Brain Research Review and Update Pam Schiller, Ph.D.
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Brain Research
Review and Update
Pam Schiller, Ph.D.
Thelma Thumb
Thelma Thumb is up
and Thelma Thumb is down.
Thelma Thumb is dancing
all around the town.
Dance her on your shoulders,
dance her on your head.
Dance her on your knees
and tuck her into bed.
Phillip Pointer, Teri Tall, Richie Ring and Baby Finger
Singing Is Brain Compatible It Enhances Learning and Memory
Increases oxygen and therefore alertness
Increase endorphins which enhance memory
Enhances hemisphere communication which increase attention
Syncs the brain with patterns which help organize thoughts
Environmental Influences
Environment Impacts Attention, Memory and Learning
Research Findings: Feeling safe opens the door to learning.
Clutter closes the door to learning.
Aromas and colors impact the attention.
Dehydration interferes with clear thinking.
Rest allows the brain to defuse and make room for new information. Sixty-seven pre-cent of preschoolers are sleep deprived.
Choices motivate learners.
Novelty wakes up the brain.
Updates on Environment
Research Findings: IQ Enriched environments and quality experiences
can raise IQ.
IQ fluctuates during the early years. It doesn’t becomes stable until late adolescence.
Still in question: Is this fluctuation the result of a developmental delay, an increase in education or some other undetermined factor?
Bottom line: IQ is not fixed at an early age and very likely is not a factor of genetic predisposition.
Learning
Time Tables for Learning
Research Finding:
Learning engages the entire person.
Our cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities are the foundation for all learning. These abilities are what makes us human.
There are fertile windows of opportunity for wiring each of the domains.
Windows close at puberty for most people except for vision which closes for all people at 24 months.
Windows of Opportunity Window Wiring Opportunity Greatest
Enhancement
Emotional Intelligence
Trust
Impulse Control
0 - 48 months
0 –14 months
16 –48 months
4 years to puberty
Social Development
Attachment
Independence
Cooperation
0 -48 months
0-12 months
12-24 months
24-48 months
4 years to puberty
Thinking Skills
Cause and Effect
Problem-Solving
0 - 48 months
0 –16 months
16 - 48 months
4 years to puberty
Motor Development 0 - 24 months 2 years to puberty
Language Development
Early Sounds
Vocabulary
0 - 24 months
4 - 8 months
0 - 24 months
2 years to 7 years
8 months to 10 years
2 years to 5 years
Vision 0 - 24 months 2 years to puberty
Learning (Experience)
Research Findings:
Brain structure and capacity are the result of a complex interplay between genes and the environment.
Experience wires the brain.
Repetition strengthens brain connection.
A three year old child’s brain is two and a half times more active than it will ever be again in a lifetime.
By age five, the brain will have achieved 90% of its growth
Wiring Updates
Research Findings: Technology
Positives
Sharpens cognitive abilities.
Develops quicker reaction to visual stimuli.
Increases attention for some individuals.
Increases awareness of images in peripheral vision.
Negatives
Diminishes time for social interactions.
Increases irritability and fatigue if used for long period.
Nurtures “continuous partial attention.”
Still in question: Reshaping the brain in inevitable.
What are the professional, social and political impacts?
Learning
Research Findings: There is a predictable process for assisting the
brain in channeling stimuli into long term learning.
Intentional instruction optimizes learning.
Brain Based Lesson Cycle
Focus Questions
Interesting statements
Photos
Develop Tap into prior knowledge
Point out likenesses and differences
Identify patterns
Practice Hands-on
Follows as the lesson as closely as possible
Reflect How will I use this information?
How has my thinking changed?
Learning Updates
Research Findings: Movement
“Physical activity stimulates the body to create a hormone that acts like Miracle-Gro for the brain.”
Spontaneous hand movements are not random---they reflect our thoughts.
Hands-on explorations contributes not only to the understanding of abstract concepts but also to four critical thinking skills essential to learning: making distinctions, recognizing relationships, organizing systems and taking multiple perspectives.
Exercise increases the amount of key proteins that help build the brain’s infrastructure for learning and memory.
Learning Updates
Research Findings: Learning Styles
Individuals do not have a dominant learning style.
Students display different learning styles in different situations.
Effective instruction addresses all three learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic and visual).
The Role of the Adult
Research Findings: The quality of learning rarely exceeds the quality
of teaching and nurturing. Intentional instruction optimize learning
Early interactions affect brain structure and capacity.
Role of the Adult Updates
Research Findings: Social Development
Social wiring is highly dependent on adult interaction.
Mirror cells
Spindle cells
Children need adults who are “fully present.”
The Early Childhood Classroom
Is learning oriented.
Focuses on all developmental domains.
Has a balance of child-guided and teacher guided experiences and interactions.
Promotes an organized sequence of skills (continuum) and uses repetition to solidify mastery.
Hums with busy conversations.
Provides hands-on practice through learning centers.
Respects children’s inability to maintain attention for long periods of time.
Uses an integrated curriculum (themes and skills).
Is based on scientific research on early brain development.
From a child’s perspective every important caregiver is a potential
source of love and learning, comfort and stimulation.
From a neuroscientist's
perspective, every important caregiver has the potential to shape a young child's future.
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