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"Brain-based learning isn’t a new concept, but it’s enjoying renewed attention thanks to the teacher accountability movement begun by President George W. Bush and continued by President Barack Obama. In a nutshell, teachers who use brain-based techniques don their “neuroscientist” hats and focus on creating experiences that cater to the inner workings of their students’ brains. The result: better learning experiences and better retention."
Beth Dichter's insight:
This post shares three techniques you may want to incorporate into your classroom. Each has a short description as well as a section on why it is effective and how to implement the technique. * Incorporate frequent brain breaks * Make time for social and emotional learning * Teach smaller chunks As new research is published on the brain the impact it may have on the classroom is significant. If we know that providing short brain breaks (and movement breaks) may allow students to come back refreshed and ready to learn then we need to consider how we can provide these opportunities. 
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"In his new book, “How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens,” author Benedict Carey informs us that “most of our instincts about learning are misplaced, incomplete, or flat wrong” and “rooted more in superstition than in science.”
Beth Dichter's insight:
How do we learn? This post explores this issue and provides some suggstions on some best practices for studying. The author of the post provides three "take-aways" from the book. * "Forgetting isn't always bad." * "The brain is a foraging learner." * "We can be tactical in our learning." A number of suggestions on best ways to study are also included. * Rather than cramming study material for a shorter period of time everyday. You will retain more. * Studying in different locations may be beneficial. * Taking breaks after intense studying is good. It provides a break for your brain. This is called diffuse learning. * Rather than rereading material quiz yourself on it to see how much you recall. Additional suggestions are included in the post and there is more information. If this is an area of interest to you Coursera will be running another session of Learning How to Learn, beginning in early October. The course is free unless you want to receive a Certificate. I can vouch for this course as I am currently enrolled and at some point in the near future I will share more information about it. To learn more about the course go to Learning How to Learn.
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In eLearning, one of the most important brain functions to consider is the working memory, one of the more everyday functions of the brain.
Beth Dichter's insight:
Once again SH!FT has created a post that works for eLearning and the face2face classroom. This post explores ways to maximize working memory, the memory that helps us "to perform efficiently and effectively in our daily lives." Sections include: * Working Memory as a Learning Tool * Designing eLearning to Maximize the Working Memory * Manage Capacity * Effective eLearning Activities Each of these sections includes at least one additional resource. Learn more about each area by clicking through to the post.
Nancy Jones's curator insight,
July 23, 2014 1:58 PM
I am currently reading The Big Disconnect and find this an interesting connection. I have come to the conclusion that with all this technology and information, we really need to learn more about the brain and how it works to use technology and create learning opportunities that will best serve our students.
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Increasingly, educators are looking to research about how kids learn to influence teaching practices and tools.
Beth Dichter's insight:
This post looks at five trends that have made their way into the classroom. Learn more about: * Brain-based learning * Game-based learning * Power of perseverance * Questioning homework * Cultivating creativity In each of the five areas there are links to a number of resources. Gather together some of these great resources and share them with others in your school!
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Test how well you know some of these counterintuitive study tips.
Beth Dichter's insight:
Do you know how your brain learns new information. On August 25, 2014 I posted How Does The Brain Learn Best? Smart Studying Strategies. This post is a follow-up to that post and has five questions. Below is one of the questions with the answers, but to see if you are correct you will need to click through to the post. Quoting from the post: 4) Your students each have an important class presentation to make in the coming days, and they need to memorize some material by heart. How much time should they spend studying and how much time practicing from memory? A. A third of the time reading, two-thirds practicing from memory. If learning how to learn is something you would like to learn more about, and if you would be willing to participate in a MOOC, Coursera will be offering the course Learning How To Learn again. It will begin on Oct. 3rd, so head over to Coursera to sign up. The course is free (unless you need documentation that you took it, in which case it will cost $49). I am in the final week of the course and would recommend it to you. At some point I will post my final assignment to share.
Gary Harwell's curator insight,
August 29, 2014 3:47 AM
Not only do we have to teach English but we have to teach the students how to Learn.
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"Albert Einstein nailed it–'We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.' That truth will decide whether we develop a 21st-century friendly educational system or continue to tinker at the margins of school."
Beth Dichter's insight:
Do words hold us back? Do they have the potential to keep us in place rather than allowing us to move forward? This post looks at ten words and discusses how each may "influence our behavior and keep us in a box." The ten words are: 1. Lesson 2. Knowledge 3. Rigor 4. Soft Skills 5. High & Low Students 6. 0ff-Task 7. Learning Styles 8. Summer Learning Loss 9. Special Education 10. Brain-Based Learning Below is an example of how one of these words is explained. What do you think of when you hear the word off-task? What does research tell us about six-year olds and their ability to focus on one task? The explanation shares that young students who have more time for play also have higher executive functioning skills, yet in the classroom we ask them to sit and to focus one area. In many schools the amount of time for free play and recess has decreased so we can focus on ELA and math. Learn more about these words and see if you agree with the author. Do you think these words are holding us back?
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If we hope to construct enduring understanding in our students, it's critical that, now more than ever, we know their strengths and interests. By incorporating students' strengths and weakness into a
Beth Dichter's insight:
As teachers today we are told that we must teach our students and help them construct "enduring understanding", providing them with the ability to transfer knowledge from one subject area to another subject area. We are also told that we should personalize education, requiring us to know the strengths and weaknesses and incorporate this into our lessons. And let's not forget that we must also assess our students. How can we make our assessments help students with content retention? This post focuses on this question, and provides five suggestions on ways to do this. The first three suggestions are:
These types of tests may take more time to create but they have the ability to be written so that students have to do more than memorize information. There is more information on this in the post. The next suggestion is:
This requires that students demonstrate mastery of the subject. This will require the student to create (a 21st century goal) and additional information is in the post, including a discussion of what this might look like. The final suggestion is:
This section discusses what we may do to help out student build their skillsets through feedback and opportunities to construct accurate information. As you read this post you may begin to consider alternative ways to assess your students that help them with content retention.
Kathy Lynch's curator insight,
March 23, 2014 1:25 PM
Ideas to expand thinking on current assessments, particularly for those who do not test well. Thx Beth Dichter! 
Rosemary Tyrrell, Ed.D.'s curator insight,
March 24, 2014 1:46 PM
As teachers today we are told that we must teach our students and help them construct "enduring understanding", providing them with the ability to transfer knowledge from one subject area to another subject area. We are also told that we should personalize education, requiring us to know the strengths and weaknesses and incorporate this into our lessons. And let's not forget that we must also assess our students. How can we make our assessments help students with content retention? This post focuses on this question, and provides five suggestions on ways to do this. The first three suggestions are: Tests Where Notes or Textbooks are PermittedTake-Home TestsStudent-Made TestsThese types of tests may take more time to create but they have the ability to be written so that students have to do more than memorize information. There is more information on this in the post. The next suggestion is: Projects Pre-Approved by the TeacherThis requires that students demonstrate mastery of the subject. This will require the student to create (a 21st century goal) and additional information is in the post, including a discussion of what this might look like. The final suggestion is: Revisions and Retests to Build SkillsetsThis section discusses what we may do to help out student build their skillsets through feedback and opportunities to construct accurate information. As you read this post you may begin to consider alternative ways to assess your students that help them with content retention.
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A learning trump card is one that reigns over more established education practices. When one strategy trumps another, it means that it is a better way of learning.
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Excellent article on Brain Based Learning. It includes many of the concepts emphasized by Whole Brain Teaching.
Thx Beth Dichter