Learning to Learn

The Menu for today

The Brain Being multisensory Avoiding stress Seeing the big picture Organising learning Making links Revision Tips

What is brain-based learning?

All Learning takes place in the brain.

Everyone learns in a different way.

Accelerated learning is about knowing how the brain is constructed and how to be a successful learner.

In the Days of the Caveman

What would he have to think about?

What would he have to learn?

What would he be afraid of?

The Functions of the Brain

The Reptilian Brain• Making sure you survive

• Breathing and making your arms and legs move

• Protecting your territory

• Knowing how to get a mate.

• Knowing who the boss is.

• The things you do without thinking about them

The Functions of the Brain

The Limbic System• Helping us get well when

we’re ill

• Eating and sleeping patterns

• Knowing what to do when you’ve got a mate.

• Understanding what is right and what is wrong.

• Routing information to where it is needed

• Controlling emotions

• Retaining information in long term memory

The Functions of the Brain

The Cerebral Cortex

• Relaying messages from right and left brain.

• Problem solving

• Understanding how to get on with people.

• Working out what things mean and making the connections with your own experiences.

This part of the brain has evolved most recently. It is divided into two halves and is situated on top of the limbic system. It is responsible for:

The more of your brain you use………

the more you remember!

A Brain Teaser

2 men and 2 boys need to cross a river

Their boat will only take 1 man or 2 boys at a time

How do they all get across?

How did you work it out?

Verbal SymbolsPictorial

Two boys across +2b

One boy back -1b

One man across +1m

One boy back -1b

Two boys across +2b

One boy back -1b

One man across +1m

One boy back -1b

Two boys across +2b

Some learners like to physically act out the problem

Breakstate

Double Doodle

Learning through the Multiple Intelligences

Reading, poetry, writing

Maths, puzzles, well-organised

Thinks in pictures, maps and charts, uses movement to help learning

Independent, Knowing what you believe in, strong sense of fairness

Good timing, likes to act, dance and touch, good control of objects

Sensitive to mood & emotion, rhythm and melody

Sorts out arguments, good communicator

Notices and is interested in nature, environmentally friendly

LINGUISTIC

MATHEMATICAL &LOGICAL

INTRAPERSONAL

KINESTHETIC

INTERPERSONAL

MUSICAL

VISUAL & SPATIAL

NATURALIST

Learning through the sensesA visual learner likes to use

pictures to work things out and remember things.

An auditory learner likes to listen and discuss things with others.

A kinaesthetic learner likes to move things, act things out to work out and remember things.

visual

auditory

kinaestheticEverybody uses all their senses but most

people have one sense that is more effective when we have to learn something new.

Songs

Making up songs about what we have learnt stores

it in the long term memory.

Surprise and fun keep the brain engaged.

Review & Recall

Review and recall can mean sharing what you have remembered. It is important to be able to review what you have learnt regularly. Explaining it to someone else helps to store the learning for easy recall.

We are all learners and we can choose

whether we learn or not!

Water – essential for the brain!

Moistens the brain

Makes you think more quickly

Stops dry mouth, poor breathing,

chapped lips

Get in the mood for learning

Stress is no good!

BreakstateWould you like a piece of cake sir?

No SirWhy Sir?

Because I’ve got a cold SirWhere did you get the cold Sir?

From the North Pole SirWhat were you doing there Sir?

Catching polar bears SirHow many did you catch Sir?1 Sir, 2 Sir, 3 Sir, 4 Sir

What happened to the 5th Sir?It caught me Sir!

Make mistakes

Important for success! Say, “I can” “How will I do it next time?”

Memory techniques Mind maps

– Creating ideas– Organising ideas– Memorising information

The peg system & learning journeys– see next slide

Memory games to improve short term memory– Available from the project

Visual Associations– I hear with my ear

Ask a child to explain their mind map

Friend – we should never fri a friend on Friday because

a friend will be there in the end. And Friday is the end of the

week

The Peg System

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

How much do you forget?

Add bottle emptying

Associations

You should never fri a friend on Friday because a friend will be there in the end

Lead - Pb – I ‘led’ in the race and I achieved my personal best

The heart is like a pump white cells = soldiers fighting the enemy

PLANTS

PL

AN

TS

FLOWERS

GRO

WTH

FERTIL

ISATIO

N

GERMINATION

CO

ND

ITIO

NS

Ways to revise Make a poster summarising the main points being as creative as possible

Tape your summary and listen to it

Describe what you know to a friend

Regularly look at a mind map Revision cards with pictures and/or words

You have covered………..

The Brain Being multisensory Avoiding stress Seeing the big picture Organising learning Making links Revision Tips

How do I learn best?Now that you know what type of

learner you are…….

What are you going to do about it?