Part 2: Professional Knowledge: Learning Theories, Neuroscience and Learning Theories, Conditions for Learning, Literacy, and Pedagogy Chapter 1: Learning Theories Consistent with Neuroscience Research Draft Chris Leonard Daniel Todd

 “The nations that stop trying to ‘reform’ their education and training institutions and choose instead to totally replace them with a brand-new, high-tech learning system will be the economic powerhouses through the twenty-first century” (Perelman, 20).

 The implementation of the content- standards and assessment-driven model of education happened rapidly, seemingly without serious consideration of how the brain learns” (p.51)

The “Banking Model” of Education  The primary emphasis is the need for a shift in understanding the roles of student and teacher.  In the traditional factory model of education, the role of the student was being a passive recipient of information.  The accepted belief is that some students would excel while others would not.

How does one…  …focus on learning without studying what is now know about the brain and human learning?” (p.51)  Can we assume that one person can transfer knowledge and information from their brain to someone else’s if the latter person is “smart enough” to “get it”?  Do educators truly transform their minds and practices after a few days of in-service trainings?

Eric Jensen (2000) offers a glimpse into the complex way learning takes place that should change the way we think about teaching and learning:  “Our emotions help us to focus our reason and logic…[In working with learners we need too] acknowledge learners’ emotions, feelings, beliefs, cravings, problems, attitudes, and skills; and include them in the learning process…” (p )

Learning is dependent upon…  Social situations  Previous experience  Skills  Attitudes  Values  Emotions  Beliefs  Senses  etc.

Connectionism  Learning is an active process in the brain involving neural systems  Learning occurs through experiences in various environments that result in modifications to the neural systems  In other words, the context, or environment, in which learning occurs is of critical importance  Mental activity in the brain is “non- linear and multidimensional”…can we say the same of our educational model?

Cognitivism  The brain constructs a cognitive structure or schema  As new info enters the brain, it is understood through the use of existing cognitive structures –This leads to changes in the structures –Memorization gets info into long term memory BUT it does not mean that conceptual understanding is developing

Constructivism  Is the theory by which an individual makes interpretations of experience in order to meet a relevant need or purpose.  One’s base knowledge frequently contain inadequate and inaccurate information based on unexamined assumptions that developed either consciously or unconsciously through experiences of interacting in the world.

Teachers and admin know that…  The teaching/learning process occurs within the context of relationships BUT do they (we) actively operate with the knowledge that the job of a teacher is to mediate learning experiences only after he/she has correctly ascertained the current understanding of the student?  If you DO NOT KNOW YOUR STUDENTS you cannot teach

Interpersonal relationship  “[Learning] involves recognizing that the quality of relationship created is paramount to the learning process…”

How Do Research-Based Instructional Practices Look in “The Wild”?  Problem-based learning  Project-based learning  Hypothesizing  Graphic organizers  Peer-editing  Research  Think Alouds  Critiquing  Literature Circles  Talking to text  Cornell Note-taking  Persuading/justifying  Chunking text  Think-Pair-Share  Summarizing  Socratic Seminar  Predicting  Metaphors/Analogies  Learning logs  Maps, graphics, etc.