BRAIN BASED STRATEGIES FOR

TEACHING & LEARNING IN THE 21ST

CENTURY

By

Donna Gopaul-Augustine
Kathleen Estrada-Mottley
&
Akuda Stella
 WHAT ARE BRAIN BASED
STRATEGIES???
According to Great Schools 21st century classroom
Partnership (2013), they are
teaching methods/strategies
based on the latest scientific
research which shows the
brains learning functions,
including cognitive
development and how
students learn as they get
older, grow and mature
socially, emotionally and
cognitively. (Great Schools
Partnership 2013).
Brainstorming & Discussion
Brainstorming *Discussion ought to be
according to Moore conducted in small
(2015), is a small groups, where the
group activity used students do most of
to generate ideas the talking and the
(Moore 2015). teacher does most of
the listening!!!
Drawing is a unique way of Art is used to develop and
expressing oneself! memorize ideas and
lessons through imagery!

Drawing & Artwork

 Field Trips
According to Hughes & Moore (2015) field
trips connect schoolwork with the world
thus making it tangible and memorable.
Additionally, it stimulates questions and
ideas and provide an
experiential text for
students to study
and internalize
(Hughes & Moore 2015).
 Games
Learning through games FUN WAY TO
offer a medium for
students to explore and LEARN!!
integrate information in a
fun an interactive manner.
Games can be used for
any age group and it is a
fun way to keep students
motivated and interested
in class activities!!
Board games
Card games
Computer games etc
Graphic Organizers, Semantic
Maps, and Word Webs
Word Webs,
Semantic Maps, or
Graphic Organizers
are maps or webs of
words. It is used to
usually display the
meaning based
connection between
a word or phrase
and a set of related
words or concepts.
 References
Great Schools Partnership (2013), Brain Based Learning. Retrieved from
http://edglossary.org/brain-based-learning

Hughes, L., Moore, C. (2015).Teaching Strategies. Retrieved from

www.learner.org/workshops/tml/workshop6/teaching3.html
Moore, K. D. (2015). Effective Instructional Strategies From Theory to Practice. California. Sage
Publication Inc
.
The Center for Teaching (2015). Teaching Outside the Classroom. Retrieved from
www.cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/

Zorfass, J., Gray, T. (2015). Connecting Word Meaning through Semantic Mapping. Retrieved from
www.ldonline.org/article/61474/
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
for
BRAINSTORMING.

DRAWING AND ARTWORK.

FIELD TRIPS.

GAMES.

GRAPICS
ORGANIZERS,SEMATIC, MAPS
AND WORD WEBS.
 BRAINSTORMING AND
DISCUSSION
Why is brainstorming and discussion important?
Brainstorming and Discussion in the classroom is important because it allows the students to
think about answers and in some instances the questions. The teacher should stimulate a
situation is the classroom which allow the students to become involved in the lesson by voicing
their opinions on the topic taught to understand, recall and be tested on what was taught in the
class.

This point of view can be supported by the following:

When students talk about topics, they understand it better because their brains not only
mentally process the information but also verbally possess it. (Allen, 2008).

Students up to the age of ten (10) years learn better when an academic discussion is directed
by the teacher. Adolescents and adults benefit from discussions led by a cooperative
group.(Jensen, 2007).

According to Gregory and Parry (2006), The most widely known technique for simulating
creativity in the brain is probably the act of brainstorming where all ideas are accepted and
there is a greater chance o reaching a workable solution.

Discussion and questioning during whole class cooperative group learning enable the brain to
clarify concepts and hook new information with the information that the brain knows.(Brooks
and Brooks, 1993).
 Artwork and Drawing
It has been suggested that there is a positive relationship between thinking in art and thinking
across the curriculum. ( Allen, 2008; Dewey, 1934)

Teacher should encourage students to use the artistic creativity in their brain to their cross
curricular advantage. Have them draw a picture or chart depicting what they remember from a
previous lesson.

According to Allen (2009) having student add drawings or doodles to their notes helps them
comprehend and encode new content for later recall.

Different areas of the brain, including the amygdala and the thalamus, are activated when people
are involved in art activities. (Jensen, 2001).

When children play, draw, dance and sing, they engage every sense and help wire the neurons for
learning successfully. (Sousa, 2006)

Thinking in art precedes improvement in thinking in other curricular areas. (Dewey, 1934).
 FIELD TRIPS
Field Trips are important to students since it gives them the opportunity to have a new
experience outside the classroom. When teachers carefully plan field trips, teaching and learning
can take place in an environment where all the senses can be stimulated; sight, sound, smells,
touch and even taste. Student remember what they see, hear and smell rather than reading it
from a book.

Field trips enable students to better recall what they have learned because they escape the day-
to- day classroom routine and see their education through the eyes of others .( Childrens
Health Education Center, n.d.)

Well-planned fields trips are better than lad experiments in emulating good science because
students formulate questions about nature, devise methods for answering the questions,
implement the methods, evaluate the answers, and share the results with others. (Davis, 2002).

Field trips, those that are virtual, enable teachers to create as many authentic, experiential
experiences as possible. These spatial memories are embedded in the brain and need no
rehearsal. (Fogarty, 2001)
 GAMES
There is a saying You dont stop playing games because you get old, You get old because you stop
playing. It was suggested by Mahoney (2005) that one of the ten activities that keep people
living beyond the age of eighty (80) is playing games.

Games can be useful in the classroom, it helps to motivate students to get involved in the
activity and as a result they it put their brain in a positive state, it also reduces stress. This can
lead to the students wanting to learn new things and embracing new activities.

Using game formats encourage students to cooperate with one another, helps them to focus
and pay attention, and is motivating and loads of fun. ( Algozzine, Campbell, and Wong, 2009a).

When students perceive their learning environment as positive, endorphins are produced that
stimulate the frontal lobes of the brain and give students a feeling of euphoria. ( Sousa, 2006)

When students who are going to play a game actually construct it, the game becomes more
effective. (Wolfe, 2001).
GRAPIC ORANIZERS, SEMATICS
MAPS, AND WORD WEBS.
Graphic organizers, semantic maps and word webs are all tool that teachers can use to facilitate
learning and understanding in the classroom. The use of these tools activate both the left and
right hemisphere of the brain.

Graphic organizers are effective tools for supporting thinking and learning in four major ways:
1) Abstract information is represented in a concrete format.
2) Relationships between facts and concepts are depicted.
3) New information is connected to previous knowledge.
4) Thoughts are organized for writing and for problem solving. (Ronis, 2006).

Graphics organizers represent a form of non-linguistic representation and are one of the most
popular ways teachers can have students represent the knowledge that they have experienced.
( Morzano, 2007).

Having students create a mind or concept map is a meaningful strategy for helping them make
sense of and learn vast amounts of a new content. (Budd, 2004).
 REFERENCES
Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain edited by
Marcia L. Tate
://www.corwin.com/upm-data/34980_Strategy_1.pdf

The Courage to Be Constructivist

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov99/vol57/num03/The-Courage-to-Be-
Constructivist.aspx

Art as Experience (1934)

http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jdrake3/JeffreyWattles/Aesthetics/Aesthetics11.html

Children's Health Education Center

://www.bluekids.org/

Learning-disabilities
https://www.scribd.com/doc/194283263/

Graphic Organizers - Mind Mapping - Concept Mapping References

http://www.graphic.org/links.html
 INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
FOR BRAINSTORMING AND DISCUSSION
CLASS: FORM ONE

SUBJECT AREA: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

TOPIC: COMPREHENSION

EXAMPLES:
1)USE OF OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS.
Good teaching is more a
2)GROUP DISCUSSION OF THE giving of right questions
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE. than a giving of right
answers. - Josef Albers
3) USE OF MIND MAPS TO (1888-1976)
UNDERSTAND THE
COMPREHENSION.
 COMPREHENSION
Bird Brains at Work by Anita N. Amin
Next time you see a pigeon flying across the sky, look at it carefully! Is it holding a can? Or a camera? Or
wearing a backpack? If it's a carrier pigeon, it just might be a working bird.You've probably heard of working
dogs that help police officers, or horses that help farmers. Did you know that carrier pigeons can be trained to
help people too? What kind of jobs do these birds perform?
Mailman Carrier pigeons can be trained to carry messages to people. The note is placed into a small skinny can.
The can is tied to the pigeons leg. Then the pigeon flies off to deliver the note. Carrier pigeons are good
messengers because theyre fast and can fly long distances. They also have a good sense of direction. They can
even reach places that people cant. More than 800 years ago, Genghis Khan, an Asian ruler set up pigeon post
offices across his lands! As recently as 2010, Cuba used pigeons to send election results to its mountain people.
Lifeguard From high up in the sky, specially trained pigeons can spot orange life jackets in the ocean. Sometimes
it is difficult for humans to spot people lost at sea, especially when the weather is bad. However, pigeons can fly
quickly over a large area of water in search of people.
Spy Many years ago, carrier pigeons were used to help our country during wars. Spy pigeons had small
cameras that were tied to their feet. As a pigeon flew over enemy land, the camera snapped photos of the land
below. This would allow our military to see where the enemies were and what they were doing. The pigeons
have probably saved many soldiers' lives. These spy birds had a dangerous job. They had to dodge bullets,
poisonous gas, and bullies like hawks. During World Wars 1 and 2, the USA and its allies even had huge pigeon
armies. Thousands of pigeons served! They were like flying soldiers. A few even received medals for their brave
work.
Scientists Helper In 2006, a group of scientists used pigeons to study air pollution in California. Special
backpacks with miniature cellphones were strapped onto pigeons. As the pigeons flew, machines in the
backpacks tested to see what gases were in the air. The cell phones sent information about the air to the
scientists.
Bird Brains at Work. So next time you see a pigeon, stop and watch it closely. What might look like an ordinary
bird to most people, might actually be a hard-working mail carrier, a scientist, a lifeguard, or even a spy!
 USE OF OPEN-ENDED
QUESTIONS
When students believe that you have a correct answer in mind, they are
slow to respond. On the other hand, a true open-ended question sincerely
invites authentic reflection and discussion.

Some examples of open-ended questions are:

Why do you think the author wrote this comprehension?
What did you like or dislike about this passage?

When we ask open-ended questions of ourselves and our students, the

answers sometimes surprise us.
 USE OF GROUP DISCUSSION
After the comprehension passage is read, the teacher should guide the students in a
discussion about what the comprehension was about, the teacher should ask
questions, give prompts and cues to encourage the students to come up with
answers among themselves. This activity will encourage learning to take place.

For example: Why do you think pigeons were important to rulers in the past? Or,
Give some reasons why you think pigeons were considered so important?

In order to achieve student-to-instructor and student-to-student interaction, faculty

often employ discussion as a teaching/learning method. In a discussion forum,
students acquire speaking and listening skills as they reflect upon and respond to the
ideas of others. Guided by specific learning goals, students may engage with and
challenge course subject matter as well as learn to think and analyze topics.
(Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence 2014).
 USE OF MIND MAPS

The use of Mind Maps in class is

useful when working on all sorts of
skills. For example, students can use
a Mind map to jot down the gist of
the comprehension passage they have
read.

Another great exercise is using Mind

Maps to learn vocabulary. Mind Maps
provide a visual learning mechanism
that will help students recognize
relationships they may miss in a more
linear type of activity.
 INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
FOR DRAWINGS AND ARTWORK
CLASS: FORM ONE

SUBJECT AREA: SOCIAL

STUDIES

TOPIC: REPUBLICANISM IN
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

EXAMPLES: Using drawings,

create an image you think
represent republicanism in
your country.
DRAWINGS AND ARTWORK
Examples:
Using the flag of
Trinidad and Tobago,
describe the
significance of the
various colours.
DRAWINGS AND ARTWORK
Example:
Draw the Coat of
Arms of Trinidad and
Tobago and describe
what is represented
on it.
 INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
FOR FIELD TRIPS
CLASS: FORM ONE

SUBJECT AREA:
SCIENCE
TOPIC: FOOD CHAINS,
FOOD WEBS AND
ECO-SYSTEMS.
 FOOD CHAINS
EXAMPLES:
OBSERVE A FOOD
CHAINS ON THE
NEXT FIELD TRIP
AND SAY WHAT
ARE SOME
FEATURES OF IT.
 VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP
EXAMPLE:
SHOW HOW A FOOD
CHAIN IS DIFFERENT
FROM A FOOD WEB
USING THE VIRTUAL
FIELD TRIP. (USE OF
LAPTOPS IN THE
CLASSROOM)
 IN SCHOOL FIELD TRIP
EXAMPLE: SAY IF
THERE IS ANY ECO-
SYSTEMS ON THE
SCHOOLS GROUNDS.

DESCRIBE IT IN DETAILS.
 Instructional Activities Organizers,
Semantic maps, and Word Webs
CLASS: Form one

Subject Area: Science

Topic: Vertebrates

Examples: Using
Semantic Maps, show
warm blooded and cold
blooded vertebrates
Word Web
Example: Using the following
Example: Using the following
Word Web, name 4
Word Web, name 4
vertebrates that live in water
vertebrates that live on land
Graphic organizer
Example: Using the following graphic organizer insert
names of relevant animals
Instructional activities using games
Class : Form One
Subject Area: English
Topic: Verbs

Example: Using
scrabble, from the
poem: The Young
and the Restless
create verbs
Word Search
Example: Using word search, find
the verbs listed
 Charades:
Example: guessing the verb
i) Divide students into 2
groups, with instruction
cards
ii) One student from each
group perform the activity
and the opponent guesses
the action
iii) If the opponent guesses
correctly, their team gets the
point, however, if it is
incorrect the point goes to
the group that did the action
iv) The team with most points
win