Review of chapters 1

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Review of chapters 1 2

• Comparison of brain and forest
• Education reform?what to do?
• Pros and cons of brain-based learning
• Multipath learning
• Uniqueness of brain
• Characteristics of left and right brain
  preference.

2
How the Brain Learns

• Jensen, Chapter 3

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Basic Brain Anatomy

• Weights _at_ 3 lbs.?size large grapefruit
• 78 water
• 10 fat
• 8 protein
• Flesh colored
• Can be cut with a knife
• Largest portion cerebrum
• Made up of million of brain cells
• Divided into two hemispheres
• Right side controls the left side
• Left side controls the right side
• Responsible for higher order thinking and
  decision making functions
• Outer surface of our brain cortex
• Thickness of an orange peel
• When opened size of a sheet of paper

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Lobes of the Human Brain

• Occipital Lobes
• Visual and visual interpretation
• Initial phase of reading
• Images from the retina to the optic nerve
• Then to the visual cortex
• Each neuron process one aspect of vision
• Temporal Lobes
• Divided into clusters
• Give us abilities to
• produce and understand speech
• Recognize objects and faces
• Recall long term cognitive memories
• Modulate emotions

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• Parietal Lobes
• Area of the brain in which we live
• Allow us to experience our surroundings
• Process higher sensory information (touch,
  judgment of texture, shapes and our body
  orientation in space)
• Frontal Lobes
• Allows you to be who you are
• Judgment is processed
• Goal setting
• Creativity
• Working memory
• Produces motion of speech
• Ideas and emotions

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Mid-Brain Area (limbic system)

• Thalamus
• Complex structure that performs vital functions
• Gateway to the cerebral cortex?process all
  sensations except olfatory one
• As sensory information comes in, thalamus
  attempts to organize, categorize and transfer to
  the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex

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• Hypothalamus
• Regulates primitive functions of the brain
• Controls the autonomic nervous system
• Regulates homeostasis?bodys ability to maintain
  internal environment by adjusting the
  temperature and energy
• Monitors hydration
• Hippocampus
• Referred to as gateway to memory
• Plays an integral role in processing
  consolidating all cognitive memories
• Information is relayed from the thalamus to the
  hippocampus where it is compared with previous
  learning and experiences before it is transferred
  to the working memory?meaningfulness
• Only responsibility is tagging facts of
  information
• Neurons in this area grow as result of exercise
  (physical and mental)

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• Amygdala
• Buried deep in the temporal lobe
• Highly involved in responding to stress and novel
  situations
• Mediates all emotionally charged experiences
• Brain Cells

Glial cells interneurons Outnumber
neurons Serve in supportive
role Maintain the ideal
environment for neurons
to flourish Producers of
myelin for axons Transport nutrients
Help in immune system
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Neurons (100 billions) Help us be aware of
changes in the environment
Communicate these changes to other
neurons to alter bodys responses and
sensations It receives signals or impulse
Process these signals Transmit them to
other neurons This makes them flourish or
grow Has only one axon and several
dendrites Axons and dendrites talk to
each other To communicate with
other cells, the axon subdivides and
branches out The dendrites send information
to the cell body and moves out
through Functions of the axon
1) conduct information (electrical
stimulation) 2) transport chemical
substances
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• Learning Insights
• Learning physically changes the brain
• By altering the wiring and our chemistry
• New stimuli activates new path ways
• If stimulus not meaningful, information is given
  less priority and eventually forgotten (in sleep)
• If considered important?long term potentiation
  (LTP)
• Window of opportunities
• Cognitive maps connections
• Genes are not templates for learning, but they
  represent enhanced risk or opportunities

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• Learning Factors
• No blank slate?brain full of experiences
• Plasticity?shaping and changing in the brain
• Learning influences
• Nutrition
• Peers
• Brain dysfunction
• Prior learning/experience
• Temperament and character

Instructional Climate
Cerebral Engagement
Abundant Connections
Neural Practice
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• Stages of Learning

Preparation?priming pre-exposure
(1) Acquisition? Direct and Indirect Learning
(4) Functional Integration? Extended Usage
(2) Elaboration? error correction and depth
(3) Memory Formation? Rest, emotions,
associations encode learning
Class, give an example of each stage