1. A Teacher’s Guide to the Brain Karen Miller BSWP Summer Institute 2010

2. Good teaching is like chicken soup

3. Brain Basics 3 brains in 1 Lizard brain (brain stem)-always in use Mammalian brain (fight or flight, food, mates) The basics for survival plus amygdale: emotions hippocampus: short to long-term memory thalmus: processes sensory info/sends it out Human brain (cortex)-all of the amazingly complex stuff we do

4. Brain Basics The brain is plastic Learning changes the physical structure of the brain

5. Brain Basics Brains are different—same major highways but very different surface streets (Medina, 63)

6. Brain Basics Prefrontal cortex=complex thinking (Rock, 2009)

8. Tap Into the Natural Explorer Problem based lessons Examples: The Two Lakes The Snake Mystery Active testing of ideas Examples: Using Scientific Method Writing Process Our brains developed while solving problems regarding the 4 Fs… Fighting, fleeing, feeding and…reproductive behavior (Medina, 2008)

9. Maximize Remembering Memories are fragile and are split up into different brain regions Retell, Repeat, Elaborate Retelling cements details Partners retell concepts Repeat at regular intervals A great week in science: Same idea, diff delivery Elaborate encoding at the moment of learning Examples = lots of connections Real world examples

10. MAKE LEARNING STICKY Start with Big Ideas Make the 1 st time great Lots of examples, again Arouse the brain in intro Stimulate more senses Grab those emotions Funny sayings/cartoons A little fear Tap into Wow! Novelty

11. Capture the Power of Kodak Moments Vision wins for learning Vision bullies other senses Pictures convey lots of info in an efficient packet Revamp Power Points— more pictures, fewer words Conceptual drawings Buffer graph vs mult choice

12. Give the Brain a Break Minds wander after 10 min Use hooks Tell stories, use “wow” examples, “buy” the next 10 minutes Get them moving Sitting in a classroom or cubicle isn’t what our brain is used to

13. Give the Brain a Break Minds wander after 10 min Change brain tasks Diagrams in notes Writing/sharing Play with a new concept Play music Content connections Finding partners/groups “Cocoon” sharing Intro/conclusion

14. Beyond Chicken Soup