1. The good and bad of our ever-changing brains
Brain Plasticity
The good and bad of our ever-changing brains
Let's take a look at how and why our brains change, and the implications for educators

2. How do brains change? Making and pruning connections
Constantly growing new dendrites as new learning occurs
Pruning underused connections
We are continually reshaping our brains. Although our brains are constantly eliminating or “pruning” underused connections, we are at the same time creating new connections, and strengthening other connections. As educators, it is our job to be intentional about how we oversee the reorganization of our students' brains. We must decide what information, skills, and dispositions are most important for students to retain, and then set about ensuring that those connections are made, and will be strengthened enough to end up in long term memory and survive the pruning process.

3. What can I do to help? Expose students to material in a variety of ways
Multi-sensory exposures
Novelty
Graphic organizers
Connecting through interest inventories
Scaffolding of prior knowledge
“Effective teaching uses strategies to help students recognize patterns and then make the connections required to process the new working memories so they can travel into the brain's long-term storage areas.” (Willis, Brain Friendly Strategies, 2007)‏
multi-sensory exposures give material multiple pathways to enter the brain and multiple locations for storage and eventual retrieval
novelty – the brain is designed to pay particular attention to events out of the ordinary. By introducing concepts in a novel way, learners' brains are more likely to accept new material
graphic organizers – we're all visual learners. Graphic organizers give the content something to stick to when prior knowledge may be lacking
Using interest inventories – gives teachers information on what schema already exists in students brains, making it easier to scaffold lessons.
By building on existing knowledge, teachers can scaffold new learning on a foundation of prior knowledge, helping students to make connections easier

4. What is our ultimate goal? For learning to be useful in the real world
Once connections are made, we must ensure their survival.
Learning must be internalized for application in life.
It's our job to ensure that new learning remains protected from pruning. We can achieve this through revisiting, rehearsing, and reviewing the material in various ways.
Allow students the time to reflect on learning so consolidation can occur.
New connections depend on the order, frequency, and connectedness of mew learning. Brains are built to remember the first and last items best. Multiple exposures to content that makes a connection to existing knowledge stands the best chance of making it into long-term memory storage for eventual retrieval and application. (Jensen, Brain in Mind, 2005)‏

5. Points to remember Brains are always changing
Choose what is most important
Make sure it sticks
Make sure it remains for use in life