Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Programwww.rpdp.net

The Impact of Environment on Learning

“Nine tenths of education is encouragement.”

~~Anatole Frache~~

Read, Reflect, Connect• Read through the activities on pages 51-

55; 68-96 and 157-165• Guiding questions:

– How do these activities connect to the 5 NEPF Teacher Standards?

– How can YOU use this activity in YOUR classroom?

– Think lesson plan

Brain Class Mantra• There is no without .

• Students make meaning by connecting to existing .

• Neurons that together, together.

Practice makes permanent!

learning memory

knowledge

fire wire

5 Principles for Creating Brain Compatible Classrooms

1. Environment—emotion, motivation, collaboration--Pleasure

2. Coherence—connections, meaning, patterns--Patterns

3. Time—reflection, error correction, feedback

4. Novelty—Music, games, movement

5. Challenge—Questioning and choice

 

Think and Write….

Write about a time when you were motivated to learn something.

What did you learn to do?

Why did you learn it?

What motivated you?

A Little Bit of ResearchB.F. Skinner

• Traditionally schools operate on reward/punishment

• Use stimulus-response, behavior modification or assertive discipline

• Based on the belief that human behavior results from environmental factors

• “If it weren’t for the reward, what we are teaching you would not be worth learning.”

--Eric Jensen

Internal Control TheoryWilliam Powers, 1990’s

• Young children don’t need to be rewarded to learn

• At any age rewards are less effective than intrinsic motivation for promoting learning

• Rewards for learning undermine intrinsic motivation

• When we offer a reward, we are “killing off the interest in the very thing we are bribing them to do.”

“If the learner is doing the task to get the reward, it will be understood, on some level, that the task is

inherently undesirable. Forget the use of rewards…Make school meaningful, relevant, and fun. Then

you won’t have to bribe students.” ~~ Eric Jensen, 2001~~

“What happens outside of us has a lot to do with what we choose to do, but the outside event does not

cause our behavior. What we get, and all we ever get, from the outside is information; how we choose

to act on that information is up to us.” ~~ William Glasser, 1990~~

We have four basic psychological needs:

• Belonging and connecting• Power and competence• Freedom • Fun“All behavior represents our best attempt at

any moment to satisfy our needs.”

William Glasser, 1998

…and 1 Physiological Need• Must feel safe• Energy is re-directed—fight or flight• Difficult to think or remember• Brain can not differentiate between

emotional and physical danger

“Trusting student-teacher relationships are essential for learning.”

Bryk & Schneider

What Motivates Us?

• Examine the motivators you have listed• Identify/classify based on the four needs:

– Belonging and connecting– Power and competence– Freedom– Fun

• Are your needs being met externally or internally? Why?

Remember:Behavior is always purposeful

Internal control psychology asserts that all humans are motivated from the inside out.

Therefore, the struggle is NOT how to motivate students to learn; it is in creating a classroom environment that focuses and attracts students’ intrinsic motivation to learn.

“How a person ‘feels’ about a learning situation determines the

amount of attention devoted to it.” ~~ Eric Jensen~~

RPDP Secondary Literacy

concept

Amygdala

Located in the Limbic

System

Almond shaped

Critical for emotional memory

Located near the Hippocampus

Reflective/expressive writing improves leaning and memory

Writing about a problem helps rid our mind of upsetting thoughts and thus improves our ability to maintain and process information (Klein & Boals, 2001; Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999).

Causes of Stress in Schools

• Peer relationships• Text-taking anxiety and oral presentations• Physical, clothing, language differences• No personal relevance• Frustration due to previous failure and

falling behind• Sustained or frequent boredom

Repeated Failure Fixed Mindset Beliefs

• My intelligence and skills are predetermined, limited, unchangeable

• My efforts are fruitless• Video games

– Goal buy-in– Achievable challenge– Acknowledgment of incremental goal

progress

The PULL is powered by Dopamine

No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship

of mutual respect.

The most mature person in any social setting is the one who is

most adaptable to other people’s needs.

—John Dewey

How students says they know a teacher respects them…Ruby Payne

• The teacher calls me by name, not “Hey you.”

• The teacher answers my questions.• The teacher cares about me.• The teacher talks to me respectfully.• The teacher notices me and says, hi.• The teacher helps me when I need

help.

Belonging and Connecting• Create a positive climate “attitudes are

caught, not taught”• Positive feedback/recognition • Celebrate diversity • Display student work• Establish a relationship with parents• Cooperative learningThe key process to educate now is autonomous and

competitive. It needs to change to be relational learning.” Ruby Payne“

Light Bulb!

Take a minute to jot down an idea, a thought or a connection…

Now, share your thoughts with a partner….

Environment and Learning

1. Does social interaction affect learning in mice?

2. Does an enriched environment affect learning in mice?

3. Does exercise affect learning in mice?

How much…..?

A student’s brain physically changes every day and their environment either enhances or impairs it.

Rat studies have shown:• Greatest gains—3 rats in an enriched cage-- social

interaction, play, exploration, physical and mental challenges

• Medium gains—3 rats in a small cage, no toys--social

• Low gains—1 rat in an enriched cage• No gains—1 rat, no toys--isolated, inactive• No gains—1 rat in isolated cage watching those

in the enriched cage—passive learning• When cage conditions were changed, it took only

four days for the rats’ brains to change.

Enriched Learning Environments will grow new

dendrites & strengthen synapses

• Emotion• Movement• Peer interaction• Reflection/Feedback• Meaningful learning• Connections• Challenge

The Brain Can Be Rewired• Until recently, experts have maintained the adult

brain was immutable, hardwired. Research in the past few years has come to realize that adult brains retain impressive powers of “neuroplasticity”—the ability to change its structure and function in response to experience.

• When no transmissions arrive from the eyes in someone who has been blind from a young age, the visual cortex can learn to hear or feel or even support verbal memory.

• Phantom limb experiences happen when nearby parts of the brain take over the areas of the brain originally assigned to the missing body part.

• A young man with his left arm severed just below the elbow could feel sensations in his missing fingers when stroked on parts of his face.

• V.S. Ramachandran (neuroscientist from Univ. of California at San Diego) concluded that the brain reorganizes: the strip of cortex that processes input from the face takes over the area that

originally received input from the now missing hand.

 

Metacognition• In a series of experiments Schwartz at Univ. of CA

found that cognitive behavior therapy can quiet activity in the circuit that underlies obsessive-compulsive disorder, just as much as drugs do.

• When OCD patients were plagued by an obsessive thought, Schwartz instructed them to practice mindfulness meditation, the Buddhist practice of observing one’s inner experiences as if they were happening to someone else. Same thing happened at Univ. of Toronto with patients who suffered from depression.

• Meditation had the same effects on their brains as the antidepressant Paxil.

• The conscious act of thinking about our thoughts in a particular way rearranges our brain.

concept

An exterior lobe

Located in back of brain

Means “little brain” in

Greek

Coordinates movement &

balance

Cerebellum

The Neurobiology of Stress• Psychological stress is not always bad. • When we are under-aroused, we usually lack the

stimulation to perform optimally and boredom sets in. • A chronically high level of stress damages brain cells.

• Moderate stress—the kind produced by reasonable

assignment deadlines, accountability expectation, and healthy competition—is just what the brain needs for optimal learning

(Borell, et al, 1999; Clement & Chapouthier, 1998;

Sheline, et al. 1999) 

 

 

Competence & Challenge It’s a balancing act!

RAS: “Toggle Switch”High Middle LowHot (EEG) Mild (EEG) Cold (EEG-sleeplike)

Limbic aroused Cortical aroused Sleep (depression)

Flight/fight Problem solving Relaxation

Out of control In control Off duty

Carbohydrates Proteins Carbs/dairy

Burnout! Achievement Depression

Extreme challenge Moderate challenge No challenge

Learning only happens when the toggle switch is in the middle position.

Math Anxiety• When people worry about math, the brain

feels the pain• Brain scans show that in those with high

levels of math anxiety, the same areas of the brain that react when we feel pain, react in anticipation of doing math

• Activity is reduced in the cerebral cortex and increased in the amygdala

• The buzz in the fear center interferes with problem solving and critical thinking

So, what can we do?• Spend 10 minutes writing about their fears

before working math• Have students reaffirm their self-worth by

listing values like relationships with friends and family

• Have students list why they might do well rather than poorly

• By deliberately shifting their frame of mind, students can rise above their fears

concept

Receives all stimuli

Located at the base of the brain

Control arousal

Decides what to let in and what to

block

RAS

Examining your practice….

• In one week, how often do you use collaborative/cooperative learning?

• What is the upside?• What is the downside?• How do you address the problems?

Why Cooperative Learning?

• Stimulates higher levels of thinking• Develops social skills• Develops listening skills• Encourages articulation of thinking• Honors all learners

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

Cooperative Learning continued….

• Holds students accountable• Helps students remember• Allows students to make connections• Allows student to see other perspectives• Promotes deeper understanding

“It is social support from and accountability peers that motivates

committed efforts to succeed.” ~~David & Roger Johnson~~

Experts point to 5 characteristics that differentiate group work and

cooperative learning• Interdependence among members• Holds students individually accountable• Promotes positive face-to-face interaction• Builds communication and conflict

resolution• Encourages group processing; use

reflections to become better team members

Preparing your students and your classroom

• Pairs and triads are easier than larger groups• Group high/medium; medium/low• 1 high learner to 2 low is best ratio• Set up and discuss behavior guidelines and

procedures/use a rubric/model/practice• Self and group reflections: What contributions did I

make? What could I have better? What worked well? What didn’t? Why?

• Use a timer and develop a signal for quiet• Have a signal for your availability during group time

concept

Temporal Lobes

Located on both sides

of brain

Important for speech & sound

In the left side resides

Wernicke’s area

Is one of the 4 lobes

Brain Interrupted• The brain does NOT multitask—it parallel

processes• If you we do two things at once, both

efforts suffer.• Research has shown that the average

office worker gets only 11 minutes between each interruption, while it takes an average of 25 minutes to

return to the original task.

• Recent research has focused on the quality of work done during toggling

• 136 subjects asked to read a short passage and answer questions

• 3 groups: one with no interruptions, other 2 told they “might be contacted for further instructions”

• During the first test, group 2 and 3 were interrupted twice.

• During the second test, only group 2 was interrupted

• Group 3 waited but no interruption came

Predict the outcome…• During the 1st test groups 2 and 3 answered

20% less correct than group 1• During the 2nd test, the interrupted group

performed under group 1, but this time only by14%

• During the 2nd test, Group 3 improved by 43% and outperformed group 1.

• So, it is possible to train yourself for interruptions, but trying to do more than one thing at a time will always decrease productively and brain power.

Exercise Boosts Brain Power• Cognitive scientists found that the fittest kids in

high school also scored higher on tests, even when factors such as socio-economic status were taken into account.

• Research suggests that exercise spurs growth in the hippocampus, leading to improved function. When new nerve cells form in the brain, their growth is accompanied by the creation of blood vessels. Researchers found that physical exercise increased blood volume in the hippocampus, implying new cells were forming in this area.  

• Studies with 3rd and 4th graders have shown that exercise also increases executive brain functions, and a variety of skills ranging from math to logic to reading.

• Once exercise stops, however, these effects decrease and eventually disappear.

 

A Brainy Environment

The brain constantly scans the environment to make sense out of the world. Peripheral stimuli include everything from body language, to classroom climate, to physical environment, including décor and orderliness. Charts, pictures, posters, word walls to smiling and nodding all contribute to learning.

Self Reflection: Think of one way you can address peripheral learning. Share your thoughts with your

group.

The Brain’s Error Correction Process

 • When we make a mistake, two executive systems in the brain’s frontal region, the frontal eye field and the cingulated cortex, react, thereby helping us to correct the mistake.

• When we see and correct our own errors, we learn.

• Rather than simply pointing our mistakes, help learners identify where and how their logic became faulty.

• This is why self-assessment and reflection are powerful learning tools

 

Balanced Feedback • Verbal feedback during and after a learning task

are key elements in the error-correction process. • However, feedback given continuously and

concurrently during learning can impeded the process.

• Intervening too soon or too often in the learning process can undermine information acquisition and retention.

How does this relate to your classroom?

Frequent Feedback of Incremental Progress

• Show achievable segments on route to final goal

• Students see the connection between practice and goal progress

• Students who recognize that their effort influences their success apply greater effort-growth mindset

• Analytic Rubrics-provide feedback about incremental progress-RubiStar

• Progress graphs-www.onlinecharttool.com

Can Optimism Change Reality?• Study manipulated positive (smart and

clever) and negative (stupid and ignorant) expectations of students while their brains were scanned and tested performance on cognitive tasks

• Responded differently to their mistakes• Mistake followed positive words, saw

activity in the Error Correction part of brain• Brains that didn’t expect good results just

gave up

What is a sleeping brain’s favorite musical group (rock band)?

REM

What kind of fish performs brain operations?

A neurosturgeon

Cubing• #1-Describe it: What does it look like?

• #2-Compare it: What is it similar to or different from?

• #3-Associate it: What does it make you think of?

• #4-Analyze it: How is it made or what is it composed of?

• #5-Apply it: What can you do with it? How is it used?

• #6-Argue for or against it: Take a stand and list your reasons.

Learning is Connecting

• Brain seeks meaning by connecting to existing knowledge—interprets new info based on existing patterns

• If there is no pattern waiting, new input is misinterpreted, rejected or disappears!

• Use multiple pathways-there is no all-purpose memory path

• Provide reflection and discussion

Priming means we show students:

1) What they will get out of the experience (the objectives)

2) What they will encounter as they go through the experience (itinerary, structure)

Prime the brain prior to asking students to do any learning experience.

The Power of Patterns

• Experts think in relationships, patterns, chunks…

• Novices keep individual pieces• Solid learning comes from when students

make the connections, not when we tell them about them.

Patterning Stages

• Short-term memory connects new to existing memory—pattern matching (analogies)

• Long-term memory connections are strengthened when new information is activated with stored information-(graphic organizers/compare & contrast)

• New applications of memory circuits extends isolated memory circuits into expanded patterns of concept networks (transfer)

What happened?• Your brain frequently activates the words,

cow, milk and white• The frequent activation of those bits of

information in a relationship (pattern) connected them into a strong memory circuit—fastest retrieval

• Frequently experienced patterns trump new patterns

What fires together wires together!

What do You See?

What do You See?

Optical illusions work because our brains use strong patterns to interpret input

We perceive what the brain expects based on past experiences

Brain Fact: Drill and Kill

• Isolated skill practice is contrary to brain’s instinct to preserve its energy

• No expectation of pleasure or purpose• When students know information will be

used to create solutions to problems that interest them or create products they want, the brain predicts pleasure and applies itself to achieve the desirable goal.

To Solve New Problems the Brain Must Recognize the Relationships

• Relying on memorized procedures/facts without understanding meaning won’t work

• Must link through relationships or is not constructed into a concept network

• Input (questions, decisions) that do NOT match the way the input was taught/memorized, does not activate the memory

• Give students time to discover the connections among isolated information

Graphic Organizers Promote Connections

• Graphic organizers coincide with the brain’s style of patterning

• They consolidate and store information to help create meaningful and relevant connections to previously stored memories

• They allow students to make associations, discover patterns, sort information, and store the new data as relational memories and long-term memories

“We file by similarities and we retrieve by differences”

Graphic Organizers…• Are intrinsically engaging, as they require

students to interpret and interact with material

• Build patterning skills for short-term working memory efficiency

• When students create their own categories the connection is increased due to personal relevance

“ That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all

your life, but in a new way.”

Practice Makes Efficient•  fMRI studies during the learning of a motor movement

(learning to play the piano) revealed that during these initial learning stages, a large portion of the brain’s motor control region is activated.

• With practice and improved skill levels, smaller and smaller regions of the brain are activated during the piano playing. In professional musicians, only very tiny regions of the motor cortex are involved in their playing.

• Practice makes the neural networks more efficient; it takes less brain metabolism to carry out the same activity. Takes less brain energy and space

Two Brains Playing aComputer Game

The Power of Prep-tests • Students who take practice exams, pre-tests, or

structured preparation courses significantly increase their actual test scores. Positive results are even more significant when students are motivated and experience success.

• Practice with format• Converts information from short to long-term

memory• Lessens the brain’s fear or anxiety response

• Strengthens the neural connections that are formed while learning and receiving feedback (provide immediate feedback on practice tests)

• A positive attitude alters the brains chemistry fostering the production of dopamine—propels optimism and noradrenaline, which provide physical energy and ultimately influences the activation of the frontal lobes.

concept

Greek for seahorse

Files semantic memories

Does not develop

until age 3

Used in long term

memory

Hippocampus

Novelty excites the brain!• Ask students to think divergently:

– With a partner, work for 10 minutes and give me all the arguments against what I just taught you.

– Describe the object in 5 – 8 sentences without using a single adverb or adjective

– How are math operation signs like music?• Use props/drama/skits• Add music• Teach backwards one day

Using Humor to Enhance Learning“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

• Physiological Benefits– More oxygen– Endorphin surge

• Sociological and Educational Benefits– Gets students attention– Creates a positive climate– Increases retention– Improves everyone’s mental health– Helps with management issues

Making Learning Fun “Make it fun and learning happens.”

• Integrate elements of curiosity and novelty• Use movement• Use learning games• Be enthusiastic• Appeal to their interests• Although structure and routine are critical

parts of a successful classroom, students thrive off of variety

We tend to focus on “knowing what”.We need to focus on “knowing how”.

Learning follows the 70/20/10 formula:• 70% of learning is doing, making and

correcting mistakes, problem solving & inquiry• 20% of learning comes from feedback,

reflection and observation• 10% of learning comes from formal training

How does instruction look in your classroom?

Too often in education we focus on the WHAT of learning rather than the HOW.

Teach a student HOW TO learn and they can learn for a lifetime!

“If we are intent on covering everything, we can be certain

that most kids won’t learn. We have to get them involved with

learning; not just in the classroom, but in their homes

and on their streets.”

~~Howard Gardner~~

Processing Activity

I used to think….,

But now I know…..

Ticket Out the Door

Ideas that “struck” you

Questions you still have

Thoughts, connections or suggestions

Reflect on what we have discussed today and…

Write about HOW you will use what you’ve learned.

Brain Class Mantra• There is no without .

• Students make meaning by connecting to existing .

• Neurons that together, together.

Practice makes permanent!

learning memory

knowledge

fire wire