Neuroplasticity

1
Neuroplasticity

• Definition the ability of the human brain to
  physically rearrange itself in response to
  outside stimulus.

2
Neuroplasticity
3
EEG
4
PET
5
fMRI
6
fMRS
7
Excellent Book Reference

• Train your Mind Change Your Brain by Sharon
  Begley (2007) Ballantine Books
• ISBN 978-1-4000-6390-1

8
Findings and Applications

• Dyslexia-

9
Findings and Applications

• Dyslexia- a specific language impairment that
  affects 5-17 of the population
• Old belief- due to a visual problem such as the
  inability to distinguish p and q and b and d
• Paula Tallal discovered that it is actually an
  auditory problem where the fast sounds of p, b, d
  and g cannot be distinguished
• Development of Fast ForWord- scans show this
  actually changes the brain (Paula Tallal)

10
Findings and Applications

• Neurons dont reproduce but the brain has
  neurological stem cells and they DO! This is
  called neurogenesis.
• Old paradigm- you are born with all the brain
  cells you will ever have. WRONG!
• Three growth spurts followed by pruning infancy,
  preteen or teen years and early 20s.
• Pruning is when your brain allows connections and
  cells to die off due to lack of use. If you dont
  use it, you DO lose it.

11
Findings and Applications

• Stroke victims and constraint-induced movement
  therapy (Edward Taub)
• This same method can be used to force students to
  learn new skills.
• Ex. Constraint Game

12
Constraint Game Geology Vocabulary Review

• On two separate cards, write down one noun on
  each.
• On two other separate cards, write down one verb
  each.
• On the last two separate cards, write down one
  adjective each.
• Find a partner, combine and mix up your cards.
• Trade your combined set of cards with another
  group. Do not look at the cards.
• Pick a card and without using your voice or
  writing down your word, somehow communicate it to
  your partner and get them to say it. (Charades or
  Pictionary).

13
Constraint Game

• Have your partner pick a card and repeat.
• Now pick a second card and this time, get your
  partner to say the word by using only your voice.
  You may not move your body or draw. (Taboo or
  Password)
• Have your partner do the same.
• Continue to alternate between not being able to
  speak and not being able to move taking turns
  until time is called.

14
Neurogenesis and the Teen BrainThe Downside...

• 10-12 yrs frontal lobe growth spurt (frontal
  lobes are responsible for judgment, emotional
  regulation and control, organization and
  forethought)
• Repeat of this growth in early 20s.
• Temporal lobes have a growth spurt between 12-16
  yrs (these lobes manage language and emotional
  control)

15
Neurogenesis and the Teen BrainThe Upside...

• This means that everyone gets a second and third
  chance to learn new skills easily such as
  language, music, hand-eye coordination, logical
  thought and ATTENTION.
• Ironically, the students may appear initially
  weak in these areas but this is when to emphasize
  these skills.
• Remember... if you dont use it... you lose it!
  (Literally during the neural pruning stage.)

16
Neuroplasticity and the Skill of Paying Attention

• Old belief- Normal attention span is 3-5 minutes
  per year of childs age. Doing the math...
• 12 years X 5 60 minutes

17
Neuroplasticity and the Skill of Paying Attention

• Reality- Attention is a skill the brain learns so
  it varies by culture and experience but only up
  to a specific neurological point. We need to
  teach the skills to get to that point.

18
Human Set-point for Attention

• Primacy-Recency research shows that pre-teens to
  adults have an attentional cycle of about twenty
  minutes while younger children have an
  attentional cycle of about 6 minutes.

19
What Teachers Need to Consider

• Design lesson plans around attentional cycles.
• Actively teach the skill of paying attention to
  reach that set-point.

See block schedule example.
20
Teaching the Skill of Paying Attention

• Explicit teaching of meta-attention in learning
  disabled and normal students (Loper, Hallahan and
  Ianna 1982) greatly extends attention processes.
• In English translation You have to tell the
  students you are trying to help them extend their
  attention spans and have them buy in.
• How do you get them to buy in? Studies show
  younger kids prefer rewards and older kids prefer
  more interesting materials.

21
Mindfulness, Depression and OCD

• Using scans and evaluations by counselors, people
  suffering from depression or OCD had relapses 66
  of the time if the were only prescribed drugs but
  had a 34 relapse rate when prescribed drugs and
  using mindfulness techniques together (Teasdale,
  Segal and Williams, 2000).

22
Teaching the Skill of Paying Attention

• Use timers and build speed. (Attention span is
  inversely proportional to boredom and
  discomfort.)
• Make use of their increased need for
  socialization and use interactive attention by
  working in groups.

CO2 Example from Methods 1
23
Does everyone see why I went through this example?
24
Does everyone see why I went through this example?

• Gets and keeps attention.
• Builds charting skills for NCLB testing.
• Builds speed which increases attentional length.
• Content.

25
Teaching the Skill of Paying Attention

• Work observations skills explicitly (i.e. picture
  games, staring contests) during the first few
  minutes of administrivia.

Picture game example.
26
(No Transcript)
27
Teaching the Skill of Paying Attention

• Use volunteers to keep students on task.
• Use complex instructions as games or as
  additional test questions (i.e. the students are
  allowed to ask any question they want but if the
  answer is in the instructions on the activity,
  then they lose a point).

Complex instruction example.
28
Complex Instructions Example

• Listen carefully...

29
Findings and Applications

• William Greenough discovered that exercise
  increases the number of dendritic branches.
  However, forced exercise increases stress
  hormones that cause neural pruning!! Physical
  activity during learning increases retention

Flyswatter activity.
30
Findings and Applications

• Spatial tuning of tactile attention modulates
  visual processing within hemifields (Eimer M and
  van Velzen, 2002).
• Huh? English translation Have your students
  act out with their hands what they read.
• Scans show that good readers actually see and
  hear what they read but poor readers do not.
  You have to train the brain to visualize and
  acting it out helps directly.
• Visualization example

31
Findings and Applications

• The pineal gland in the brain produces melatonin
  which induces sleepiness. The pineal gland does
  this when it gets dark.
• Light intensity greater than 2000 lux is
  necessary for melatonin suppression in most
  people.
• Most classrooms are about 400 lux even before you
  dim the lights for the PowerPoint!

32
Findings and Applications

• Poverty penetrates the brain. Poor students can
  be identified by their having fewer dendrites and
  their exhibiting more anxiety, hypervigilance and
  paranoia. This is because stress hormones cause
  pruning in some places in the brain and
  expansions in others like the amygdala. (The same
  pattern is found in soldiers suffering from
  post-traumatic stress syndrome.) However,
  cognitive therapy can reverse this.

33
Findings and Applications

• Visualizing physical practice causes the same
  expansions in the motor cortex (controls
  movement) as real physical practice does.
  (Pascaul-Leone, 1990s)
• Have students practice lab or other physical
  activities in their minds before taking a test.
  Scores improve significantly.
• This also works in physical therapy by decreasing
  recovery time and increasing balance.

34
Technology vs. the Brain

• Technology is expanding faster than our ability
  to test whether it is effective.
• Case in point 2d vs. 3d and the lunar phases
• Informational glut-contributes to short attention
  span, actually teaches the brain to ignore
  information (TIMSS and textbooks)

35
Technology for the Brain

• Technology is allowing students and teachers to
  participate directly in doing real science.
• http//marsproject.niu.edu
• http//setiathome.berkeley.edu
• http//stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/