Brain-Based Learning Method

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Brain-based learning method

The Brain:

Brain-based learning has become of interest in increasing student performance . The following information about the brain can enhance student learning performance:

(a) The brain is a complex adaptive system,

(b) Brain is a social organ,

(d) Patterning aids in searching for meaning.

(e) Emotions are important in developing patterning,

(f) The brain automatically perceives, creates, and organizes information into parts and wholes,

(g) Learning involves focused and unfocused attention,

(h) Learning is a conscious and unconscious process,

(i) The brain has various ways of organizing memory,

(j) Learning is a developmental task,

(k) Learning is enhanced by challenge and reduced by threat, and

(l) Each brain is unique in how information are stored.

What is brain based learning?

Brain based learning is a bridged discipline between neurology and the science of education, where educational psychology plays a key role. This idea, which has come about in recent years, is a program that stemmed from scientific development, and that combines knowledge of the brain and education, which brings neuroscience to the classroom in a new way.

Brain based learning is a relatively new idea and requires that educators and neuroscientists work together to create meaningful programs. Specialists in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and education converge to improve teaching methods and academic programs.

It’s an educational trend based in neuroscience, and its purpose is to apply everything we know about how the brain learns and what stimulates brain development.

What does it refer to?

Brain-based learning refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

Brain-based learning is motivated by the general belief that learning can be accelerated and improved if educators base how and what they teach on the science of learning, rather than on past educational practices, established conventions, or assumptions about the learning process. For example, it was commonly believed that intelligence is a fixed characteristic that remains largely unchanged throughout a person’s life. However, recent discoveries in cognitive science have revealed that the human brain physically changes when it learns, and that after practicing certain skills it becomes increasingly easier to continue learning and improving those skills. This finding—that learning effectively improves brain functioning, resiliency, and working intelligence—has potentially far-reaching implications for how schools can design their academic programs and how teachers could structure educational experiences in the classroom.

Factors that intervene in brain based learning

Brain based learning applies everything we’ve learned and collected about cognitive science and neuroscience during the last 25 years. It makes up a big part of educational technology. Some of the most important findings are explained below.

1- Brain plasticity and neurogenesis

Brain plasticity has been one of the most relevant discoveries in the field of neuroscience. The brain is “plastic”, which means that it has a great ability to adapt and change over our lifetime. It’s also capable of constant creation of new neurons and connections between when provided appropriate stimulation.

2- Mirror neurons

Mirror neurons are a group of brain cells that fires when we carry out an action, and when we observe someone performing that same action. These mirror neurons aren’t only limited to actions, but to facial and emotional expressions as well, which is part of why many scientists believe that these neurons are the basis of empathy and language acquisition. Understanding mirror neurons is an important part of brain based learning.

3- Emotions and learning

Emotions play a role in our cognitive processes, which is why it is important to understand how they work and how they affect us. Understanding and controlling emotions is a key aspect of brain based learning. The goal is to not only teach learners how to control their emotions in hopes of keeping them from interfering in the learning process but to show them how to use their emotions to their advantage. It tries to teach children to be conscious of their feelings and to control them and their behavior. It’s important for them to learn and recognize when they are mad or sad, and how to manage these emotions. High-stress levels make learning difficult, so it’s important to create a healthy learning environment, stress-free, and teach children how to manage anxiety.

We know that managing negative emotions helps us improve academic performance and that learning material that evokes an emotion (whether it be positive or negative) will help us learn and integrate the information better. The ability to use emotions to our advantage is the key to a significant learning experience.

4- Dyslexia and learning disorders

The advances in learning disorders allow us to not only help children who have them with personalized support but also provide them better tools to overcome their difficulties. Neuroeducational tools to help treat dyslexia in the classroom.

5 -Experience influences who we are, just as much as genetics

From almost the beginning of the study of psychology, there has been the debate about nature vs nurture. Today, the majority of experts agree that both are fundamental for our development. Genetics is the base of our abilities and capabilities, but experience reacts to them. Children may have a range of abilities that is more or less set, they might be better at one thing than another but this is something they can always train or modify.

Other fields of research that are applied to education are training in reasoning, improving work memory, memory consolidation, memory recovery, and treatments for learning disorders.

The following video explains how the different information from psychology and neuroscience influence learning in children and what neuroeducation can contribute to the classroom.

Brain-Based Learning Method:
Brain-based research and learning aligns with the constructivist approach to learning . Cognitive neuroscience or brain research has provided a better understanding of:

(a) Developmental principals,

(b) Information processing,

(d) Maintaining the brain's longevity.

The core principles:

The brain is a parallel processor, meaning it can perform several activities at once, like tasting and smelling.
Learning engages the whole physiology.
The search for meaning is innate.
The search for meaning comes through patterning.
Emotions are critical to patterning.
The brain processes wholes and parts simultaneously.
Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception.
Learning involves both conscious and unconscious processes.
We have two types of memory: spatial and rote.
We understand best when facts are embedded in natural, spatial memory.
Learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat.
Each brain is unique.

The techniques associated with brain-based learning are:

Orchestrated immersion–Creating learning environments that fully immerse students in an educational experience
Relaxed alertness–Trying to eliminate fear in learners, while maintaining a highly challenging environment
Active processing–Allowing the learner to consolidate and internalize information by actively processing it

Researches:

An instructional program may incorporate brain-based research by making the learning environment a safe place for student learning . Brain research has shown that learning takes place in the neo-cortex, which does not function well when learners are under stress or fear.

Brain research findings indicate that learners have one hemisphere that is more prevalent than the other. Therefore, activities should be provided to cater to both hemispheres of the brain . Moreover, instructors should be aware that students' thought processes vary and consequently, consider multiple ways of presenting the material or instructions.

Diversity:

Finally, since students come from diverse backgrounds with different life experiences and prior knowledge, teachers should apply reflective as well as abstract and concrete examples to cater to the needs of all students .

How Brain-Based Learning Impacts Education

Curriculum–

Teachers must design learning around student interests and make learning contextual.

Instruction–

Educators let students learn in teams and use peripheral learning. Teachers structure learning around real problems, encouraging students to also learn in settings outside the classroom and the school building.

Assessment–

Since all students are learning, their assessment should allow them to understand their own learning styles and preferences. This way, students monitor and enhance their own learning process.

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English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1