FACTS AND IMPLICATIONS BRAIN RESEARCH FACTS AND IMPLICATIONS 11/28/2018

TOPICS NUTRITION LEARNING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE SLEEP PATTERNS EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT APPLICATIONS 11/28/2018

NUTRITION Leafy, green vegetables Salmon, lean meat Fresh fruit, nuts Yogurt, low fat milk 11/28/2018

NUTRITION Vitamins and minerals can boost learning, memory and intelligence. Spinach enhances learning Children should be taught the purpose of eating is nutrition, not to get rid of hunger. 11/28/2018

NUTRITION Water reduces stress The brain has a higher percentage of water than any other organ Dehydration rapidly deteriorates brain function Soft drinks, juice, coffee and tea provide little relief Dehydration leads to lethargic behavior and impaired learning. The brain needs eight to twelve glasses of water daily for optimal functioning. 11/28/2018

NUTRITION The brain uses 20% of the body’s oxygen. Oxygen rich blood is important for learning therefore P.E. classes are important 11/28/2018

Learning A stimulus starts the process The stimulus is sorted and processed A memory potential is formulated Repeating earlier learning is not as beneficial as doing a new activity New activities produce beneficial chemical activities. We use less than 1% of the brains processing capacity. 11/28/2018

Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence develops early Early school years may be the time of last resort Stress/violence cause the brain to develop sites which react quickly to chemical change Reactivity increases and a child may become aggressive and impulsive 11/28/2018

Emotional Intelligence Children need a flood of information Television is not good because no time for reflection, interaction or 3 dimensional development is allowed The vocabulary of television is very fast and children are not ready for it. Television should not be viewed extensively by children until at least age eight Television may cause stigmas because of flat viewing surface, lack of dimensionality and near focusing 11/28/2018

SLEEP Middle level and high school students have an internal sleep clock which usually doesn’t allow for optimal functioning until 9:00 or 9:30. Primary school students may be ready by 7:30. 11/28/2018

ENVIRONMENT Positive environments positively influence the brain Negative environments do the opposite Avoid finger – pointing, unrealistic assignments or deadlines, humiliation and sarcasm Music and art lead to improved learning across the curriculum (rate and pattern of brain cell firing) 11/28/2018

ENVIRONMENT Change walls every two to four weeks (have students do the work) Use computers, group assignments, guest speakers, etc A genuine high external attention span may last ten minutes Processing time is then necessary We continue to process hours after the fact and this is why we sometimes think some of our best ideas come out of the blue 11/28/2018

ENVIRONMENT Discussion time is needed after new learning in order to assist in sorting information 11/28/2018

APPLICATIONS Change locations – part of the brain is specialized to respond to a change in locations (have movement within the classroom for both teacher and student) Use novelty and ritual in balance Ritual keeps stress low Novelty can stimulate 11/28/2018

APPLICATIONS Snacks – small carrots, nuts, and fruit can boost memory Access to water is crucial Milk and dairy products produce positive chemical responses 11/28/2018

APPLICATIONS Discipline Threats, intimidation lead to stress Watching television, videos, etc. causes stress (eyeballs of the young are soft and can become distorted by continual near focusing) Unpredictable events cause stress if not meshed with some ritual (remember, some stress is okay, but do not go overboard) Students from violent backgrounds scan the room looking for “prey”. They are territorial and are some of the kids that fight you for looking at them wrong. 11/28/2018

APPLICATIONS Discipline Threats come from bullies, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, humiliating situations, etc. Teach stress management Breathing, relationship skills, exercise (walk it off), journaling and creative writing 11/28/2018

APPLICATIONS Discipline Set clear expectations for behavior Encourage partnerships that change every three to six weeks so students get to know each other Do not give threats you will not carry out Help students set their own behavior goals and life goals Show connections between actions and outcomes 11/28/2018

MEMORY/RECALL APPLICATIONS Stop every quarter to half page of notes to discuss and reflect Conduct oral or written review daily and weekly Repeat key ideas within ten minutes of learning and again within 48 hours Tie learning together every seven days Change circumstances, location, etc. Create theme days to create relevance and form associations 11/28/2018

TESTING/ASSESSMENT APPLICATIONS Learning states and testing states are related so teach or review multiple times in order that the test time matches the learning state (happy, sad, mad, etc.) Test in same room that the learning took place. 11/28/2018

RESOURCES TEACHING WITH THE BRAIN IN MIND - Eric Jensen THE LEARNING BRAIN – Jensen BRAIN BASED LEARNING – Jensen DIFFERENT BRAINS, DIFFERENT LEARNERS, How to Reach the Hard to Reach – Jensen LEARNING SMARTER – Michael Dabney and Eric Jensen 10 BEST TEACHING STRATEGIES – Donna Tileston 11/28/2018