Chapter 2: What Brain Research Tells Us About Learner
Differences
By understanding brain research teachers can better understand their students. The better
a teacher understands his or her students the more able he or she is able to present content
material in a way that best engages students, providing relevance and making the material
“real” to the students. A teacher who can not engage his/her students and can not make
the material relevant to students will not be successful in getting students to truly
internalize and understand the material.
 Brain as a massive network of neurons
o Cortex contains 1 trillion neurons linked by 10 trillion connections
o These networks develop in certain patterns, but their actual design varies from
person to person
 The overall network is composed of smaller, specialized networks that
work together to coordinate our thoughts and actions
o Recognition networks: Used to sense patterns and assign meaning to them; allow
us to identify and understand information
 Example: Recognizing and categorizing objects in a room even when you
can see only parts of them
o Strategic networks: Used to generate and monitor mental patterns and physical
actions; allow us to plan, execute, and monitor actions
 Example: Picking up scissors differently when intending to cut paper or
hand them to someone
o Affective networks: Used to evaluate patterns and assign emotional meaning to
them; allow us to engage with tasks, learning, and the surrounding world
 Example: Reactions to Rorschach inkblots
d
- Figure 2.11 Affective Networks
This medial view of the brain shows the limbic lobe, site of the
affective networks. The limbic lobe includes primitve cortical tissue
(stippled area), the fontal lobes, and underlying cortical structures
(hippocampus and dentate gyrus, not shown).
 Processing is distributed, allowing different types of information to be
processed at the same time
o Lateral distribution: Allows simultaneous processing of different characteristics
(e.g., shape and color) due to different brain regions working in parallel
o Hierarchical distribution: Allows simultaneous processing of sensory
information (“bottom-up” processing based on input from senses) and contextual
information (“top-down” processing based on prior knowledge, mood, attentiveness,
etc.).
 Examples of bottom-up processing:

Recognizing letters by shape, identifying the words they
spell, accessing their meaning, and eventually
understanding the sentence

Picking up a new skill gradually through hands-on practice

Being startled by a sudden movement before you notice it’s
just a squirrel

Examples of top-down processing:

Recognizing an entire word at once, based in part on
context and expectations. This may result in proofreading
errors because you see what you expect to see.

Picking up a new skill by watching someone else perform a
task

Practicing self-restraint and deliberately calming yourself
when upset
 Classroom Significance:
o Presenting material in a variety of ways can help overcome individual
weaknesses in recognition/strategic/affective networks or problems with
either bottom-up or top-down processing
o Diversification – presenting information in a variety of ways allows for
students to receive it in the way that best fits their learning style
o ALL STUDENTS ARE UNIQUE!!!! Respect this and use it to play to
their individual strengths
o Look for students’ strengths and use them to help overcome their
weaknesses: SCAFFOLD; IEPs should provide support for known
weaknesses.
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Good planning skills may not include good self-monitoring
skills for executing the plan
Good research skills may not include good organizational
skills
Strong logical reasoning may or may not be accompanied
by strong emotional control.
Excellent performance in one subject may not result in
excellent performance in another.
o
Teachers need to teach students:
 Study skills
 Time Management
 Self-Monitoring