learning and memory - the brain in action

r - - - - - l The Brain in Action \1 \RIIII 'I'RI \(.1 R A,sorl;U;lNl for Supel"isin.ni1 Curriculunl D"'o1opmtnl Aband,l:I, V,,\.~nlJ USA _ -_ ' As.soc,.tiiln (.1I 51'1"""1>'00 and Cum.:ulum !:>r'-.!oI'mem 1703 N.llnul'tll"nl S,.• AI.""nJ,;:o, VA lBll·I7H USA TdeJlhone: I·SOO-933·171J or 70HJ8·9600' bx: iO}·i7,·SolOO W.b l\llp:lI"'1,"",a>J, 0.,,,,,,,",,,,,,, F.dilOl" )"Ii 1100':' M,,~ Ed.wr 0{ IJool:J Camlyn R Pool A!Jonalh loJltl'hc.le nLllen,1 (opy"~IN b." ASCI) m.lY 10 icx a 'mall fu b." COIl1;1Clill\: ,he Cop\'ti~t.l Clearance Cem , 122 R,~ 1)1" 1).10'·Uf, MA OJ92J, USA ('dorhone' 918·150-SO«; f"x: 918·750.4410) ASCD h Ulho,,:oJ lhe CCC la roll ,I.""h f on m bth,H Roquo>I.la '",,"m rather lh." rOOlOCllJl\' ,hould ho dr • •eelN ro ASCO"I"',mi"""" off'OCO:ll 703·;78.96(\1, ,i'hoo, ro.m '" ASCI) l'uhJ;Clliom rre;cm " "elyof";e"rolnu, Tho v~"'> C~'rlwcJ Of inll'hoJ in ,hi, hook ihoo,1J l'IOI ho inlell'lCIN 110ffiClal flO:Iillom of lhe A;.;o;:I'I ion, J'mUN in the UnltN StoICS of Ame,ica, Septembe, 199'9 member book (re,), ASCO Pf search· ing for learning and meaning I felt as though Ihad a lIluch morc important job th~n JUSt teaching ~ curriculum, QucsliQlt: First 1was trained in leaming styles; then I lOok (l class in llluhi(Jle intellig '1\w (\l}hich Iry the way, they keep adding to are there eight or nine now!); mu! now )'ou mnt It1l' la look at these IrtelllDry lanes Wha! am I supposed tooo! Thereare too man)' things for1nl' to think about in QlU'class period! Whenever I :Ull a)ked this qucstion Ilhink lloout my own teaching schedule and undcrstand exactly what a burden and responSibility all o( InlormatlOl1 is doubling at enormous rates We musllearn how- to learn Ma~e manges in your ctassroom slow-fy, Ma~e learning appeallllg your students as teamers, too Loo~ at 101 UARf,iI~ ANt) M£MOllV: TilE BRAIN IN ACTlO!'J Teachers make hundreds of decIsIOns each day Choose strategies that you are comfortable with this mny be I havl' trouble retlll'mbering my ID numher so I clIn ear in tilt' cafctcria, my calling card number so I can call lily childrcn at school and the grading scnlc! Now, let's SL'C There nre currelllly intelligences, 22 elemcnts of onc of thl' Icaming style progmtnS, and mcmory lanes I opted for the 101l·cst n111nbcr-5 Seriously, using any of thest> approaches to your teaching will probably be quite brain friendly HOll'ard Gardncr's (993) mulriplc inte[)i{:ence thl'Of)' is hmin-bascd Research suggestS that leMning styles (Ire as well {Givcn, 19(7) Choosc whatever will work beSt for you, Teachcrs need to belicve in what they are trying to I havc used techniqucs re_ latlxl to leaming styles in my classroom sil\c(, the 1980s It hitS Ixx:ome my way of thinking whenever I put lessons together I began adopting the mcmory lane stT:llegics in the past sc\·crnl years ~IS I beClme morc involved in memory resc:arch.lt works (or me I also usc the multiple intelligence thl'OT)' at various times througholll the year Wh:ncvcr lIpprooch you choose will still allow you to incorporate the other approaches Quesliun: /5 brain research jllSl atlOlher fad! Educators have been seeking research WIth classroom applications Brain research IS here to slayl Brain rCS('Ill'l:h is nO! ncw For at lcast thc last 25 ycars edU(arofS have been sceking research that translates into practical application in the classroom The first brain-research thoof)' I was ever introduced to was the rightneft brain thc(lry (I-Ioopef & Teresi, [986) It was different and exciting at thc time Shortly afrer that I rcad about thc triune brain theory and bec:uoe excited about its implications for L-dllClnion (Healy, 1994) Now thcre MC hundrL.Js of thoories, but nor tOO many that we Cll!l :tpply to classroom instruction NeuroscientiSlS nre nOt pursuing research that can be applied to reaching Howel'cr, many of us have put some brain thl'Ories 10 rh\: resr and have obrainlxl positive results in the classrQolll It is going to takc thison-the-job training and research todiscover what will work Brain research and brain-compatiblc methoos have stood the tcst o( time Thou is what usually dctemlines value :md credibility_ Br-lin research is hcre to Stay It is giving validity to thc successful m\:thods that hnve worked for years, and it is uncovering new information th:lt will change the way lI'e teach and thc way student.s leam for decades tocome Glossary ~cel)'lcholille-neurotrnnsn1irler invoke!J'ht)IJ$l'rcss ~hnnafnrd C (199'i) Sman llIQ\,(l Arhngt(lll VA: AJ.:!liiO"_ Wl~ky C,,[vin, W H., & O}cnumn, G A (1994) Ccm'mf)(lanon [0,,· Imel, 54 A""II"ble: hllr:/",·"",··"m~-assn.org/ se i pubs/journals/archlI 'djama),'oU 781no_16/ roC.hUll LcDoux J E (19%1 The nnolI'OMI brain New York: Suno" & &hllsret Lcincr, H & Lcil\Cr, A (1997 s.:plemhcrl The ffeal-life al the bonom of the br"m rh Btam IAh IOn.lt"e1 Availahk: hllp:J/ww"·,newh,,,i mns.oTg/l-l" hJelIIet.hlm LenK)lllck, M, (1997, Sertember 19) TI'e nlOOd m"I( cuk Tmlt ISO, 7i-82, Ma'1lulks, N & S\'lw!:Stcr, R (1998) Meml1ry Tue· son, AZ; Zeph\'T Ptess "huk V., & M:ltk, J (1989) Brain I'(lU;('T Ilooon: Houghton Mlfflin Nash J ,,1 (1997, Fehruary 3), Fertile mmds Trillllln~ 107 RI?6cmhlc mellJl>tlel dl'" mg decp SritlICC, 165 676-679 Wolf", P (S("ltfoho,82-83 tl"Jching to the lest 8&-89 a>WC1:lt ion cortex, 50 auemion focton alfccltng, 95 k~ring 94-95 :lltenlioro'l;ClIel3.9') amhtnr\" mfnrmallnn, 18 48, 49 Broca'~ arc,', 41 bolllctm hoonll, m lh~ classmnm 71, 77, 84 authCl\ti~ a'!'Cl'mcnt, 83 3'), 46 50, ')3-54, 55((i~) 6O{fig} " CS!mcnt of, 85-116 inm\l~tlnn.11 >tmtC'\itd fot 75, 89 nom Z, 3(f't:), 4(fig) action J'Ol~ntial :'00 [0 myelin cooting around 6(fig) calp:Ull,96 "'IlOll1at,~ m~IlI01Y, nel"oHammitlc~ c3,boh~rJtcs 95, 96 c3techobmitlC>, 21 CAT scan, 96-97 cm 1Itdies 13 cell OOdy 3(figl ce,c~dlulll ami 16 informalion slorage.ll, J9, 40, 54 cmmmillg, 49 51 (:REB (cI'chc amll-A'>pOtl>l: c1elllclll bmding), 97-98 critICal pcrioJi, 9J ddl,llc,,67 dcl;llion.m~king ,26, H &t tilifJ higher.order ,hmking skIll! dcc[;,rnti\"e memory, 46 dcodrues, 2, )(fig), 4{fig) :.ni(", J'Sdot,I6-17,2J(figl diClIUlJ,96 dfl'Cts Oil feelings and actiom, 111-28 fonnatinn :tnd action of, 19 irnb,llance in, 26 ncgative anenr;,,,, al st i"whl! for, 28 """rmlunof,I6-20 teglllat,J by pincal gland, 37 rur~ge anJ IlIOVCment of,lO{fi~) tj"J'a uf, 20-24 newborm, 93-94 norepinephrine, 21, 21 III 112 UAR~ING ANI) MEMOllV: TilE BRAIN IN ACTION di~r and, 96 dfecl on bdla\'ior, 25 role in focrning amnlion, 95 novc1tV,95 nuns sn~hes oflnnge"ity in 13 mIning hornl.'5, ~lIJdlCl of TC5idel\t~' IQ, 13-14 IXClrimllohc, 42, 4J(fl~), 49 lIonin~, 66 semantic memory 46, 50, 50-51, 55{fig) 59,6O(flg), 61 il;.l('sI: to, 38-39, 43 tnggerro by lest anxiety, 91 students, $UlIl:Jo tlcydopmcnral $la!l