Thursday, April 6, 2017

Brain Smart Teaching

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

At the March 27 Pupil Instructional Related (PIR) professional development our instructional staff learned about the cognitive learning system and how the brain processes, questions and stores information. Quantum Learning's Ted Murcray did an excellent job presenting to the staff as the information presented was not only fascinating, but it provided meaningful insights for effective teaching.

A number of our instructional staff said that this was the best PIR that they have attended. I would agree that its was exceptional.

Because of Quantum Learning presentation I continued my quest to find out more and discovered a blog with an exceptional infographic on the topic that describes Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain for Optimal Learning. I believe that this is a great RE-CAP of the QL Brain Basics and I would like to share it with staff and the greater learning community.

In addition, The Quantum Learning System published Excellence in Teaching and Learning by Barbra Given and Bobbi DePorter. The section on Cognitive Learning and Design Component further describes how we learn as well as remember what we learn through the QL Brain Basics (four powerful neuroscientific educational statements that guide instruction):

  1. Neurons that fire together wire together
  2. Attention is necessary for learning
  3. Students make meaning by connecting to existing knowledge and schema
  4. Mental imaging supports understanding
These concepts on cognitive learning are just the tip of the iceberg for learning how we learn.  

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The video below was taken during the training. It exemplifies the QL Success Model of the level of difficulty of a task in relationship to a learners willingness to risk. This is just another layer of the onion in the delivery and design of learning. It is all part of firing neurons using Chunking, VAK and Review.






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