Vision of the Future

Is it possible to reach every student?

Test Your Awareness

Now really concentrate…… Count the F's

Did you do what our students do? The best students miss information, even when they are paying attention…….

R = Reach Students’ Attention (RAS) R = Reach Students’ Attention (RAS): Use changes in the environment, surprise, teachable moments, and multisensory instruction to reach the conscious brain. The RAS filters all incoming stimuli and makes the “decision” as to what people attend or ignore. The sensory input that focus the RAS and are selected for admission to the brain relate to novelty, potential threat and curiosity. Examples of novelty include: Music Costumes Change volume or cadence of voice Optical illusions Bizzare factoids Discrepant Events Making predications

Reach Students’ Attention The Deep

A = Attitude (Amygdala) A = Attitude (Amygdala): Attitude aims information toward the thinking brain through the amygdala. When the amygdala filters new information, it can go one of two directions. Stress, fear and anxiety filter new information to the lower, reactive brain where the outcome is fight, flight or freeze. Positive information filters to the prefrontal cortex which is associated with the highest cognitive processes, also referred to as executive functions, including planning, decision- making, reasoning, and analysis. Some causes of stress in school include: Fear of being wrong Embarrased to speak in class, answer questions, present their work in class Test taking anxiety Physical and language differences Boredom from lack of stimulation due ot poor mastery of the material, lack of personal relevance connections Frustration with material that exceeds foundational knowledge and/or about their inability to optimize their time for the increased demands of each subsequent school year

A = Attitude (Amygdala) It is important, and imperative, to destress the amygdala. How to do that? Personalize the learning Scaffold when needed; provide learners with cues, hints and partial solutions to keep motivation Offer variable player-ability based challenges Provide goal tracking and immediate feedback in the classroom.

Door to Knowledge

D = Develop Memory with Dopamine Dopamine is associated with pleasurable experiences, decision-making and executive function. When dopamine levels go up, the following behaviors are more prominent: Pleasure Creative imagination Inspiration Motivation Curiosity Persistance and perseverance

D = Develop Memory with Dopamine Activities and strategies that increase dopamine levels and the dopamine response include: Collaborating Enjoying music Being read to Feeling self-appreciation- recognizing their progress to a personally meaningful goal Acting kindly Interacting and collaborating with colleagues/classmates Expressing gratitude Experiencing humor Optimism Choice Movement

D = Develop Memory with Dopamine 1.Stand up 2.Use your ear or elbow to spell: D-o-p-a-m-i-n-e GOOD JOB!! YOU JUST GAVE YOURSELF A SHOT OF DOPAMINE!

Memory Construction OUR GOALS: a)Connect new information input to prior knowledge b)Strengthen & lengthen long-term memory c)Develop higher-level executive function thinking

Memory Construction We want the information, or working memory, to arrive at the hippocampus. The hippocampus takes sensory inputs and integrates them with associational patterns that already exist, thereby binding the separate aspects of the experience into storable patterns of relational memories. What does this mean??

Memory Construction Working Memory to Relational Memory This is when new input connects with previously stored memory. The information moves to the prefrontal cortex- you have minutes to solidify that information in order to develop executive functioning. We do this by identifying and using patterns. New memory is now created.

Memory Construction The process of creating new memory can occur because of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity – Neurons that fire together, wire together Dendrite formation and dendrite and neuron destruction allows the brain to reshape and reorganize the networks of dendrite-neuron connections in response to increased and decreased use of these pathways.

And to conclude…. Using neuroscience in the classroom will improve student engagement, memory & potential.

Credits Dr. Judy Willis, M.D.; M.Ed. Malana Willis Matt the UCSB Tech Guy