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Why know the science of learning?

Why know the science of learning?

Learning to Learn ConferenceMind, Brain EducationMelbourne February 26, 2015

Keynote 9:00 – 10:30

Research-based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning Although the dolphins are identical, subjects

suffering from chronic stress described differences between the two dolphins.

The more differences subjects reported, the higher their physiological evidence of stress.

Look at the photograph and see if you find any differences.

In a study on stress levels subjects were shown a picture of two identical dolphins

Fact or Neuromyths? 1. You only use 10% of your brain

2. People are either right-brainers or left-brainers (Right brain: artistic; Left brain: logical & mathematical)

3. Intelligence is predominantly determined by genetics and relatively fixed throughout life

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Neuromythswith Learning

Catalytics

Which of the following do you think is TRUE ?

Which is valid (not a neuromyth) Select from the following options

1. You only use 10% of your brain

2. People are right-brainers or left-brainers (Right brain: artistic; Left brain: logical & mathematical)

3. Intelligence is predominantly determined by genetics and relatively fixed throughout life

4. None of the above

All threeare

neuromyths

Off the Mark by Mark Parisi

Left Right

Bust neuromyths

Choose the best programs and adapt them to students’ needs

Innovators interpreting neuroscience research for applications in their classrooms

Teacher-Scientists

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Attention Filter

Emotional FilterEmotional Filter

PrefrontalCortex

For Input to Become Learning

Amygdala

PFCMemory &ReflectiveBehavior

Reactive

Behavior

Input must reach the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

Input must reach the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

Prefrontal Cortex ReflectiveReflective Reacti

ve

Brain With High Stress

Attention Intake Filter

Brain Without High Stress Learning Experiences Associated with StressLearning Experiences Associated with Stress

•Boredom

•Mastery

• Low personal relevance

• Frustration: F’s or A+)

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Lower Reactive Brain In Control

Fight Flight

Freeze Flight…

Stop expending effort when low expectation of success

Survival

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Low expectation of success

Effort drops

Survival

Animals in Wild Low Expectation of Success In Humans

Carol Dweck’s research

Stop expending effort when low expectation of success

Fixed mindset beliefs

Interventions for Stress Reduction &

Growth Mindset

1. Student skillsets2. Teacher

instructional strategies

Emotional self-regulation skills (e.g. visualizations, mindfulness)

Build StudentSkillsets for

Stress Reduction

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Positive climate and strong relationships

What activity sustains motivation, even when there are frequent mistakes and increasing challenge?

I bet you know…

The PULL of Video Games

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The Game for Mindset,

Engagement, and Perseverance

Components ofVideo Gamer Motivation

Achievable challenge Buy-in

Frequent feedback acknowledges incremental goal progress

The motivation is powered by

A DopamineDetour Response to increased release

of dopamine: PleasureSustained attentionMotivation & perseverance Increased memory

Dopamine is the source of Intrinsic Satisfaction

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Music Being read toHumorInteracting with peersMovementChoiceOptimism

DopamineBoosters

Making correct predictionsAchieving challenges

The Most Powerful Stimuli for Dopamine Release

Intrinsic satisfaction from:

Neuro-Instruction using the Video Game Model

Your turn to experience…

There is a rock in the raft with you.If you drop the rock in the water, and it sinks, will the pool's water level rise, fall, or stay the same?

You're sitting in a raft in a swimming pool of water.

The Question

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You're sitting in a raft in a swimming pool of water.

There is a rock in the raft with you.If you drop the rock in the water, and it sinks, will the pool's water level rise, fall, or stay the same?2-minutes to share your predictions and select a group prediction

REMEMBER NO NUMBERS OR FORMULAS

One-minute timer

0404

You're sitting in a raft in a swimming pool of water. There is a rock in the

raft with you.If you drop the rock

in the water, and it sinks, will the pool's water level rise, fall, or stay the same?

Was it an enjoyable problem discussion –

considering it was

physics?

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Your Brain Was Engaged

Vote as a Group

The pool's water level rises

The pool's water level falls

The pool's water level stayedthe same

The pool's water level rises

The pool's water level falls

The pool's water level stayedthe same

√

√

√

The water level falls

Do you want to know why?

Why are you still interested?

Why didn’t you feel distress when your prediction was wrong?

Why didn’t you feel distress when your prediction was wrong?

• Group consensus• Incorrect predictions made

by others

• Group consensus• Incorrect predictions made

by others

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You want to know “why” now

You want to know “why” now

Let’s see if your motivation is sustainedLet’s see if your motivation is sustained

When there is a rock in the boat it is floating and displaces the amount of water equal to its weight.

When the rock enters the water, it displaces a volume of water equal to its size.

Because the same volume of water weighs less than the same volume of rock, the water level falls because the rock is now displacing less water.

The water level fallsArchimedes

Do you still care why the level dropped?

Challenge no longer perceived as achievable

Effort not sustained

Incomprehensible input

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“WELCOME TO THE WONDERS OF PHYSICS”

Did you ever take a physics course?

You never really“Learned” it.

Student constructed understanding needed for

Choices of knowledge-building sources and levels of difficulty

• Variety of media types

• Flexible groups• Progressive levels of difficulty

(Newsela.com 5 reading levels)

Self-Paced Construction of Understanding

Self-Paced Construction of Understanding

Lower the barriers, not the bar

Lower the barriers, not the bar

Archimedes

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Students do more than memorize content –

They interact with it

At a Los Angeles middle school girls were putting on lipstick in the bathroom, then pressing their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

The principal called the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man.

Concept Understanding To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and then there are educators...

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Neuro-logicalStrategiesderived from the video game

Model

Video Game Model forMotivation and Mindset

Buy-in to goal Achievable challenge Frequent Feedback of Incremental progress

Walk backwards

before teaching negative numbers, past tense, going back in history, etc.

Photos of Previous Years’ Students

Projects, skits, artwork, experiments

Debates, trips, group work

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Boosts Interest& Memory

You’ll Need

Prediction

Does your brain “need to know” if a prediction it makes is correct?

Your challenge

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Part 1 – Predict Part 2 – Estimate

Write down

20 second time limit

Hold up your predictions NOW

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Next Topic: DopamineChemical Formula

One cent because…Day 1: $.01Day 2: $.02Day 3: $.04Day 4: $.08Day 5: $.16Day 6: $.32Day 7: $.64Day 8: $1.28Day 9: $2.56Day 10: $5.12

Day 1: $.01Day 2: $.02Day 3: $.04Day 4: $.08Day 5: $.16Day 6: $.32Day 7: $.64Day 8: $1.28Day 9: $2.56Day 10: $5.12

Day 21: $10,485.76Day 22: $20,971.52 Day 23: $41,943.04Day 24: $83,386.08 Day 25: $167,772.16Day 26: $335,544.32Day 27: $671,088.64Day 28: $1,342,177.28Day 29: $2,684,354.56

Day 21: $10,485.76Day 22: $20,971.52 Day 23: $41,943.04Day 24: $83,386.08 Day 25: $167,772.16Day 26: $335,544.32Day 27: $671,088.64Day 28: $1,342,177.28Day 29: $2,684,354.56

Day 30: $5,368,709.12Day 30: $5,368,709.12

Day 11: $10.24Day 12: $20.48 Day 13: $40.96Day 14: $81.92Day 15: $163.84Day 16: $327.68Day 17: $655.36Day 18: $1,310.72Day 19: $2,621.44Day 20: $5,242.88

Day 11: $10.24Day 12: $20.48 Day 13: $40.96Day 14: $81.92Day 15: $163.84Day 16: $327.68Day 17: $655.36Day 18: $1,310.72Day 19: $2,621.44Day 20: $5,242.88

Place a bet at the start Change it at any time

Predict and ChangeStudents predict how the curious object or experience will connect to the day’s lesson

“Revise your prediction

during class”

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Sustained attention: lesson is source of correct prediction cluesWait timeLower mistake fear

ALL Students Predict with Individual Response Tools

Learning Catalyticsclicker

Buy-in with

Buy-in can be

…Someone had to do the math

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Buy-in to goal

Achievable challengeFrequent Feedback of

Incremental progress

Video Game Model forMotivation and Mindset Achievable

segmentson route to final goal

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Prediction

Activate background knowledge

Personal connections

Evaluate charts and diagrams

Achieving Challenges inReading Comprehension

With post-its

For all subject areas

Talk back to the Text

Prediction Prompts

I think you’ll be telling me about….

I already know things about YOU so I predict.....

This reminds me of (personalized)…

I would have preferred a picture of...(or sketch/download your own)

AdditionalComprehension Prompts

AdditionalComprehension Prompts

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Students see the connection between practice and goal progress

Students who recognize that their effort influences their success apply greater effort

Frequent Feedback of Incremental Progress

Analytic RubricsAnalytic Rubrics

Clearly defined, achievable goals

.Incremental progress feedback

What

0-1 spelling error

0 spelling errors

1 spelling error

2-3 spelling errors

More than 3spelling errors

Multiple assessment criteria

Start at individual achievable challenge levels

.

Multiple assessment criteria

Start at individual achievable challenge levels

.

Essay Analytic Rubistar

Cumulative time spent

Imp

rove

men

t (fl

ash

card

s co

rrec

t)

Effort-Goal Progress Graph

Starting point is at the individual student’s beginning mastery level

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Buy-in: personal relevance,

photos, curiosity & prediction

Achievable Challenge: mastery-based progresss, choice, edtech scaffolding

Feedback of progress on route to goal (and statistical for teachers)

Buy-in: personal relevance,

photos, curiosity & prediction

Achievable Challenge: mastery-based progresss, choice, edtech scaffolding

Feedback of progress on route to goal (and statistical for teachers)

With Engagement &Student-Constructed

Understanding

With Engagement &Student-Constructed

Understanding

studentswill think

YourYour

OutsideThe Box

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A brain stretched to new limits never regains its original shape

A brain stretched to new limits never regains its original shape

Neuroeducated Teachers Will Stretch the World of

Education and Beyond

For links email me jwillisneuro@aol.com