1
|
- What happens inside yo=
ur
brain
- Brain-friendly ways to=
learn
better
- How homework helps your
brain
- How emotions affect le=
arning
and memory
- Permission granted to individual instructors to use and reproduce for
their own classroom.
|
2
|
- What happens inside your brain when you learn something new?
|
3
|
- Brain cells are called neurons.
- You are born with at least 100 billion neurons.
- Dendrites (fibers) grow out of the neurons when you listen to/write
about/talk about/ practice something.
|
4
|
- Neurons know how to grow dendrites, just like a stomach knows how to
digest food.
- Learning =3D Growth of dendrites.
- New dendrites take time to grow; it takes a lot of practice for them=
to
grow.
|
5
|
- When two dendrites grow close together, a contact point is formed.
A small gap at the contact =
point
is called the synapse.
- Messages are sent from one neuron to another as electrical signals
travel across the synapse.
|
6
|
- Special chemicals called neurotransmitters carry the electrical sign=
als
across the synapse.
- When you practice something, it gets easier for the signals to cross=
the
synapse. That’s
because the contact area becomes wider and more neuro- transmitters =
are
stored there.
|
7
|
- When you practice something, the dendrites grow thicker with a fatty
coating of myelin.
- The thicker the dendrites, the faster the signals travel. The myelin coating also red=
uces
interference.
|
8
|
- With enough practice, the dendrites build a double connection.
- Faster, stronger, double connections last a very long time. You remember what you learn=
ed!
|
9
|
- If you learn something new and do it only once or twice, the dendrite
connection is very fragile and can disappear within hours.
- Within 20 minutes, you remember only 60%.
- Within 24 hours, you remember only 30%.
- But if you practice within 24 hours, and then practice again later,=
you
remember 80%.
|
10
|
- You grow dendrites for exactly the same thing you are practicing.
- If you listen or watch while math problems are solved, you grow
dendrites for listening or for watching.
- If you actually solve the problems yourself, you grow dendrites for
solving.
|
11
|
|
12
|
- What are the most important points for me to remember?
|
13
|
- You are naturally smart, because …
|
14
|
- Your brain knows how to grow dendrites just like your stomach knows =
how
to digest food.
- Think about a baby who learns to speak in its native language without
any special classes or training!
|
15
|
- You must do something active (explain, solve, draw, write, etc.) in
order to learn, because…
|
16
|
- Dendrites grow ONLY when you are actively doing something.
- No one else can grow dendrites for you!
|
17
|
- Dendrites cannot grow in a void.&nb=
sp;
They can only grow …
|
18
|
- New dendrites can only grow off of what is already there. New skills must connect to,=
and
grow off of, previously learned skills.
- If you do not have the necessary dendrites in place, new material wi=
ll
seem to go “right over your head”.
- So, start with a math course that matches your skill level.
|
19
|
- Dendrites take time to grow, because…
|
20
|
- It takes a lot of practice for dendrites to grow.
- This is why you do homework.
- This is why trying to cram everything into your brain the night befo=
re a
test doesn’t work.
|
21
|
- Mistakes, with feedback, are essential and good, because…
|
22
|
- Making mistakes, and getting feedback so you can correct them, allows
you to check the accuracy of the connections in your brain.
- Be sure to get feedback quickly so you don’t practice the wrong
thing and build a strong, but wrong, connection!
|
23
|
- Emotions affect learning and memory! Let’s see how it
works…
|
24
|
- Anxiety floods your body with adrenaline (“fight or
flight”).
- Adrenaline makes it hard for the neuro-transmitters to carry messages
across the synapses in your brain.
- That causes “blanking out” on a test.
|
25
|
- Endorphins make you feel calm.
- Your body produces endorphins when you relax, exercise, laugh, or le=
arn
new things.
- If you practice producing calming hormones, it will help when you are
under stress.
|
26
|
- So what does all this mean for me?
|
27
|
- I understand what’s going on in the lecture just fine. But when I get home and sta=
rt on
the homework assignment, why am I lost?
- I attend class and do all the homework and feel like I understand
everything. Then why d=
o I
just “blank out” on the test and can’t do anything=
?
|
28
|
- Why should I do all this homework?&=
nbsp;
It’s just the same thing over and over.
- I work full time. Can =
I do
homework only on weekends and still pass the course?
|
29
|
- I’ve been absent for a week but there’s a test
tomorrow. Can I cram i=
t all
in tonight?
- Why can’t I take this math course even if I haven’t pass=
ed
the prerequisite course (or gotten a high enough score on the placem=
ent
test)?
|
30
|
- Start with the right math course; the skills build from one course to
the next. Take the res=
t of
your math courses one at a time, in order.
- Do some of the homework as soon as possible after class, before you
forget.
- Try to practice math every day.
- To manage anxiety, learn simple relaxation techniques such as slow, =
deep
breathing.
|
31
|
- Make sure you are actively DOING something when you study.
- Make study cards.
- Draw pictures or diagrams.
- Solve lots of problems; check your answers.
- Check your understanding by explaining how to do a problem to anoth=
er
student.
- Create a practice test for yourself. Work it in the same amount=
of
time you’ll be given in class.
|
32
|
- neuron
- dendrite
- synapse
- neurotransmitters
- myelin
- adrenaline
- endorphins
|
33
|
|