Benefits of a Brain-Compatible Education

Ashley Crawford
EDU 417
Professor Savarese-Levine
November 9, 2015

Purpose
The purpose of this presentation is to inform parents and guardians of the

benefits children will receive from being a part of a brain-compatible

classroom.
Traditional classrooms are good, but many students need more than

repetitious classroom activities and procedures.

Every parent has the right to know every positive and possible option that

leads to the success of their child.

Every child has the right to a stress-free and understanding learning

environment.

Who am I?

My name is Ashley Crawford and I currently live in Birmingham, Alabama.

I have been in a wonderful loving relationship with my partner Octavia, for

six years, and together we have a nine year old son named Ashton! Ashton
is my pride and joy and I am very blessed to have him in my life. As a
resident of Birmingham, I am a full time nanny for a loving family, and I
also own and operate a temporary nanny placement agency. I provide others
that have an interest in working with children, the opportunity to work
temporarily, part time, and/or full time. My goal is to connect families with
loving, honest, and dependable childcare providers.

Who am I? (Continued)
I earned my associates degree for Early Childhood Development from

Lawson State Community College here in Birmingham in 2009. I have

worked in various daycare centers for the past eleven years and last year I
decided what I wanted to do with my future.

Brain-Compatible Learning
Brain-compatible learning is a science that is utilized by teachers and

schools who seek to understand how the brain learns. It also refers to
teaching methods and creative lessons that explore cognitive development.

During the 90s (which was considered the decade of the brain), there were

three finding that were very interesting to researchers. Neuroplasticity, the

brain being complex and interconnected, and that every brain is different
and unique (Alferink, L. A., & Farmer-Dougan, V. (2010).

Brain-Compatible Learning continued..

It was these findings that started the conversation of reconsidering the way

we educate. The ideas and Principles of Brain Based Learning was also an
important factor in the development. The three connecting principles are
Pattern and Meaning Making, The Brain as a Parallel Processor, and Stress
and Threat. These ideas are what we know to make our brains unique in
learning.

Traditional vs. Brain-Compatible

Traditional
Learning

Braincompatible
Learning

Repetitous
learning style

Modifications
and
Accommodatio
ns made in the
classroom

Non-use of the
Multiple
Intelligence
Theory

Decrease in
chronic stress
among
students

Traditional vs. Brain-Compatible continued..

Tradition
al
Learning

BrainCompatible
Learning

Factors that Impact Learning

Genetic Factors
There are several neurotransmitters that play a role in the way we behave,

learn, the way that we feel, and even the way that we sleep. Three key
neurotransmitters that are vital to our mental health are, Acetylcholine,
Dopamine, and Serotonin (Farooqui, Tahira; Farooqui, Akhlaq A. 2010)

In addition to neurotransmitters, understanding how the brain functions can

impact learning. There are some single-gene genetic disorders that can
affect intelligence (Kail, R. V. & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2013).

Factors that Impact Learning continued..

Genetic Factors
Many learning disabilities are due to genetics.
Dyslexia, neural disorders, Down syndrome, and autism are a few common

disabilities that can impact learning.

Factors that Impact Learning

Environmental Factors
There are several environmental factors that impact the way in which one

learns. Sleep, movement, nutrition, and the five senses all make up some of
the environmental factors.

Factors that Impact Learning continued..

Environmental Factor
Sleep and nutrition can impact learning in the classrooms by teachers

allowing students to take mental breaks and allowing them to eat a healthy
snack. The brain needs rest and food in order to continue to properly
function. (Crawford, Ashley (2015).
Movement can impact learning because continuous motion will stimulate

the brain. Teachers can do a simple activity such as clapping to a beat that
grasp students attention.
As a teacher, I recall an exercise that I did with my students that involved

them rotating seats as they answered questions during a lesson. Both the
class and myself were really excited!

Information-processing model
The information processing model is a theory that shows how the brain

processes information. The model can increase knowledge by helping one

to understand the roles that specific brain structures play in the complex
acts of receiving, processing, storing and retrieving information (Wolfe,
2010, p. 106).

The brain is made up of many parts that provide signals to the rest of the body.

Information-processing model continued..

On the left hemisphere of the brain lies the temporal lobe, the frontal lobe,

and the visual cortex. These functions contribute to learning how to read
and communicate.
The temporal lobes allow for communication and hearing and is considered

the most important sense that humans have (Wolfe, P. (2010).

The frontal lobe controls speech production, reading fluency, grammatical

usage and comprehension.

The visual cortex helps to recognize faces and objects.

Information-processing model continued..

Emotion and Retention
A baby who cannot yet talk and express thoughts though words may show

emotions by listening to a recording of their mothers voice. Although the

babys temporal lobes are functioning, their frontal lobes may not be
developed.
In the visual and auditory receptors, they both go through the pathway of

the working memory. After reaching the working memory, they make a stop
into the short-term memory where its decided whether the thought should
stay or be removed. If the thought stays then it is stored in the long-term
memory area (Noel Kok Hwee Chia, 2010).

A Modified Lesson Plan

Stronger than a 6th Grader
Activity objectives
As a result of this activity, students will be able to:
Describe various fun physical activities that will strengthen the body
Explain the calories that are necessary for the body
Create snacks that taste good and are good for the body
Suggested Time:

(1hour)
3:30pm- 4:30pm

A Modified Lesson Plan continued..

Materials
Rope
Ball
Childrens workout DVD (Exercises for different parts of the body, Jumping,

Stretching, Aerobics, Funny Game for Kids; YouTube)

CD (Whip/Nae Nae song)
Peanut butter (peanut butter substitute; soy butter or almond butter)
Honey
Organic cereal
Flax seeds
Measuring cups
Large bowl
Stirring spoon.

A Modified Lesson Plan continued..

Procedure
Students will be separated into two groups of five called Team A and Team B.
Team A will discuss the importance of exercise and the benefits from eating

healthy. Students will be asked questions such as, how does exercising make
you feel? What do you think exercising can do for your body? The
instructor will begin by allowing children to compete with each other in a game
of tug of war. During the game, two students will be on each side of a rope
pulling as hard as possible to bring the other side down. The fifth student on
team A will keep score. Team A will continue this game by switching opponents
and score keeper to observe the difference in strengths.
After this game is played the instructor will gather the students for a brief
discussion on strength and exercise, and share with students how exercising can
be fun and creative.

A Modified Lesson Plan continued..

Procedure

After

the discussion segment, the instructor will have students to further their workout
by dancing to one of the hit songs across the world entitled; Whip and Nae Nae. This
song involves a lot of movement as well as entertainment.

While team A is continuing to do their portion, teams B will consist of five students as
well, and there will be a different instructor. Team B will begin by watching a three
minute children's workout video that encourages them to exercise while they are
watching the video.

After the video, team B will enter the gym for a friendly game of dodge ball! One person
will throw the ball as the remaining four will be in the circle running around to avoid
being hit with the ball.

After dodge ball, team B will wash their hands and return to main room to listen to some
ideas for eating healthier. After the conversation between the instructor and the students,
the students will all have the opportunity to create a healthy snack using different
ingredients.

A Modified Lesson Plan continued..

Resources:
Annigan, Jan. healthyeating.sfgate.com/definition-importance-calories
www.pinterest.com/explore/healthy-snacks
Youtube.com/KidsEduc. 2014. Exercises for different parts of the body,

Jumping, Stretching, Aerobics, Funny Game for Kids

Modifications/accommodations
Student helper
Visual access
Auditory access
Shorter schedules
Peer partners

A Modified Lesson Plan continued..

This lesson plan supports brain-compatible learning because it includes

modifications for students with different learning styles, hands-on activities

for all students, and it includes the needs of every learner through music
which expands on areas such as cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical,
communication, and sensory.

Conclusion
Brain-compatible techniques are beneficial for students and teachers

because it helps to build on students confidence and it allows students to

work utilizing their own learning style. Teachers often see an increase in
test scores as well as classroom participation. The goal of a teacher is
ultimately to enhance students knowledge , while providing them with a
safe environment.
Brain-compatible techniques allow room for teachers to make modifications

to the lesson to fit the need of the student. In a brain-compatible classroom,

students no longer need to feel shy, embarrassed, or uncomfortable about
answering questions because brain-compatible techniques focus on peer-to
peer activities, as well as creative style learning such as using movement to
learn.
The future of education will result in successful, happy students who thrive

from learning in their own way!

References
Alferink, L. A., & Farmer-Dougan, V. (2010). Brain-(not) based education:

Dangers of misunderstanding and misapplication of neuroscience research.

Exceptionality, 18 (1), 42-52
Farooqui, Tahira;Farooqui, Akhlaq A. 2010. Pharmacology - Research, Safety

Testing and Regulation : Biogenic Amines: Pharmacological, Neurochemical

and Molecular Aspects in the CNS. Publisher, Nova. Pgs. 431
Kail, R. V. & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2013). Human development: A life-span view

(6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage/Wadsworth.

Noel Kok Hwee Chia, 2010. Reading routes and neural pathways. Journal of

Reading and Literacy. Nanyang Technological University Singapore,

Singapore.
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice.

(2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum

Development.