Teaching With the Brain in Mind

Teaching with the Brain in Mind
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to create a weekly mind-map for review. The mindmap
has a central organizing theme (like an
author, a science topic, or a math concept). The
outlying branches provide the detail.
We remember material best when it’s structured
and meaningful. Teachers might want to put
the most important material first and last, so it’s
recalled better. Open and close the class with the
three most important words or concepts for the
day. Use music, props, or costumes to introduce
them. Or, use openings for personal or controversial
discussions that engage students emotionally.
At the close, ask students to share what they have
learned with their classmates.
In addition, wholes taught before parts are
recalled better. Whether the subject is a Shakespearean
play or an assignment in anatomy, our
mind recalls best with context, a global understanding,
and complete pictures to remember. You
might introduce Shakespeare by showing a modern
video first or making a pictorial overview map.
Once students understand the relevance and overall
themes, the details and deeper studying makes
more sense. In anatomy, studying the whole body
first will yield a better grasp of the parts.
Use poster-type peripherals to create more
visually effective contexts. Have students draw out,
organize, or symbolize key points on poster paper.
Make sure they are easy to read, use illustrations,
and feature strong colors. Put the overview up on
the wall and leave it up weeks after the learning.
Make and use storyboards (like oversized cartoonlike
comic strip panels) of your key ideas. Better
yet, ask students to make them.
Peer teaching and sharing works, too. Ask students
to teach others what they’ve learned. They
can pair up with others in different grade levels or
with an adult. Create opportunities for students to
discuss their learning, to debrief it and teach small
chunks of it. Students can summarize in their own
words what they have just learned. This is most
effective when they are asked to analyze or break
down their learning into smaller distinctions. Studies
show (Matthews 1977) that it is the analysis of
the material that aids in the recall of it.
What else do we know about recall? You
remember most any learning that was temporarily
interrupted. Cliffhangers do work! Introduce a
pressing, relevant problem to solve, and leave
brainstorming for solutions until the next day. We
better recall material when we have reorganized it
again and again. In a classroom, weather could be
understood from the point of view of benefits or
damage done, its geography, mythology, past meteorological
history, or the impact of technology.
Attitude is important. Tell students, “Yes, you
can.” Start with a new attitude about memory and
recall. Avoid saying, “Oops, I have to go back. I
forgot something.” A more accurate statement is,
“Hey, I just remembered something; I’ve got to go
back.” In other words, you never forget anything;
you just remembered it later than you wanted to!
Episodic Strategies
The movie Dead Poets Society showed examples of
why students recalled so much of their learning.
There were changes in location, circumstances, use
of emotions, movement, and novel classroom positions.
We know that learners remember much
more when the learning is connected to a field
trip, music, a disaster, a guest speaker, or a novel
learning location. Follow up with a discussion,
journal writing, a project, or peer teaching. Use