What we will learn: Facts about the brain Ways to help your own learning Ways to help your own brain development

People only use 10% of their brain People are either right-brained or left- brained which explains their natural abilities Everything people have ever experienced is stored somewhere in their brain At birth people have all the neurons that they will ever have Modern Myths… (We will explore) Adapted from Pat Wolfe, 2001

Brain Research Describes the human brain and how it works Uses science and scientific research to help learning

Become a Researcher… Now it’s time to conduct some brain research. Please go to my teacher website Click on Brain Research I will provide you with the directions

Let’s Check Our Answer… 2 major parts of the nervous system –Central –Peripheral Another name for “nerve cell” –Neuron 2 structures of Central Nervous System –Brain and spinal code

Let’s Check Our Answers How much does the brain weight? –3 pounds About how many nerve cells are in the brain? –100 billion The bump in the cortex is called –gyrus The grove in the cortex is called –sulcus

Let’s Check Our Answers The area of the brain responsible for learning is the –hippocampus Cerebral cortex Corpus callosum midbrain cerebellum medulla Spinal cord pons thalamus

The four lobes –Frontal –Parietal –Temporal –occipital 2 functions of left side of the brain; –Language and math Let’s Check Our Answers

2 functions of left side of the brain –music and facial recognition The structure that connects right and left hemispheres –Corpus callosum The left side of the brain controls language

Let’s Check Our Answers Famous left-handers Health tips: it.htmlhttp://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/brainf it.html

Day 2 Let’s start with a review…

Human Brain About 3 pounds 78% water, 10% fat, 8% protein Less than 2.5% of body’s weight Uses 20% of body’s energy

Diamond & Hopson, 1998 “The nerve cell, or neuron resembles a miniature tree…” (p. 21)

Brain is changed by environment Dendrites can grow at any age Synaptic connections occur at any age; but easiest when you are young Brain is adaptable Plasticity ‘Use it or Lose it’

Synaptic Density 6 year old 2 year old Diamond & Hopson, 1998

Memory Processes Sensory Holds information for a fraction of a second Perception and attention Short Term Information remains for about seconds Cocktail Party Effect Chunking Rehearsal: Rote and Elaborative Long Term Retrieval: More frequent activation of neuron patterns leads to more efficiency

Putting the Brain to Work Attention  The brain is much more like a sieve than a sponge… (Sousa, 1995)  Approximately 99% of all information entering through the senses is dropped (Wolfe, 2001)  Things that get the brain’s attention are meaning and emotion

Brain Based Brain partsFunctionExamples Cerebral cortexThinking, planning, decision making CerebellumBalance coordination Brain stemControls breathing and heart rate HippocampusLearning and memory AmygdalaEmotions, mood, energy

PET Brain Scan (left side of brain)

Day 3 Let’s start with a review…