Brain-Based Teaching

Theories of Learning

Brain-Based Teaching

Ayala, Giuliana Belén 2022

Where would you put the suggested ideas, concepts, and challenges of brain-based teaching and learning?

What does a "brain-based" classroom look like, sound like, and feel like?

There is no "perfect" or "best" way to teach.

So, what do we mean by brain-based learning?

1. Each model or theory from educational history can stand on its own.

2. Most theorists or practitioners have based their work on philosophy or pedagogical research.

Model and its stages

Before Class

After Class

During Class

BEFORE CLASS

Pre-exposure

The Physical Learning Environment

DURING CLASS

Engagement

Framing

Acquisition

Elaboration

Memory Strengthening

AFTER CLASS

Setting Time and Rest

Review and Revision

Pre-Exposure

Prepare for each class long in advance. Prepare yourself mentally, academically, and emotionally.

Pre-Exposure

Think about particular students who need extra help.

Walk through your lessons in advance. ENGAGEMENT. COME ALIVE. MEMORABLE.

Get yourself in good emotional state.

Use the days and weeks ahead for priming their brains with content.

The Physical Learning Environment

Promote feelings of safety. Incorporate kinesthetics. Monitor room temperature. Monitor visual environmental and lightning. Monitor acoustics.

Engagement

Engage the mind and body. Create a positive social climate.

Framing

Activates neuronal assemblies. Creates an intentional bias toward what follows. Creates an emotional invitation to learn.

Acquisition

The words you choose, the environment you build, the social influences that students are exposed to are all "teachers". Learning should have active components to it. Cooperative or collaborative learning.

Deepening learning through integration and error correction. Students often don't know when they have learned something correctly or not. The sooner you allow for error correction, the less "fixed" the synapse is.

Elaboration

Memory Strenghtening

Learners will develop their recall of the learned material more in the first hour after learning than in the next few days. Using drama, sharing with a partner, testing mental models, use of acronyms, student-developed visual representations, partner reviews, quizzes, rhymes.

Settling Time and Rest

Interval learning is superior to "massed" learning. Taking time for breaks, walks, or lunch, or orchestating the learning. Taking short naps.

Review and Revision

Students won't get things right the first time. Incorporate some revision time into every day. Synaps are not static; they constantly adapt in response to activity.

So...

Where would you put the suggested ideas, concepts, and challenges of brain-based teaching and learning?

IN EVERY PART OF THE CURRICULUM.

Before class, during class, and after class.

Thanks!