How People Learn: Chapter 5 – Mind and Brain

Brains come from a place called Oz… …and other myths

Myth 1: The brain is completely developed at birth, just like one’s heart or stomach TRUTH: Most brain’s cells are formed before birth, but most connections among cells are made during early childhood

Myth 2: Brains get more active as they mature TRUTH: A toddler’s brain is more active than a college student’s! (The adult brain is less active, but more efficient)

Myth 3: We can’t learn certain skills after childhood TRUTH: There are prime times for critical connections, but brain development and learning continue through a lifetime

Things to Discover in this Presentation  Birth provides the brain’s foundation  Environment supplies instructions for development  Learning changes the brain’s physical structure  Learning organizes and reorganizes the brain

What is the Brain?  Information-processing organ of the body  Controller of the central nervous system  Site of reason, intelligence, and body function  Facilitates cognition, perception, attention, memory, and emotion  Directs posture and movements  Coordinates body systems

Like a Computer (but Living & Learning)  “Circuits” are over-constructed before birth  “BIOS” is established in the first few years  “Software” is created through live experiences and environmental circumstances  Emotions and sensations affect “memory”  “Programming” continues throughout life

Let’s Look Closely At The Brain… The brain is a jellylike mesh of cells and fibers with ridges and grooves. It is composed of two main types of cells: Nuerons Basic functional unit of the nervous system Glail Provides support and nutrients to neurons (10 times as many as neurons)

dendrite spines axon NEURON synapses myelin sheath cell body a layer of fatty material (glail cells) that surrounds the axon and speeds electrical impulses junctions between neurons through which signals are passed from one cell to another a fundamental unit in the nervous system that conducts signals to other neurons thick neuron branch that sends signals short projections on a neuron that receive signals from other neurons the structure that holds all of the general parts of the cell Click on each name for a brief functional definition Action inside the cell is electrical Action between cells is chemical

 Neurons connect and modify their properties under the influence of input signals Synaptic Growth

 Frequently used neuron pathways gain strength Synaptic Strength

Synaptic Pruning  Unused neuron pathways diminish; this plasticity underlies learning and adaptation

Brain Development – Prenatal  A period of massive proliferation of neurons; specific and nonspecific circuitry is forming PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult Brain weight at birth is about one pound 100 billion neurons and growing 250,000 neurons per minute (avg)

Brain Development – Postnatal  Neuron development transitions from growth to forming critical connections and path pruning PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult At one year brain weight has doubled At three years it’s 90% of adult size

Brain Development – Postnatal  Experiences in the first three years are so powerful they change the brain enduringly PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult At one year brain weight has doubled At three years it’s 90% of adult size

Brain Development – Postnatal  Critical foundations are laid for vision, language, vocabulary, muscle control, intellect and emotion PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult At one year brain weight has doubled At three years it’s 90% of adult size

Brain Development – Youth  Sensory systems continue feeding the brain; patterns appear and trillions of connections form PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult

Brain Development – Youth  Emotional linkage to what has been learned in the formative years determines its permanence PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult

Brain Development – Adult  Contextual reorganization occurs; emphasis on efficiency, precision, focus and automation PrenatalPostnatalYouthAdult In the average adult brain there are at least one quadrillion (one million billion) connections between neurons

Learning and Memory  Experience shapes the brain and memory  Two memory processes influence learning  Learning increases synapses in the brain  Synapse addition is a function of memory  Memory and learning are entwined with experience

Experience and environment Exposure to learning opportunities and learning improves the brain’s capacity Social interaction, exploration, and direct contact with the environment increase the brain’s structure.

Two memory processes declarative memory: facts & events procedural memory: skills & cognition A right triangle has a 90- degree angle. The area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs

Declarative memory in learning Declarative memory:  facts that do not require rules  temporary or without frequent recall  what we consciously “know”  associated with textbook learning General elections are always on the second Tuesday in November Emergencies: 911 Sacramento is the Capital of California

Procedural memory in learning Procedural memory:  can become automatic with frequent recall  involves rules of actions and reasoning  what we unconsciously “know” or “do”  associated with experiential learning

How does learning affect the brain?  Learning improves with practice  Learning specific tasks changes the areas in the brain that handle those tasks  Structural changes in the brain are related to past experiences  Novices and experts organize information differently based partly on experience

Learning = active brain growth input organize input revise model store model Memory processes link the newly learned information to known information. brain receives input: visual, auditory, tactile brain organizes the information based on existing models brain modifies models based on new information and experience brain stores newly revised model for later retrieval But wait: What happens when the input is false?

The sky is falling! True  False memories follow the same brains paths as true memories  The brain incorporates repeated false input as true  Practice increases learning, and misunderstanding I saw an acorn fall from the sky. She saw an acorn fell from the sky. Something fell from the sky. Someone saw some falling sky. or false?

How does memory affect learning? sensory memory working memory long term memory short term memory capacity increases with age mind pays conscious attention to one train of thought at a time practice practice facilitates the growth of long term memory

Learning simplified, colloquially “…learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience…from exposure to [an] environmental medium, that has to act on sensory systems to produce stimuli.” According to Instituto de Fisiologia Celular’s Introduction to the Brain:Instituto de Fisiologia Celular’sIntroduction to the Brain What does this mean to Instructional Designers?

ID Implications: Timing Matters  Learner’s brains must be ready to learn the subject matter (e.g., language)  Timing-related considerations:  Aim to design instruction within the optimal timeline  Increasing sensory input increases learning (words + pictures are better than just words)  Practice increases learning

ID Implications: Experiences  Good experiences create good learning  Relate additive information to past experiences to increase sense of purpose and relevance  Anticipate both new and past bad experiences  Use previous experiences to provide direction and facilitate organization

ID Implications: False memories  When learners bring false memories  Account for misconceptions that the learner may bring to the experience  Anticipate problems up front  Build problem assessment into the learning lessons  Provide tools for learners to self-assess, self-correct, and redirect

ID Implications: Involvement  Active learning helps move new information to long term memory  A variety of sensory input types and formats increases learning  Breaking learning into coherent chunks helps the learner focus and recognize patterns  Balancing facts (declarative) with practice (procedural) facilitates transfer Does the balance change with learner age?

What other implications do you see? Test your sensory and short term memory capacity! Please post your reply to this question in our discussion thread

References A brief introduction to the brain. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2008, from Instituto de Fisiologia Clular, Mexico City, UNAM at Bishop, D. (2000). How does the brain learn language? Insights from the study of children with and without language impairment. Development Medicine & Child Neurology, Dubuc, B. (n.d.). The brain from top to bottom: Memory and the Brain. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Ghoogasian, D. (2000). Mind, Memory, and Learning: Translating Brain Research Into Classroom Practice. California State University at Fullerton, Education Extension.

Human Memory. (1997). Retrieved February 19, 2008, from Georgia Tech College of Computing at cap/memory.html. cap/memory.html Photos and neuron illustration from Stivers, M. (2003) Pavlov’s dogs. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from