Brain Matters: Translating Research into Classroom Practice

265 Pages·2010·3.611 MB·English

by  Patricia Wolfe

Brain Matters
Translating Research
into Classroom Practice
2nd Edition
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wolfe, Pat.
Brain matters : translating research into classroom practice / Patricia Wolfe.
— 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4166-1067-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Learning, Psychology of. 2. Learning—Physiological
aspects. 3. Brain. I. Title.
LB1060.W63 2010
370.15'23—dc22
2010023025
____________________________________________________________________
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To Alex and Kyra, my twin grandchildren,
who have provided me with a living laboratory
to view the wonders of the developing brain.
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Brain Matters
Translating Research into Classroom Practice
2nd Edition
Preface and Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Part I: The Structure and Function of the Human Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1: Opening the Black Box of the Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Brain Anatomy—A Short Course:
Neurons and Subcortical Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 3: Brain Anatomy—A Short Course: The Cortex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 4: How Neurons Communicate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Part II: Brain Development from Birth Through Adolescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 5: The Early and Middle Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Chapter 6: The Adolescent Brain: A Work in Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Chapter 7: The Role of Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition, and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Part III: From Sensory Input to Information Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Chapter 8: Sensory Memory: Getting Information into the Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Chapter 9: Working Memory: The Conscious Processing of Information . . . . . .122
Chapter 10: Long-Term Memory: The Brain’s Storage System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Part IV: Matching Instruction to How the Brain Learns Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Chapter 11: Making Curriculum Meaningful Through
Problems, Projects, and Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Chapter 12: Using the Visual and Auditory Senses to Enhance Learning. . . . . . .182
Chapter 13: A Toolkit of Brain-Compatible Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Chapter 14: A Final Note on Brain-Compatible Teaching and Learning . . . . . . . 221
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
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Preface and Acknowledgments
Some scientists and educators think it is too soon to apply brain
research to the classroom because we don’t yet have enough
information. The fi eld is so new, they say, and the discoveries in
many cases are so narrow in their focus, that we run the risk of mak-
ing false assumptions and perhaps even dangerous applications. Too
often, the critics’ caution is warranted. Educators have a history of
jumping on bandwagons, and they often have accepted unproven
theories as fact and applied strategies without careful analysis of
their effectiveness.
We educators need to do a better job of critically analyzing the
vast amount of neuroscientifi c information that arrives almost daily.
Some of this information is reported in depth and is reliable, but
other fi ndings have been reduced to “sound bites” that invite mis-
interpretation. If we are to receive full benefi t from this informa-
tion (and be viewed as professionals), we need to develop a solid
knowledge base that refl ects an accurate understanding not only of
the function and structure of the brain but of the procedures and
protocols that were used in the research studies. We do not have
to become scientifi c experts, but we do need to look critically at
the sources of the information. Too often, the media report “facts”
about brain functioning on the basis of one small study or, worse,
from poorly conducted studies. The result is what we might call
“neuromyths.” Neuromyths are generally hypotheses that have been
invalidated but nevertheless continue to leave traces. Many of these
beliefs may have been disproved by science, but they continue to be
stubbornly persistent and passed on into the public mind (OCED/
CERI, 2007). Some common neuromyths include:
ix
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