Engaging the Brain….Without Going Insane Using the Strategy Ring to engage students’ brains.

GAME Plan Goal - Participants will learn about the importance of engaging students’ brains and will participate in strategies designed to encourage active engagement. Activities –10+2, ABA, Numbered Heads Together Measure – Participation, Notes Evaluation – Compass points

14 years sp ed resource room teacher 3 years intervention specialist, inclusion 12 years teacher trainer for co- teaching, inclusion strategies 21 years high school math teacher 23 years district administrator 5 years as educational consultant Over 75 years! Bonny Buffington

Note to Self: Get a timekeeper!

The Brain Stem

Involuntary actions – blinking, breathing, heartbeat Also called “reptilian brain” Collects and delivers sensory information to higher brain

The Limbic System Cerrebellum Hippocampus Amygdala

Gatekeeper Three levels of attention The need to BELONG The need to be SAFE

The Hippocampus Transferring memories Making new memories Inhibition Smell Location

The Cerebellum Movement Balance

“It's like a math co-processor. It's not essential for any activity... but it makes any activity better. Anything we can think of as higher thought, mathematics, music, philosophy, decision-making, social skill, draws upon the cerebellum....” Dr. Jay Giedd, National Institute of Mental Health The Cerebellum

STOP! Activity On a piece of paper, write down as much as you remember about the 2 parts of the brain that we have discussed. Try not to peek! Share what you remembered with a partner Look at your notes and add whatever you forgot to include

Frontal lobe Temporal lobe Parietal lobe Occipital lobe Cerebellum The Cerebrum

The Frontal Lobe How we interact with our surroundings. Our judgments on daily routines. Our expressive language. Assigns meaning to words we choose. Involves word association. Memory for habits and motor activities

The Parietal Lobe Location for visual attention. Location for touch perception. Goal directed voluntary movements. Manipulation of objects. Integration of different senses that allows for understanding a single concept.

The Occipital Lobe Vision

The Temporal Lobe Hearing Memory Visual perceptions. Categorizing of objects. T

Higher Level Thinking Can actually generate NEW neurons (neurogenesis) Adds dendrites Increases the thickness of the myelin sheath Using the Gray Matter!

Stimulating Environment Affects Learning A child's ability to learn can increase or decrease by 25 percent or more, depending on whether he or she grows up in a stimulating environment.

Two times of ENORMOUS brain growth and pruning: During the first month of life, the number of connections or synapses increases from 50 trillion to 1 quadrillion. If an infant's body grew at a comparable rate, his weight would increase from 8.5 pounds at birth to 170 pounds at one month old. Overproduction ends, pruning begins until about age 3

Second cycle of growth and pruning Dendritic growth spurt at age 11 in girls, 12 in boys Pruning phase during adolescence Age 13 – 18 lose 1% of gray matter per year If you don’t use it, you lose it!

The Teacher Effect Quality of classroom instruction is most significant factor in students’ brain development. Didactic instruction – teacher directed Interactive instruction – student actively engaged Which type do you think grows dendrites?

Sad Fact: Failing to engage students actively can actually make students dumber. Use it or lose it: If dendrites are not being used, they will be pruned.

Stop! ABA activity Stand up for REVIEW! Grab a partner Decide who will be A and who will be B A speaks for 60 seconds, nonstop B speaks for 90 seconds, nonstop A speaks for 30 seconds, nonstop

Implications for the classroom… Students interacting to increase emotional level Students talking, explaining to increase meaning Students using various modalities

Question: (Traditional) Do not use your notes. Do not discuss your response with anyone else. What is the chemical symbol for Lead?

Stop! Numbered Heads Together In groups of 4, number each person 1, 2, 3, and 4 Come to consensus on a response for the question. I will draw a number and call on the person with that number to give the group’s response.

Question: (Strategic) Who is the current secretary of Homeland Security?

E - what Excites me about today’s learning? Things I will use? N – what else do I Need to know to be able to continue the learning? What other information should I seek? W – what Worries me about this process? Obstacles I may encounter? Concerns? S – what are the next Steps we should take as an organization? What do I need to do next to be able to continue the learning?

Strategies of the Day Game Plan 10+2 Teach ABA Numbered Heads Together Compass Points

Using the Strategy Ring:

Bonny Buffington Knox ESC Q and A