![]() Is intelligence determined at birth? Will concentrated effort shift academic abilities? What if I told you, that you have the power to change your brain by improving how you approach learning and how you study. Judy Willis, a former neurologist, now middle school teacher, shared some fantastic incites on brain based strategies, and how teaching simple activities to improve brain processing, students will not only become more engaged and confident, but they also begin changing their study practices which leads to higher achievement (Willis, 2010). Teaching students how our brains operate is a huge step in empowering them on how they can control their own cognitive and emotional health, and bonus….their learning! You can control what gets filtered into your prefrontal cortex. Your physical health, emotions and how well you focus attention affects whether new information reaches the brain or gets filtered because of negative emotions. Having students “prime” themselves for learning entails focusing on positive moods (Willis, 2007). Every morning, I start the day by sharing “good things" and the kids can't wait! Loosing teeth is a biggie in first grade. The day begins on a positive note, therefore opening their minds to learning and maintaining focus. Visualizing, picturing vocabulary words or even imagining a math story play out can really helps with recalling the information taught. Breathing exercises before a test or hefty lesson helps students stay calm, therefore understand and remember more information. Neuroplasticity is when the brain grows new connections between neurons when we experience something new. By practicing, visualizing and using the new information, we can strengthen these new connections. The connections forming between the neurons are called dendrites (Willis, 2010). The brain is such a fascinating organ, and as educators we should know more about! It is the most powerful tool, and the more we practice, the sharper we will become. The more repetition, the more neurons grow and connect to other neurons. Every day when I walk into our classroom, I have project based learning activities ready to go, and support them if they don't know the correct answers. Mistakes are a great way to learn! We are helping them become more mindful and helping them grow those dendrites. I have noticed, with multiple brain breaks a day, my students are much happier, they have better attitudes and their study habits increased as well. Using brain science to promote learning and success in your classroom will create mindful, happy students. We breathe, we learn, we grow. Reference: Willis, J. (2007). How to Teach Students About the Brain. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Health and Learning. Volume 67. Number 4.
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About:Welcome to my blog! If you are interested in learning how music, movement and the brain work together, check out my summaries and reviews based on peer reviewed and research based articles. I have loved reading and learning more about how music, exercise and movement help the brain learn. I hope you enjoy it too! Archives
March 2017
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