But I have always been overly FASCINATED with the brain. It all began when my grandmother gave me a model of the brain in 3rd grade. It was a model that was in her husbands office (he was a doctor, she a nurse). I toted that brain model to school for sharing, so proud of it. So intrigued.
What I have learned has been phenomenal, amazing, life altering and I want to share some of it with you.
5 Amazing Takeaways
1. The brain learns best through use of SENSES. Want to cement something to memory? Associate a scent to it. This would explain why the smell of grape stickers transports me back to second grade (my award for excellence contained a grape scratch and sniff sticker).
2. If you want kids to retain info, you need to make sure the pre-frontal cortex is ENGAGED. Engagement occurs when you care about your learning, are actively involved, and experiencing dopamine through the happiness or elevated mood present.
3. Brain breaks need to involve activity AND fun AND occur frequently: this will result in higher dopamine/higher levels of engagement. Think you are an adult and subsequently don't need a brain break? Think again. Everyone needs brain breaks in order to stay engaged. Think of those long college classes where you would zone out after an hour...
4. Dandelions and Orchids are two types of students we see in the classroom. Think about dandelions: they are hardy, nothing bothers them, they float with the breeze. Now imagine an orchid: it is amazingly beautiful yet fragile, needy, and can barely be kept alive. Consequently, Dandelions in our class will be able to roll with the ups and down, while our Orchids need greenhouses to ensure success. Greenhouses are the stable adults that help them to continue to grow. Johnny doesn't care what happens in class, he adapts to what is presented. Joseph shuts down when faced with a challenge, or change, he is reactive & ends up in his amygdala thinking about flight, fight, or freeze. He needs a place/activity to refocus and get back to his pre-frontal cortex.
5. Everyone's brain continues to form neurons: new neuroscience shows that as adults we still take in information and grow neurons. That said, the best way to learn is through novelty (something new is added), movement (your pre-frontal cortex/working memory is engaged), scent (orange and peppermint are 2 great choices), and music (we all know why--just play Journey and listen to everyone sing along).
I am so excited I will be continuing to share great epiphanies in the upcoming days. Be sure and check out the website in the meantime: http://neuraleducation.com/
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