How the Brain LearnsOne major development since the third edition of this text is the birth of a new academic discipline. Called educational neuroscience or mind, brain, and education science, this field explores how research findings from neuroscience, education, and psychology can inform our understandings about teaching and learning, and whether they have implications for educational practice. This new edition includes updated information on memory systems, especially the changes in working memory capacity; new research findings on how the explosion of technology may be affecting the brain; new information on brain organization and learning, and revised sections on hemispheric specialization;ánew research on how learning the arts enhances cognitive processing and creativity; an expanded Resources section that includes more Internet sites selected for their reliable information on the brain; and more than 150 new oráupdated references, most of which are primary sources for those who wish to explore the actual research studies. This book opens the door to educational neuroscience in the hopes that educators will experience the joy of seeing more students reach their full potential. |
Contents
Preface to the Fourth Edition | |
Acknowledgments | |
About the Author | |
Introduction | |
Types of Brain Imaging | |
Implications for Teaching | |
Some Important Findings | |
Why this Book can Help Improve Teaching and Learning | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 5 Brain Organization and Learning | |
Brain Lateralization | |
What Causes Specialization? | |
Specialization does not Mean Exclusivity | |
The Gender Connection | |
Schools and Brain Organization | |
Spoken Language Specialization | |
Chapter Contents | |
Who Should Use this Book? | |
Try it YourselfDo Action Research | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 1 Basic Brain Facts | |
Some Exterior Parts of the Brain | |
Motor Cortex and Somatosensory Cortex | |
Cerebrum | |
Brain Cells | |
Brain Fuel | |
Neuron Development in Children | |
Windows of Opportunity | |
The Brain as a Novelty Seeker | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 2 How the Brain Processes Information | |
The Information Processing Model | |
Limitations of the Model | |
Inadequacy of the Computer Model | |
The Senses | |
ShortTerm Memory | |
LongTerm Storage | |
The Cognitive Belief System | |
Learning Profiles Styles | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 3 Memory Retention and Learning | |
How Memory Forms | |
The Temporary Stimulus | |
Stages and Types of Memory | |
Emotional Memory | |
Learning and Retention | |
Rehearsal | |
Retention During a Learning Episode | |
Implications for Teaching | |
Learning Motor Skills | |
Does Practice Make Perfect? | |
Daily Biological Rhythms Affect Teaching and Learning | |
The Importance of Sleep in Learning and Memory | |
Intelligence and Retrieval | |
Retrieval | |
Chunking | |
Forgetting | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 4 The Power of Transfer | |
What is Transfer? | |
Types of Transfer | |
Transfer of Learning | |
Teaching for Transfer | |
Factors Affecting Transfer | |
Teaching Methods | |
Transfer and Constructivism | |
Technology and Transfer | |
Learning Spoken Language | |
Learning a Second Language | |
Learning to Read | |
Neural Systems Involved in Reading | |
Skills Involved in Reading | |
Problems in Learning to Read | |
Implications for Teaching Reading | |
Chapter 6 The Brain and the Arts | |
Why Teach the Arts? | |
The Arts and the Young Brain | |
The Arts and Creativity | |
The Sciences Need the Arts | |
Impact of the Arts on Student Learning and Behavior | |
Music | |
Effects of Listening to Music versus Creating Instrumental Music | |
How the Brain Listens to Music | |
The Benefits of Listening to Music | |
Creating Music | |
Benefits of Creating Music | |
Creating Music Benefits Memory | |
Music and Reading | |
Student Attitudes toward Music in the Schools | |
Research on Visual Arts and Learning | |
Movement | |
Implications for Schools | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 7 Thinking Skills and Learning | |
Types of Thinking | |
Thinking and Emotion | |
Are We Teaching Thinking Skills? | |
Modeling Thinking Skills in the Classroom | |
Revisiting Blooms Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain | |
The Models Structure and Revision | |
Important Characteristics of the Revised Model | |
Cognitive and Emotional Thinking | |
The Taxonomy and the Dimensions of Thinking | |
The Critical Difference between Complexity and Difficulty | |
Curriculum Changes to Accommodate the Taxonomy | |
Whats Coming Up? | |
Chapter 8 Putting it all Together | |
Daily Planning | |
TwentyOne Questions to ask During Lesson Planning | |
Unit Planning | |
Maintaining Skills for the Future | |
Conclusion | |
Resources | |
Glossary | |