The Benefits of a Brain-

Compatible Education
Brenda Truelove
EDU417: Cognitive
Studies Capstone
Instruction: Ken Caron
March 30, 2019
The purpose of this
presentation is to show you
why and how brain-
compatible techniques are
important in learning.
 INTRODUCTION

• Wife/Mother
• AA in Mental Health/Early Child
Development
• 14 years experience working with
children ages birth-3 years old.
• Working toward my BA in MY HUSBAND AND I
Cognitive Studies.
• Planning on being a
Developmental Delayed
Specialist.
 Draws on the cognitive neuroscience,
phycological and educational research.

Provide the best possible instructional

OVERVIEW OF environment for each of their students.
BRAIN-
COMPATIBLE A brain-compatible teacher is one that
understands why they are doing what
LEARNING they are doing.
These teachers will stay up to date will
any new professional development.
 LEARNING COMPARE/CONTRAST
TRADITIONAL LEARNING
• Teacher-centered delivery of instructions.
• Importance on basic educational practices.
• Except student to master learning in core
subjects.
• Schedule to follow.
• Students are conditioned (Erlauer, 2003, pg,
24)
BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING
• Strategies based on how are brains work.
• Provide a safe environment.
• Emotional well being of all students.
• Student choices.
• Movement and Exercise.
• More time.
• Challenge students. (Yap, 2006, pg. 346)
CHEMICAL FACTORS

• Dopamine-controlling conscious
motor activity and enhancing
pleasurable feelings (Wolfe, 2010).
• Serotonin-feel good. Involved in
memory, sleep, appetite control, and
regulation of body temperature.
• Acetylcholine-is involved in our
memory.
CHEMICAL FACTORS THAT IMPACT LEARNING

DOPAMINE SEROTONIN ACETYCHOLINE

Motivation Reward Attention

Movement Memory Memory

 Nature vs. Nurture

Brain Dysfunction
GENETIC Developmental Delays
FACTORS
Learning Disabilities

Parents Learning Disability

 Attention span
GENETIC
FACTORS Listening skills
THAT
IMPACT Reading ability
LEARNING
Parent involvement
 Family

Culture
ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTORS Friends

Neighborhood
 Parent involvement
Amount of sleep you get
ENVIRONMENTAL Nutrition
FACTORS THAT
IMPACT
LEARNING Safe neighborhood
Influence of friends
Culture Beliefs
BENEFITS OF BRAIN-
COMPATIBLE SETTING
IMPACTED BY THESE
FACTORS
• Knowledge of student learning styles
• Engaging activities
• Multiple intelligences addressed
• All learning styles (visual, auditory and
kinesthetic) are addressed
• Constructive Feedback
• Interacting among peers (Caine, 1997, pg.
42)
 INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL
REHEARSAL

SIGHT

SOUND
ELABORATION &
SENSORY ORGANIZATION
LONG-TERM
MEMORY WORKING MEMORY
SMELL INTIAL MEMORY
PROCESSING
DECLARATIVE

TASTE
PROCEDURAL
RETRIEVAL

TOUCH

NOT TRANSFERRED TO THE

NEXT STAGE THEREFORE
FORGOTTEN
STUDENTS LEARN BY
PROCESSING AND
RETAINING INFORMATION

• Prior knowledge
• Re-representation of information
• Interpretive work
• Practice at retrieval
• Remembering helps remembering
• Less is more (Hakel, 2003, pg. 4)
ROLE OF EMOTION AND
RETENTION AND MEANINGFUL
LEARNING EXPERIENCES

• Motivation
• Emotional Intelligence
• Emotion drives attention
• Spark curiosity
MODIFIED LESSON PLAN SUPPORTING
BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING
THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

• Expanded on knowledge of winged insects.

• Increased vocabulary words.
• View the life cycle of a caterpillar.
• Counting the food.
• Days of the Week.
• Draw a caterpillar.
• Talk about nutrition.
• Patterning.
• Write own story with patterning.
• Caterpillar letter sort

..\Downloads\The Very Hungry

Caterpillar.docx
CONCLUSION
• Brain based teachers needs to keep student
engaged.
• Make a safe environment for student to
learn.
• Create a rich learning environment.
• Encourage growth.
• Courage movement.
• Offer feedback.
• Encourage students to have positive
attitude.
REFERENCES

Caine, Geoffrey, “Unleashing the Power of Perceptual Change: The Potential of

Brain Based Teaching.”, 1997, pg. 42.
Erlauer, Laura, 2003, “The Brain-compatible classroom: Using what we know about
learning. pg. 24.
Hakel, Milton and Halpern, Diane “Applying the science of learning to the
university and beyond,” Change, Vol. 35, 2003, pp. 2-13.
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. (2nd
ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum
Development. Pg. 110-120.
Yap, J. (2006) Behavioral Brain Research, Sept 25; 172(2):344-50