In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen states that teachers do have the ability to help students strengthen their memory capabilities based on the brain chemicals that support memory (cortisol, norepinephrine, and dopamine). Teachers should use activities that involve risk, like public speaking, and pair-sharing. Creating excitement (fun+scary) through a debate or races help the memory, but they should not be over-used. Creating a sense of urgency in a task that students consider worthwhile helps the brain. The use of pleasure (meeting a deadline, receiving privileges, creating something tangible) is also valuable in aiding memory. Jensen believes that 12-15 minutes of direct instruction is the limit for students in grades 9-12. Other
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provide background information regarding brain research in their article “Engaging Students with Brain-Based Learning.” All schools can learn from career and technical education models that actively involve students in the learning process. From 1990’s research it is clear that emotions are tied to memory. Use of all the senses enhances memory as well. Real-life experiences are stored differently than fictional stories. Lectures must be replaced with learner-involved activities. While fieldtrips and hands-on projects were used as extras, they should now be the core. Kaufman et al. seems to contradict Banikowski by saying that teachers should remove activities that result in a “flight or fight” response, such as asking students to speak in public if they do not want to, or pairing students without making sure they relate to one another. This can actually decrease a student’s ability to learn. Teachers can create positive learning environments by chunking information into understandable parts, creating patterns and contexts that link old information to new, implementing variety in activities to meet all students’ preferred learning styles, and focusing more on learning than teaching. Kaufman summarizes by saying that “when students perform a task, their brains retain information…in much more detail and for longer periods than if they just answer questions about the
provide background information regarding brain research in their article “Engaging Students with Brain-Based Learning.” All schools can learn from career and technical education models that actively involve students in the learning process. From 1990’s research it is clear that emotions are tied to memory. Use of all the senses enhances memory as well. Real-life experiences are stored differently than fictional stories. Lectures must be replaced with learner-involved activities. While fieldtrips and hands-on projects were used as extras, they should now be the core. Kaufman et al. seems to contradict Banikowski by saying that teachers should remove activities that result in a “flight or fight” response, such as asking students to speak in public if they do not want to, or pairing students without making sure they relate to one another. This can actually decrease a student’s ability to learn. Teachers can create positive learning environments by chunking information into understandable parts, creating patterns and contexts that link old information to new, implementing variety in activities to meet all students’ preferred learning styles, and focusing more on learning than teaching. Kaufman summarizes by saying that “when students perform a task, their brains retain information…in much more detail and for longer periods than if they just answer questions about the