


Making threats against students in a classroom has a negative effect on their learning. Even harsh comments or sarcasm can trigger these imbalances. Those who have been exposed to regular threats, or even violence in the home, may be harder to get under control. They fidget and move as they are constantly scanning the room for threats or predators. Sometimes this can manifest in rude or inappropriate comments ("Get away from me!") because their brains have adapted to survival-oriented behaviour. If we remove these threats from the environment, students will have more success.


Learned Helplessness:

While fairly rare, if students have come to believe they have no worth, it can be hard to get them to change their minds. If this is happening in your space, the following may have occured:

• Trauma: an uncontrollable event (verbal, physical, psychological) like a shooting at a school
• Lack of control: feel like nothing they could do can change a situation
• Decision: a past decision has greatly negatively impacted their life

Certain traumas can rewire the brain. When this happens, lives are changed. The brain must be rewired once again in order to overcome the problem. Just ONE traumatic experience can rewire the brain and it may take many more to put it back.


How do we reduce stress?

• Manage the conditions that students find themselves in
• offer peer support
• relationship skills
• down time

There are three variables we need to consider: threats from outside of class, threats from other students, and threats from yourself. We may have little control over the first, but we can work to improve the second two.


DISCUSSION QUESTION: How can we modify our classroom and our expectations to reduce threats and stress?

7. Motivation & Rewards

This chapter focuses on temporary motivation difficulties, the role of rewards, and developing the ability to self-motivate. "Students who make it to school each day have demonstrated a certain amount of motivation. After all, they've made it to class while the truly unmotivated students are still in bed or anyplace else but school."

Most likely, the missing students are only temporarily unmotivated. This happens for three reasons:

1. Associations from the past. This can put them in a positive or negative state of mind. A teacher's tone, voice, or gestures may all trigger this reaction.
2. Environmental. A student doesn't like the learning style, lack of choice, cultural issues, poor nutrition, poor lighting, bad seating, wrong temperature, fear of failure, and more.
   
3. Feelings about the Future. If hey have clear, well-defined goals they'll do well. A lack of this may result in fear, anxiety, or anger.

Each of these states can be addressed to increase their desire to come to school.


DISCUSSION QUESTION: We are already preoccupied with teaching, does it seem fair or realistic to expect us to provide an optimal environment? Why or why not?

Rewards

The simple suggestion seems to be to offer rewards. However, this is not something that will work on a long-term basis. We need to provide tasks where the completion of them is the reward, rather than something external and ephemeral.

The brain will provide rewards based on what it perceives to be valuable. Think about it: we feel better if we laugh. We feel good if we've put in an effort that is positively recognized. This is what we need to tap into with our students. Also, external rewards won't work for each student. A video game might get me excited, but do nothing for someone else.

If you promise an external reward ahead of time, then the task becomes about getting that reward. However, if something comes after all the effort has been put in and is not expected, it's a celebration.


Intrinsic Motivation

We need to develop students who wish to succeed for their own reasons. We do this by allowing them to take risks, finding their own reasons for being motivated, allowing them to set their own goals, and positively influencing decisions that lead to good outcomes. We can also work to "manage student emotions" through developing their goals and celebrating success. Lastly, giving feedback is one of the greatest sources of intrinsic motivation.

Temporary demotivation is "common and should ordinarily not be considered a crisis." Some strategies could include

• better staff training
• learning styles
• state management
• peer help
• computers
• elminination of negative behaviours or sarcasm

What other areas should we be more aware of that may cause a lack of motivation?

8. Emotions & Learning

"What are the scientific links between emotions and learning? Could it actually be smarter to organize learning around emotions?" Emotions drive attention, create meaning, and have their own memory pathways (LeDouc 1994). For example, "our logical side says 'set a goal,' but only our emotions get us passionate enou even to care enough to act on that goal.' Our very survival as human beings is dependent on our emotions.


Natural Instinct

General feeling states and intense emotions of fear and pleasure take separate biological pathways in the brain. In a sense, we can be ruled by emotion as we need to act and react to situations based on prior experience. This is where the old expression "gut reaction" comes into play because we need to act quickly based on how we're feeling at the time. "When you experience a gut feeling, it's because the same peptides that are released in your brain are also linign your gastrointestinal tract." How we feel is usually how we act.

True creativity and genius can come from this place. The book talks about Stephen Hawking, Eddie Murphy, and Quincy Jones as being excellent examples of emotions driving creativity.


Emotional State

How you're feeling can drive how successful you are. This is especially important when it comes to students because of the hormonal changes always going on. Students may buy food, material objects, even drugs to change or regulate their emotional states during this time.

Teachers who "help their students feel good about learning through classroom success, friendships, and celebrations are doing the very things the student brain craves."

This is why it's important to ask students to explain why they want to reach the goals they've set. Students can then share their responses with others. This way, the reasons and emotions are tied together more strongly.

Paying attention to our emotions when it comes to our decisions can make us happier and more confident about making similar choices in the future.

As teachers, we need to be aware of our emotions as well as it can influence how we evaluate, mark, or interact with students. Students are especially aware of these states and want to please us and may fear they'll make a decision that will upset us if we're in a bad mood.


Positive Strategies:

1. Role Model: teachers should set a positive example of managing emotions
2. Celebrations: celebrate success and give feedback
3. Controversy: positive interactions around debates and difference of opinion
4. Introspection: use journals, discussion, share stories

What other kinds of positive strategies can we use in the classroom to model positive emotional behaviours and reactions?

9. Movement & Learning

This chapter reveals the strong links between physical education, the arts, and learning. In education, anything deemed a 'frill' is likely to go first. This usually means dance, drama, or phys ed but according to the brain research, this is a mistake.

Some researchers say that the part of the brain associated with movement plays a role in posture, coordination, balance and movement and may be more important than we think. This part of the brain processes ALL incoming information even though movement is the area we used to think was its primary concern. "That's why there's value in playground games that stimulate inner ear motion like swinging, rolling, and jumping."

The part of the brain that processes movement is the same part of the brain that's processing learning. There are links here to memory, language, attention, spatial perception, emotion, and even decision making.

In other words, incorporating movement into education is a key factor.


DISCUSSION QUESTION: How can this be practically implemented into our daily teaching? Does it seem completely out of the question in an English classroom or a science lab? How can we work this in to what we're doing?


Motor Development

"If our movements are impaired, so is our development." If we engage this part of the brain on a regular basis, we're more open and adaptable to changes. This is helpful for problem solving, planning, and sequencing new things to learn and do (Calvin 1996). The book claims that many educators know this but dismiss it after the first or second grade. Are we doing a disservice to our older students?

If you deprive a child of movement, you could create later problems, such as aggression or violence. In other words, we sometimes need to let it all out!


Physical Education & Learning

"An astonishingly high 64% of K-12 American students do not participate in daily physical education programs." In the same way that exercise improves our bodies, it also improves our mind. It fuels the brain with oxygen and chemicals that create stronger bonds and links. Moderate amounts of exercise will do... say 20 minutes a day three times a week, to have beneficial results. One study here in Canada showed that those who "spend an extra hour each day in a gym class far outperformed at exam time than those who didn't exercise" (Hannaford 1995).


The Movement Arts
Three countries near the top in rankings of moth and science scores (Japan, Hungary, Netherlands) all have intensive music and art training built into their curriculum. These kinds of "play" activities have boosted their abilities.

How else does movement help? Here are a few interesting examples: "students who tip back on two legs of their chairs in class often are stimulating their brain with a rocking, vestibular-activating motion. While unsafe, it happens to be good for the brain."

• allow students to do role play
• skits
• stretching
• games like musical chairs

The above are just a few examples of how to get students up and moving. The research seems fairly clear: get students moving and get the brain and heart pumping at the same time.

10. The Brain as a Meaning-Maker

"When students say "School is boring," part of the comment reflects a common adolescent feeling. Yet there's more to it: Learners want school to be worthwhile and meaningful." The theme here is that you can make learning more interesting and valuable by making it have greater meaning and impact in their lives.

There are two forms of meaning addressed here. 'Surface' and 'deeply felt' meaning seems fairly self-explanatory. On the one hand we understand the basics of what something is or what it is to be used for, while the other takes hold in our minds and hearts as something we truly understand or connect with.

"When something is meaningful during reading, there's usually more activity [in the brain]." That said, different kinds of meaning (romantic vs. spiritual vs. surface) occur in different parts of the brain making this a very complex process. The evidence presented here points to relevance, emotions, and pattern making as key components of establishing meaning. They don't all have to be tied together (and often aren't) but one form or another comes into play. For example, eating a good, healthy meal is relevant to their lives, but it may have little meaning to students.


Relevance:

If something is relevant to a student they will make and establish connects in their brains. If it isn't, it's unlikely a connection will be made. How do we establish relevance? By linking the unfamiliar with the familiar or by explaining it's importance in a way that students find engaging. However, what is relevant to one may not be relevant to another.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How do we go about making content in our libraries or our schools relevant? Is it through technology, use, application, or informing them about why it's important? How do we get students to get this point on their own?


Never assume that because something is relevant ot you, that it's relevant to your students. Help them to discover relevance, but don't impose it on them.


Emotions:

Emotions and meaning are linked. "We generate some emotion about what is happening on a moment-by-moment basis and we experience emotion only in regard to what matters to us." We use emotion to evaluate (good or evil?) and to discriminate. When we evaluate, we give meaning to the content.

"When your students do goal setting, it is their emotions that create the goal and their vested interest in achieving the goal." Depending on the emotions of the students in your classroom, it may be more or less difficult to establish meaning depending on many factors. Are they afraid of you? Worried about a test? Not sure of the content? All of this impacts learning.


Purposely Engaging Emotions
Here are specific strategies you can use to grab the emotional attention of your students.

1. Expression. A positive environment to safely express whatever they think or feel
2. Movement. Allow them to role play, share stories, or move around
3. Stakes. Put value or worth into the assignment.
   
4. Sharing. Allow students to share with each other what they think or feel

What other strategies can come into play? Post your ideas below.


Context & Patterns

Putting information into context and establishing patterns are key to establishing meaning. Without context, information is just dumped and has no meaning. Students need to look at the big picture and figure out where they and their learning fits into the grand scheme. In their work, establishing context shows they grasp the full significance of what it is they're working with. In other words, just providing a quotation from a book isn't enough... students need to explain why they've chosen it and what was happening at the time. By giving context, they develop meaning.

Context can either be implicit or explicit. Implicit learning is where students need to do their learning based off intuition, previous experience, or accessing knowledge. Meaning may not be directly stated, but implied. Explicit is learning that is direct and intentional. This kind of learning involves being shown rather than letting the students discover the answer for themselves. This may not sound positive, but if you're in a science lab dealing with explosive chemicals, you can see the value in being clear and direct.

11. Final Thoughts

This PLC is designed to promote and prompt thinking about brains, growth, development, memory, and research around how students learn. The book goes into greater depth than is allowed on this blog and it also makes reference to a wide range of other topics or research related to the field.

Should you have found it interesting, I encourage to continue on with your research and to pick up a copy of this book for yourselves. If you have questions or comments, please email me or drop a note in the comments section as I'd love to respond.

Thanks!