COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN

Dagupan, Pangasinan
Institute of Graduate Studies

DATE: March 9, 2019

COURSE CODE: DELM 214
COURSE TITLE: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

NAME: OVIEDO, CHRISTELLE PAULYNE E.

ID NUMBER: 18-4933-759
COURSE: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY- Educational Leadership and
Management
PROFESSOR: Dr. Eugenia B. Ramos

TOPICS:

Brain-Based Learning

Brain –Based Learning in the Classroom

Brain-Based Teaching Strategies

Principles in Selectin Teaching Strategies in Teaching

 Brain-Based Learning

Brain-based learning refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and

school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the

brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn

differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

Brain-based learning is motivated by the general belief that learning can

be accelerated and improved if educators base how and what they teach on the

science of learning, rather than on past educational practices, established

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 conventions, or assumptions about the learning process. For example, it was

commonly believed that intelligence is a fixed characteristic that remains largely

unchanged throughout a person’s life. However, recent discoveries in cognitive

science have revealed that the human brain physically changes when it learns,

and that after practicing certain skills it becomes increasingly easier to

continue learning and improving those skills. This finding—that learning

effectively improves brain functioning, resiliency, and working intelligence—has

potentially far-reaching implications for how schools can design their academic

programs and how teachers could structure educational experiences in the

classroom.

 Brain-based learning in the classroom

Brain-based learning is considered a comprehensive approach to instruction.

Brain-based education offers a biologically driven classroom structure that

corresponds to the functions of the human brain at different developmental levels.

The practice engages the entire body to enhance the learning process.

The basic theory behind brain-based learning is total body immersion in a

topic. There are tips and tricks teachers use to help promote natural learning.

 Teachers must make use of the classroom space to arouse all senses. For

example, build a rainforest simulation in the classroom while studying the

environment of Central America. By placing stuffed animals around the forest,

children automatically associate certain species with this theme. Students can go

on safari during a class to learn more about the rainforest.

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 Brain-based learning helps students relax in order to improve

alertness. School is a challenging environment that often produces a stress

response that can interfere with learning. Teaches play music, introduce soft

scents and dim lighting to promote a stress free learning arena.

 Stimulate social skills to improve the experience. People retain better

understanding of a concept when they utilize their social skills. Set up work

groups around the room for discussion. The seating should be comfortable with

soft chairs and even couches. The bulletin boards and wall decorations in this area

should reflect the topic for total immersion. If learning about the rainforest, place

cardboard trees and vines on the walls. Play the sound of rain falling in the

background to add to the lesson.

 Make study challenging. The more complex and hands-on a teaching assignment

is, the better the cognitive stimulation.

 Teachers need to introduce art and music into lessons. Artistic endeavors

trigger images in the brain that reinforce complex ideas. If teaching students about

the light bulb, drawing the individual components and labeling them helps instill

the basic design. The use of color adds to the images. One bulb with a cool

filament drawn in blue next to a bulb with a red-hot filament tells a story.

 Set up a learning folder for each child. Maintaining past work assignments

provides tools for reflection. This is where kids store artwork, past tests and other

elements of the learning process. They can look through the folders to self-assess

their progress on a subject by comparing quizzes to see the improvement.

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Brain-based education is about eliminating barriers and allowing the mind to

work without distractions. Learning is not a foreign concept – it comes naturally.

Studies show that a traditional lecture environment is less effective than

immersion in a subject. The goal is to make the lesson memorable so the factual

elements stick as well.

 Brain-Based Teaching Strategies

This instructional

approach was defined

by Hileman in 2006 and

has since inspired many

“brain compatible

designers” — those who

seek to understand the principle and reasoning behind their teaching.

The idea behind the concept is that learning is innate and linked to

biological and chemical processes in the human brain. Much of the time,

eLearning instructors are unaware that they are hindering the learning

process through ineffective training methods and inappropriate design.

When eLearning professionals have a greater knowledge of the brain, they

are able to make better decisions about design and create richer learning

conditions that attend to students’ social and emotional needs.

Actually, most eLearning professionals know more about brain -based

learning than they think; for instance, many start their courses by activating

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prior knowledge, which helps learners build on what they already know and

strengthens connections in the brain. Many use a variety of media types that

help students think visually, kinesthetically, and phonetically.

Creating brain-based courses is actually relatively easy, especially when

following the acronym B.R.A.I.N. B.A.S.E.D., coined by Sarah Hielman in

2006 (Hilemans, S. (2006). "Motivation Students Using Brain-based

Teaching Strategies." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 78(4), 18-

20).

B: Brain's Time Clock

The human brain runs on 90 to 120 cycles called ultradian rhythms,

which influence attention, interest, cognition, memory, visual perception,

arousal, performance, moods, and behavior. To accommodate these cycles,

it is important to vary instructional activities and spend no more than 12 to

15 minutes of focused attention on passive learning.

R: Repetition

Don't expect your learners to go through content once, pass the

assessment and remember it forever. Repetition of information strengthens

connections in the brain and the brain encodes information most efficiently

when content is repeated in multiple ways. Therefore, the most effective

eLearning courses repeat information through a variety of ways such as

video, images, charts, before and after modules and graphic organizers.

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Review of information should happen at gradually lengthening

intervals as this reinforces neuronal connections. The more practice

students have, the stronger these connections become; however, it is

essential that practice be interesting.

There are a few approaches designers can use to create effective

eLearning courses:

 Pre-exposure — providing hints about the learning topics days,

weeks, or months in advance.

 Previewing — clear exposure to content before a lesson such as

through an overview.

 Priming — direct exposure to content.

 Reviewing — recapping of learned material.

 Revising — checking that students have learned material correctly.

A: Active Learning

Rather than allowing learners to become passive recipients of

information, eLearning professionals need to get students actively involved

through physical or mental performance. When people learn by doing, they

become energized, they stick with the content, and they learn more.This

increases the blood flow around the body, improving learners’ memory,

retrieval, and confidence.

Low energy levels are unavoidable if students remain seated for long

periods of time. In eLearning environments, role play, energizing online

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discussions and quick games can all add sensory stimuli to raise blood

pressure and epinephrine levels to eliminate drowsiness, reduce

restlessness, and reinforce information. Allowing learners to do some

exercises on their own to better understand abstract ideas, write an essay or

work with an interactive simulation are also helpful strategies.

I: Images

The brain responds best to visual content: of all the information it

absorbs, around 80 to 90 percent is visual. Studies on memory have found

that one of the easiest ways to ensure that learners store information in their

long-term memory is to pair concepts with meaningful images. Visuals help

people make sense out of the content and direct attention, increasing the

possibilities that the learners will remember. This implies that eLearning

designers would do best to match chunks of text with graphics, diagrams,

and videos whenever possible.

Recommended read: this post digs deep into some statistics and facts to

further convince of why eLearning developers should embrace visuals when

creating their courses.

N: Novelty

When learners see something new, dopamine levels increase in the

brain as students know the stimuli has the potential to reward them in some

way. This motivates learners to seek out the reward. There are a huge

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number of opportunities to introduce novelty in eLearning courses simply

by being creative; for instance, developers can use fresh examples, surprise

learners with new data or present a scenario that’s completely

unpredictable. Or, even engage students through games and simulations that

require learners to apply the information in unfamiliar contexts.

B: Be Color

As color connects neuropathways, people remember colors better

than verbal or textual cues alone; for instance, The Institute for Color

Research – now called Color Matters, confirmed that color can improve

learning from 55 percent to 78 percent as well as comprehensive by as

much as 73 percent.

Additionally, humans exhibit different reactions according to the

wavelengths of color. Yellow and pink can improve memory, green and

blue help students relax and lead to increased concentration, red leads to a

release of adrenaline and can be aggravating. Researchers have found that

blue or black on a white background is the best for overall comprehension

and retention.

A: Automatic Learning

Scientists believe that around 95 percent of learning is non-

conscious, which means non-verbal communication is of central importance

in eLearning courses. Designers need to create a positive environment with

sufficient resources and stimuli where students will enjoy learning.

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S: Social Brain

Recent neuroscience research underlines the brain’s inherently

social nature. Humans are social animals, and working together can

enhance learning. Effective eLearning courses should include plenty of

opportunities for social interaction that enables learners to increase their

comprehension and retention of new information. Include places on your

course for learners to be social, whether it is a blog with comments, a chat

or a forum.

E: Elicit Emotions

Emotions are pivotal to attention, perception, memory, and problem

solving. When the amygdala, the emotional part in the center of the brain,

notices that content has a high emotional value, it considers this material to

be more important. Learners remember this stimuli more

easily. Storytelling is one of the best ways to evoke emotions such as risk,

excitement, urgency, and pleasure. Plus, stories have the added benefit that

their structure makes sense to the hippocampus and this helps students store

this content.

D: Develop Thinking Skills

Including problem solving in eLearning makes content more

relatable to the real world. Effective eLearning courses often allow students

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to gather information, conceptualize a problem, generate possible

outcomes, and publicly present the final results.

Guiding Principles In The Selection And Use of Teaching Strategies

1. Learning is an active process

This means that we have to actively engage the learners in learning

activities if we wan them to learn what we intend teach. We have to give

our students opportunities to participate in classroom activities.

2. The more senses that are involved in learning, the more and the better

the learning.

What is seen and heard are learned more that what are just seen or heard.

This implies the use of teaching methodology that makes use of more

visuals aids those mere audio aids.

3.A non-threatening atmosphere enhances learning.

-- A non-threatening and conducive classroom atmosphere is not only a

function of the physical condition of the classroom but more a function of

the psychological climate that prevails in the classroom. Building comfort

into learning is essential if we expect students to respond positively and

constructively to their education.

4. Emotion has the power to increase retention and learning.

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 --We tend to remember and learn more those that strike our hearts! In fact,

the more emotionally involved our students become in our lesson the

greater the impact.

5. Learning is meaningful when it is connected to students’ everyday life

--Abstract concepts are made understandable when we give sufficient

examples relating to students’ experiences. Teach today, ask them to copy

and memorize what we taught them. The following day we test them on

how much they have retained from what we taught yesterday.

6. Good teaching goes beyond recall of information.

--Good thinking concerns itself with higher-order-thinking skills to

develop creative and critical thinking. Most teaching is confined to recall

of information and comprehension.

7.An integrated teaching approach is far more effective than teaching

isolated bits of information.

-- An instructional approach is integrated when it considers the multiple

intelligences (MI) and varied learning style (LS) of students.

8.There is no such thing as best teaching method. The best method id the

one that works, the one that yields results.

-- there is no single best method.

An integrated approach incorporates successful, research –based and

brain-based instructional strategies.An integrated approach incorporates

research findings about the brain.

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The ff. are some research findings cited by Patricia Wolfe

1. Without rehearsal or constant attention, information remains

in working memory for only about 15-20seconds.This implies the

need for memory aids.

2. Learning is an process of building neutral networks.-this network

is formed through concrete experience or symbolic learning and

abstract learning.

3. Our brains have difficulty comprehending very large numbers

because we have nothing in our experience to ‘’hook’’ them to.

4. The eyes contain nearly 70% of the body’s sensory receptors and

send millions of signals every second along the optic nerves to the

visual processing of the brain.

5. There is a little doubt when information is embedded in music or

rhyme, its recall is easier than when it is in prose.

References:

http://udyong.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5866:gui

ding-principles-in-the-selection-and-use-of-teaching-

strategies0011&catid=90&Itemid=1267

https://www.edglossary.org/brain-based-learning/

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