Brain Information Compiled by Peggy Wilber, M.Ed. March 1,

Brain Information – size Put your fists together – that is the size of your brain! You brain weighs about 3 pounds and is the consistency of warm butter or soft yoghurt. It has 100 billion cells and 100 trillion connections! 2

"Teaching is not just an art anymore, it's a science." -David Sousa fMRI—watching a brain at work opmental_cognitive_neuroscience/participate/fmri.php During the last twenty years, researchers have become able to “peek” inside of active brains. Using fMRI and other types of modern technology, researchers gather information while children's brains are busy performing cognitive and reading activities. 3

Brain Information – Activity Myth—You use only 10% of your brain at a given time. FACT—Your brain is busy! It is helping you to sit upright, digesting lunch, and reading this sentence. Some scientists believe that your brain activates at over 90% capacity all the time! 4 Brain Scan of Brain Activity

Brain Information – Connections Myth—Left-brained (dominant) people are more linear and right-brained (dominant) people are more creative. FACT—Brain scans show that learning tasks activate numerous areas in both hemispheres at the same time. 40% of the brain is made up of grey matter, and 60% is made up of white matter – axons that carry messages to neurons located elsewhere in the brain. Human Connectome Project – showing brain connections 5

Myth—You are born with all the neurons you will ever have. Fact—In 1999, scientists proved that human brains grow thousands of new brain cells every day, throughout life! Brains create new cells in the hippocampus – a brain area important for the formation of memory. These cells migrate to other parts of the brain. Neurogenesis – new cells grow in human brains Brain Information – New Cells 6

Brain Information - Plasticity Brain cells respond to environment Research shows that brain cells physically change during learning activities. -Brain cells respond to the demands placed on them by the environment (such as school). -Nerves that “fire together,” during practice activities, “wire together.” Practice and review makes our students’ brain pathways get faster and more efficient. 7

Brain Information - Intelligence FACT—Your students’ I.Q. are not static. They can change due to a number of factors. Research shows that the more years that your students stay in school, the better their I.Q. scores are. (Is that a surprise?) Also, I.Q. scores have been rising during the last 100 years. Flynn Effect – I.Q. rates have been rising 8

Brain Information - Complexity Our students’ brains are complex and wonderful! 9 performance-chapter-i-brain/

Join our Round table discussion, on April 22, to explore more about these topics and how to best teach our students’ brains! 10 /