What do Nobel laureates, cat-filled basements, and brain science have in common with your teaching journey? From the neuroscience behind memory to the power of procedural learning and active engagement, discover how to transform classrooms and online courses into dynamic hubs of creativity and connection.

Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn

Katina's eyes mist over as she stares at her exam score—just barely passing. Despite understanding math at home and in class, she freezes when facing a test, convinced she suffers from anxiety or simply can't do math, much like her mother. Katina is a creative student, socially adept, yet struggles with math, akin to classmates Ben, Federico, Jared, and Alex with their respective challenges.

Their difficulties might stem from a misunderstanding of how memory works. The brain, with its 86 billion neurons, is capable of forming complex connections. Learning involves making and strengthening these connections in long-term memory, not just in the temporary realm of working memory. Working memory can be deceiving, making students think they've mastered concepts when they haven't stored them permanently, leading to panic during tests.

Katina and Jared's study methods exemplify this issue—they rely heavily on working memory. Katina follows textbook examples directly, and Jared uses vocabulary lists without independent practice. To truly learn, students must engage in retrieval practice, strengthening long-term memory links.

The narrative of Santiago Ramón y Cajal illustrates the power of slow, deliberate learning. Despite early struggles and being labeled a poor student, Cajal's perseverance led him to Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs in neuroscience. His success stemmed from a flexible mind, willing to change and adapt, unlike his "genius" peers who struggled to correct their errors.

Educators face the challenge of catering to diverse learning speeds—race-car brains and hiker brains. Differentiating instruction is crucial, offering varied approaches to meet individual needs. Techniques like scaffolding can help hiker learners by breaking down tasks, while race-car learners benefit from more complex, engaging challenges. Effective teaching bridges working memory and long-term memory, ensuring all students, regardless of their memory capacity, can succeed.

As students like Katina navigate their educational journey, understanding and harnessing the brain's learning processes can transform their experiences. By shifting focus from working memory to solidifying long-term memory through practice and retrieval, students can overcome test anxiety and thrive in their studies.

Can Shifting from Working Memory to Long-Term Mastery Help Struggling Students?

Meet Katina and Jared, those diligent students who, despite their efforts, struggle with tests. You might wonder if there's a science-backed strategy to help them truly understand and succeed. Turns out, there is! A meta-analysis of STEM classes at universities revealed that students in active learning environments—where engagement and interaction replace passive listening—were less likely to fail and saw their grades improve by an impressive 6%.

But let's pause before jumping into the "active learning" bandwagon. What does "active" really mean? It's not about gluing newspaper to make Grecian urns; it's about engaging students through discussions and activities that emphasize higher-order thinking. Scott Freeman and his colleagues, experts in active learning, define it as involving students actively in their learning process through group work and discussion.

From a neuroscience perspective, active learning helps build and consolidate neural connections in long-term memory. Think of learning as a duet between your hippocampus and neocortex—two brain areas that store and retrieve information. The hippocampus acts like an index, guiding the neocortex on where to find stored information. When students actively retrieve information, it strengthens these neural links, making memory retrieval more direct and efficient.

Remember, active learning isn't just about flashy projects; it's about meaningful engagement with the material. For instance, students might confuse the Civil War with civil rights because of a lack of active retrieval practice. This highlights the importance of foundational knowledge—those basic facts that form the bedrock for deeper understanding.

Even brief "brain breaks" during learning can enhance memory consolidation. These pauses allow the hippocampus to reinforce learning by whispering sweet neural nothings to the neocortex, helping information stick better. Studies show that even a minute-long rest can trigger memory-related activity that boosts later test performance.

Active learning is like interval training for your brain—intense mental workouts interspersed with relaxation. It's about balancing retrieval practice with restful moments, just like athletes balance hard exercise with recovery. Physical exercise also plays a role, producing brain fertilizers like BDNF, which help create new neural connections.

Ultimately, active learning isn't about spending all your time on activities but finding the right balance. Whether it's 10% or 100% of class time, incorporating active elements can significantly enhance student learning. So, let's break up instruction with meaningful active learning moments, allowing students to engage deeply and remember long-term. This approach, rooted in neuroscience, promises to transform teaching and learning for Katina, Jared, and countless others.

Unlocking Success: Scott Freeman's Active Learning Revolution in STEM Education

Alicia's pencil taps echo in a room thick with tension as students brace for an upcoming test. Beside her, Michael scowls, while Diego nervously pops his knuckles. Tamika, ever the confident scholar, smooths her hair. And then there's Sam, perpetually sleepy, having once marked his test paper with drool after falling asleep. 

Despite supportive parents and a knack for practical tasks like rebuilding engines, Sam struggles with procrastination. He often finds himself cramming at midnight, a habit shared by many students. The consequences of procrastination are severe, impacting deep learning and the ability to create lasting neural connections. 

Research suggests a staggering 80-95% of college students procrastinate, a habit rooted in their earlier school years. Procrastination stems from the brain's insular cortex, which activates pain signals at the thought of unpleasant tasks. To avoid this discomfort, students like Sam turn to other distractions, leading to last-minute stress and shallow learning. 

Fast-thinking "race-car" students often fall into this trap, initially succeeding with minimal effort but later struggling with complex material. On the other hand, "hiker" students build deeper links through practice, but they too are susceptible to procrastination.

A seventh-grade class offers insights: students procrastinate due to confusion, zoning out, or prioritizing easier tasks. Some rely on parents to bail them out, reinforcing the habit. The Pomodoro technique can help, allowing short breaks to maintain focus. Teachers can set smaller goals and check in frequently, ensuring students stay on track.

Deep learning involves creative neural connections, requiring time and toggling between focused and diffuse modes. Students often hit a wall, feeling frustration and defeat. Learning to switch modes—taking breaks and letting diffuse thinking work—can unlock understanding. Teachers can guide students through this process, encouraging breaks when frustration peaks, and returning refreshed for surprising progress.

Procrastination plagues both students and teachers. Teachers can adopt student strategies, breaking tasks into manageable portions and using techniques like the Pomodoro timer to stay focused. Through understanding procrastination's roots and employing effective strategies, educators can offer students one of life's most valuable gifts: overcoming procrastination and embracing deep, meaningful learning.

Can the Pomodoro Technique Transform Procrastination Into Deep Learning?

Paulo, a natural athlete, effortlessly performs backflips and excels in sports like baseball and soccer. His innate ability shone through when he effortlessly learned to ride a bike, watching his brother Robert struggle but eventually succeed. This story highlights a curious phenomenon: people readily believe in their potential to master physical skills, yet often doubt their ability to excel academically when faced with challenges. 

Consider how babies absorb language effortlessly yet struggle to learn reading and math without instruction. This difference is rooted in how our brains have evolved. Learning to recognize faces and pick up a first language—termed biologically primary material—is intuitive, as our brains are wired to absorb this information. In contrast, reading and math are biologically secondary material, requiring brains to stretch and rewire in ways evolution hasn't naturally prepared us for.

Neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene's neuronal recycling hypothesis explains that learning secondary material like reading and math involves repurposing brain areas meant for other functions. For instance, the part of the brain that recognizes faces is repurposed for reading. This limited plasticity means that learning new skills can be challenging, demanding deliberate practice and corrective feedback.

Education systems worldwide are designed to facilitate this complex repurposing. As learning becomes more difficult, students often lose intrinsic interest. Direct instruction, a structured method where teachers guide students through new concepts, proves effective in teaching biologically secondary material. It's a process of "I do, we do, you do," where teachers introduce content, provide expert guidance, and gradually release responsibility to students, allowing them to master the material.

Direct instruction requires active engagement, breaking down complex ideas into manageable parts and offering opportunities for practice. Unlike passive lectures, it demands students actively grapple with learning. When students demonstrate proficiency, they can move to student-directed learning, exploring concepts independently and strengthening their neural links.

The challenge lies in balancing guidance and independence. Students need enough support to build resilience and avoid frustration, but not so much that they become reliant on external help. Countries emphasizing direct instruction often see higher achievement scores, as this approach effectively scaffolds learning of secondary material.

Understanding the difference between biologically primary and secondary material explains why some subjects are harder to learn. Direct instruction helps students build the necessary neural connections, preparing them for independent exploration and lifelong learning.

Unveiling the Brain's Secret: Stanislas Dehaene's Guide to Mastering Academic Challenges

Picture this: a sunny Friday afternoon in late spring, and you’re making your way across the parking lot with a stack of papers to grade over the weekend. As you head to your car, Bella, the newest teacher at your school, waves at you. You suddenly remember her baby shower is tomorrow, and you’ve forgotten to buy a gift. Your mind races—ski gear for a baby? 

As you drive home, thoughts of Bella and the baby shower consume you, and before you know it, you’re pulling into your driveway without recalling the drive. This type of absent-minded journey is tied to procedural learning, which occurs unconsciously and involves habitual actions, unlike declarative learning that’s more conscious.

Let’s dive into procedural learning—a fascinating part of our brain’s learning system that’s been overlooked, especially in education. It’s the “backup system” that doesn’t require conscious thought, enabling us to perform tasks automatically. 

Your brain is like a rocket ship with redundant systems for essential tasks, and procedural learning is one of these systems. It helps us learn sequences of actions and thoughts, depositing them as neural links in long-term memory. This means habitual actions like driving home or throwing a basketball become second nature through practice.

Procedural learning was once thought to be limited to simple tasks, but recent studies show it’s crucial for grasping complex ideas, from tying shoelaces to understanding intricate mathematical patterns. Learning through the procedural system takes time and practice, but once mastered, it allows for rapid and automatic use of information. Think of a novice knitter focused on handling yarn versus an expert who can knit while chatting away—the procedural system at work.

In teaching, it’s vital to engage both the declarative and procedural systems. While declarative learning is flexible and conscious, procedural learning is swift and automatic but less adaptable. Students should be encouraged to practice extensively to develop procedural links, making their learning more effective. Techniques like interleaving—mixing practice topics—and spaced repetition—spreading out learning over time—enhance procedural learning by helping students recognize patterns and consolidate information.

Take language learning, for instance. A student can learn Spanish verb conjugations declaratively in the classroom but needs procedural practice through conversation to speak fluently. Similarly, in math, procedural memory allows students to solve problems automatically after practice. Both systems are essential, and teachers should strive to integrate them into their teaching methods. 

In a nutshell, while declarative learning gets students off the ground quickly, procedural learning ensures lasting mastery. Embracing both systems enables students to become flexible, adaptable, and fast problem solvers in any subject. Whether it’s physics equations or microscope parts, learning through both pathways fosters a deeper understanding and application of knowledge.

How Can Procedural Learning Transform Our Educational Approach?

The bell rings, signaling the start of third period in Ms. Duwell's classroom. Her students promptly begin their bell ringer task, responding to yesterday’s reading, and effortlessly gather the materials from baskets at their collaborative workspaces. Today, they're exploring plot maps and using colorful Post-it Notes to dissect short stories. 

Just across the hall, however, chaos reigns in Ms. Guided's room, where students scramble for pencils and notebooks, and the tension between Charlie and Jake escalates. While both teachers are dedicated, Ms. Duwell’s classroom exemplifies seamless organization, driven by the power of procedural learning.

Procedural memory, akin to the autopilot that guides us home without conscious thought, is the secret to a harmonious classroom. It transforms routines into habits that make classrooms thrive. But establishing these habits requires clear expectations from day one. Students must understand what the teacher envisions, reducing their stress and setting the stage for eustress—the good stress that propels learning.

A welcoming classroom climate starts before the first day. Teachers can send messages to students and parents, introducing themselves and building anticipation with intriguing descriptions of upcoming lessons. Harry and Rosemary Wong's "The First Days of School" highlights the importance of addressing first-day questions to smooth the transition from summer to school routines. Seating arrangements, introductions, and engaging teasers about the curriculum can all help set the tone.

In Ms. Duwell’s classroom, procedures are second nature, like the predictable drive home. Students know what to expect and how to act, making the environment positive and productive. On the contrary, Ms. Guided’s classroom lacks this structure, leading to lost instructional time. Doug Lemov’s "Teach Like a Champion 2.0" underscores the importance of intentional and consistent behavioral culture in classrooms.

Dopamine, the brain's reward chemical, plays a crucial role in learning. Unexpected rewards release dopamine, enhancing neural connections and making learning more seamless. Ms. Duwell's students benefit from this environment, while Ms. Guided's students are hindered by negative experiences. Teachers like Beth use unexpected praise to motivate students and foster a positive atmosphere.

Stress, a formidable force in education, can be harnessed to improve cognition and working memory. Transient stress, like the nerves before a presentation, enhances learning. Collaborative learning groups offer social buffering, reducing stress hormones and fostering optimal learning environments.

Socioemotional learning is vital for developing self-awareness and relationship skills. Collaborative learning groups provide opportunities for students to practice these skills while enhancing academic engagement. Teachers can strategically form groups, encouraging new friendships and moderating stress.

In the end, a well-planned classroom with established procedures, unexpected rewards, and collaborative learning cultivates a positive and productive environment. Ms. Duwell’s classroom serves as a model for integrating neuroscience into teaching, making every moment count.

Unlocking Classroom Harmony: The Duwell Way to Seamless Learning

A university spent $2 million on online courses with stunning visuals, yet they were dull and failed to attract students. Meanwhile, a basement-made course, "Learning How to Learn," crafted amidst distractions like lawnmowers and meowing cats, became a hit with millions of enrollments. It proved that innovation in online teaching doesn't require a hefty budget or professional expertise. The trick is leveraging familiar teaching methods—like retrieval practice, active learning, and direct instruction—effectively in the digital realm.

Online learning can be as effective as traditional classroom settings, sometimes even better, thanks to its self-paced nature. Combining online and face-to-face teaching, often called flipped classrooms, is hailed as the best approach by many educators. In the digital world, synchronous teaching involves real-time interaction through platforms like Zoom, while asynchronous teaching allows students to access materials at their convenience. Each method has its merits and challenges, and a blend of both often works best.

Creating engaging online content involves understanding multimedia learning theory, which emphasizes the power of combining visuals and verbal explanations. Clear communication, lively presentation, and gradual introduction of complex material are key. When it comes to video production, sound quality is paramount, and the instructor's tone plays a crucial role in keeping students engaged. Lighting and camera positioning also matter to ensure a professional appearance.

Incorporating humor can transform the online learning experience, making it more enjoyable and memorable. Teachers can use snippets from movies, memes, and Bitmojis to add a touch of fun. Attention in online learning can be captured through bottom-up processes like motion, sound, and surprise, rather than relying solely on students’ willpower.

Engagement tools like quizzes, discussion forums, and interactive videos help reinforce learning. Mixing synchronous and asynchronous approaches allows for flexibility and accountability, providing a comprehensive learning experience. The first step to making impactful online content is to start creating, even if it’s imperfect initially. With practice and persistence, educators can create vibrant and effective online courses that captivate and educate.

Can a Basement-Built Course with Meowing Cats Outshine a $2 Million University Program?

Imagine you're lounging poolside in August, flipping through a book that sparks your passion for teaching. With school right around the corner, your mind dances with ideas of how to ignite excitement in your students. Whether you're thrilled by the thought of unveiling the mysteries of literature or the joys of solving math puzzles, you're driven by the desire to mentor future scientists, artists, and historians. 

Yet, teaching is not a magical endeavor; it's a meticulous journey. With just 180 days, you're tasked with showing your students the wonders of the world, often interrupted by life's little detours. As you craft lesson plans, you realize the importance of guiding students through the intricate terrain of learning. Neurons fire and connect as students embark on their educational journey, traveling paths that lead to long-term memory—each student navigating their unique course.

Master teachers are expert planners, mapping out lessons with clear objectives. They break down broad standards into achievable goals, focusing on essential knowledge and skills. With the finish line in sight, they transform objectives into engaging focus questions that pique curiosity and enhance memory retention. Along the way, formative and summative assessments mark progress, offering a roadmap to guide students back on track when they veer off course.

Starting each class with a bell ringer sets the tone, while a captivating hook draws students in. Teachers weave multimedia into lessons, using short clips to create vivid mental images that stick. They pause for retrieval practice, asking probing questions that foster deeper understanding. Note-taking becomes a tool for organizing thoughts, while teachers circulate the room, offering guidance and feedback.

As students grow confident, they transition to independent learning, applying skills in new contexts. Through varied activities like debates or virtual field trips, they extend their knowledge and explore ideas beyond the classroom. Reflection becomes key, where students assess their progress, celebrating glows and identifying grows.

In teaching, the journey is as rewarding as the destination. It's about orchestrating a symphony of learning, using the science of the brain to enhance the art of education. Just like Leonardo da Vinci, teachers blend knowledge and creativity, crafting lessons that resonate deeply. Celebrate your students' successes and your own achievements, knowing you're shaping a brighter future through the power of learning.

Unleashing Da Vinci: Crafting a Symphony of Learning in the Classroom

Understanding how memory works is crucial for effective learning. Students often rely on working memory, thinking they've mastered concepts, but it's the long-term memory connections that matter for true understanding. Active learning environments, though potentially misunderstood, emphasize meaningful engagement where students actively retrieve and consolidate information. Such practices strengthen neural links and improve academic performance. 

Procrastination, common among students, hinders deep learning and stems from the brain's aversion to unpleasant tasks. Techniques like the Pomodoro method can help overcome this by promoting focused, manageable study sessions. Balancing focused learning with restful breaks aids in understanding complex material by switching between concentrated and diffuse thinking modes.

Awareness of the difference between biologically primary and secondary material explains why subjects like reading and math require deliberate practice. Direct instruction, a structured teaching approach, effectively supports the learning of secondary material, guiding students through new concepts and fostering independence.

Integrating procedural learning into classrooms creates seamless routines that enhance productivity. By establishing clear expectations and fostering positive experiences, teachers can create environments conducive to learning. Stress, when managed well, can be a powerful tool for enhancing cognition and engagement.

In online education, success hinges on understanding brain-based learning principles rather than relying on elaborate technology. Effective online courses blend multimedia, active learning techniques, and synchronous/asynchronous elements to engage students. Personal connection and clear communication are vital for an engaging learning experience.

Ultimately, teaching is a meticulous journey of guiding students through learning paths, using neuroscience insights to enhance education. Master teachers plan lessons with clear objectives, using engaging strategies to foster memory retention and independent learning. Celebrating successes and nurturing creativity in students shapes a brighter future, making the journey of education as rewarding as the destination.

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Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn

Barbara Oakley

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What do Nobel laureates, cat-filled basements, and brain science have in common with your teaching journey?

From the neuroscience behind memory to the power of procedural learning and active engagement, discover how to transform classrooms and online courses into dynamic hubs of creativity and connection.