THE BENEFITS OF A BRAIN-COMPATIBLE

EDUCATION
Diane Vanden Heuvel
EDU417: Cognitive Studies Capstone
Dr. Joanna Savarese
December 4, 2015

To increase the level of understanding and appreciation for the use of braincompatible techniques as beneficial to both student and teachers in the
classroom.

PURPOSE

INTRODUCTION
Diane Vanden Heuvel
Married 25 years, have four children
Worked previously in private, corporate, and tax
accounting
Currently finishing my degree in Cognitive
Studies with a minor in Psychology
Passion for learning styles, personalities,
intelligences

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING - BEGINNINGS

1983 book Multiple

Intelligences published by
Howard Gardner

Human Brain, Human Learning published by

Leslie Hart
President George W. Bush announced the
1990s to be the Decade of the Brain
(Roberts, 2002, p. 281).

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING - CONTINUED

New brain-imaging technique fMRI (Wolfe,

2010)

Declining student performance prompted

research for new understandings of the brain
(Fischer & Immordino-Yang, 2008)

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING
Most beneficial when used alongside
traditional teaching methods (McDaniel, 2008).
Rich learning environments allow students to
learn through several mediums at once (Moran
et al., 2006)
Knowing what areas of the brain process
information and what affects those processes

TRADITIONAL LEARNING

Lecture
Memorization
Review
Testing
Assumes all individuals
comprehend information
from one format

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING

Flexible
Open environment
Multiple mediums of
presentation
Differentiation of
assessment
Interactive learning

CONTRASTING LEARNING APPROACHES

Both are based on the works of Skinner, Pavlov, Piaget, and Vygotsky.

Traditional Education:
Children learn through conditioning
by constructing knowledge, and
socially (McDaniel, 2008)

Brain-Compatible Education:
Building neural pathways
(constructing knowledge)
Variety of experiences (Socially)
socially (McDaniel, 2008)

COMPARING LEARNING APPROACHES

GENETIC FACTORS - CHEMICALS

Neurotransmitters
Every

behavior, thought, or feeling happens as a

result of a electrochemical communication (Willis &
Mitchell, 2014)
Dopamine - Creates feelings of pleasure & motivation
Emotion,

motor behavior, increased curiosity, attention &

task perseverance

Serotonin
Learning,

long term memory consolidation, attention

Jacobs & Fornal (1995) state, No other neurotransmitter
has been implicated in so many important human
functions (as cited in Wilson, 2013, p. 196).

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Movement

Linked to learning &

memory and increases
blood flow to the brain
(Fischer & ImmordinoYang, 2008)

Sleep

Memory consolidation,
storing of facts and
connections (Wolfe, 2010)

Lack of sleep diminishes

sensory acuity and motor
speed, and ability to
memorize (Wolfe, 2010)

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Nutrition

Important for adequate

brain development and
function (Prado & Dewey,
2014; Wolfe, 2010)

Technology

May inspire a child to

learn more

Pleasurable experience will

release dopamine

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNINGS CONNECTION

TO ENVIRONMENTAL & GENETIC FACTORS

These factors impact a childs ability to learn

Understanding

how the brain is impacted by these

factors allows the teacher to differentiate, but most
importantly be understanding as to a students
situation
Not

enough sleep or nutrition will dramatically decrease

a childs ability to learn
Including movement and balanced levels of positive
exposure to technology can increase learning

As can be seen by the IPM

model information comes
into the brain through the
senses and is processed
and remembered or
forgotten.

Both emotions and

meaningful learning
experiences will affect
how information is
processed and if it will
become part of long-term
memory.
INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL

The amygdala is the psychological sentinel of the brain and plays a significant role in
controlling emotions (Wolfe, 2010). It decides whether the incoming information is harmful
or not.
If new information is psychologically associated with negative emotions it will affect how it
is processed and if it is retained.
Positive emotions help a student to want to repeat activities and remember information.

Emotions will have influence over rational processing (Wolfe, 2010).

EMOTIONS

Meaning experiences come through rich-learning environments where the

students are allowed to engage with the material personally on several
different intellectual levels (Moran et al., 2006).
The application of the Multiple Intelligences theory, recognition of learning
styles and personality differences can help a teacher develop lesson plans
which are rich in meaning to their specific group of students.

MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES

EXAMPLE LESSON PLAN MIDDLE AGES

Original lesson plan included:

Introduction

to the time period and social class

system
Explanation of making a written history and diaries
Experience in making a diary
Writing about what it would be like to live then

ADDITIONS TO LESSON PLAN

Marguerite Makes a
Book

Medieval Feast

Historical booklist

Students can connect

with person their age

Adds dimension and

detail to type period

Artifacts

Allows hands on learning

Generates ideas and role

playing in time period
Encourages research into
history for accuracy of
reenactment
Makes lasting memories
Active participation of
learners
Includes arts in costumes,
and decorations

SUMMARY

Brain-compatible techniques recognize the significant

role the areas of the brain play in processing
information. They offer the teacher a multitude of
ways to present information to the class to make it
engaging, and in turn provide different ways to assess
the knowledge learned. They also provide
opportunities for students to connect with lessons on
a personal level, while acknowledging the chemical
and environmental differences, learning styles, and
intelligences of each child.

REFERENCES

Fischer , K. W., Immordino-Yang, M. H., & , (2008). The jossey-bass reader on the brain and learning. (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hsin, C.-T., Li, M.-C., & Tsai, C.-C. (2014). The influence of young children's use of technology on their learning: A Review. Journal of Educational

Technology & Society, 17(4), 85-99. Retrieved from Ashford Library.

McDaniel, R. (2008, July 28). Brain based learning vs. traditional learning. Yahoo Voices. Retrieved from

https://web.archive.org/web/20121117004700/http://voices.yahoo.com/brain-based-learning-vs-traditional-learning-1717969.html?cat=4

Moran, S., Kornhaber, M., & Gardner, H. (2006). Orchestrating multiple intelligences. Educational Leadership, 64(1), 22.

Prado, E. L., & Dewey, K. G. (2014). Nutrition and brain development in early life. Nutrition Reviews, 72(4), 267-284. doi:10.1111/nure.12102.

Roberts, J. W. (2002). Beyond learning by doing: The brain compatible approach. Journal of Experiential Education, 25(2), 281-285. Retrieved from

the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford Library.

Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. (2014). The neuroscience of learning: Principles and applications for educators. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Wilson, J. F. (2013). Biological basis of behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice . (2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum

Development.