Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu

Plasticity
 Brains
change
 Use it or lose it

Top-down Processing
 Fit
it in frameworks
 What are your/their expectations?

Optimal Arousal
 Depends

on task
Selective Brain Development
 Works
in progress
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Try It…
Seated to the
LEFT?
 Check out picture
 Close eyes

Seated to the
RIGHT?
 Close eyes
 When asked,
check out picture

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Psychology and Neurons
Tying human behavior to neurons
is difficult.
There may be 100 billion neurons in your
nervous system.
Each neuron has many connections (within
brain average = 10K)
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Changing Brains

What changes can occur in synapses?
# (increases or decreases)
 Strength and pattern of signal
 Character (excitation or inhibition)


Changed by:
Use
 Importance of signal

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Long term potentiation
Think about each term
 Change in neuronal response due to
experience
 Could be easier to fire
 Or release more chemicals
 All because of previous firing

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Plasticity

Neuronal changes produced by
experience


Spines on dendrites can appear within
minutes of stimulation
Existing structure will play a role, be
modified

We’ll have to pay attention to existing
knowledge
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Changing Brains

Neuronal response is enhanced if:

Stimulation is repeated
 Distributed

Saturation avoided
 Smaller

practice
chunks
Making connections

Depth of processing
 Highlighters

and flash cards don’t cut it
Overlearned/overlapping
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Will they remember everything
from intro?
No, but may experience the
 Faster relearning as
connections are reestablished
and strengthened

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
BRIDGE and the Brain

Focus of BRIDGE
Scholarship of teaching
 Discipline-based epistemology
 Classroom experimentation


Themes across three years
Content coverage vs. mastery
 Transition from novice to expert
 Backward design

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Maximize Savings
Assignment Design
 Manage the timing of
assignments to
include review and
reuse of critical
concepts
 Increase the
frequency of
assignments
 Include practice with
smaller chunks

BRIDGE examples
Increasing the
meaning of reading
assignments


Ungraded assignment
sheet (did it?), can use
during exams
Learning to use
critical terms

Key term web
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Processing what comes in:
Bottom-Up

Association Cortex for integration

Primary Cortical nuclei

Thalamic nuclei

Receptor to transduce energy
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Processing what comes in:
Top-Down

Association Cortex for integration

Primary Cortical
nuclei

Thalamic nuclei

Receptor to transduce energy
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Try It…
Seated to the
LEFT?
 Check out picture
 Close eyes
 When asked, open
eyes and blink
quickly

Seated to the
RIGHT?
 Close eyes
 When asked,
check out picture
 Then blink
repeatedly for final
slide

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Go beyond “cool”…
Make the connection explicit
 HOW you saw the second item was
influenced by your “preparation”
 Once you see it one way it is difficult, but
not impossible, to see other ways
 Reading ahead of time, slides/outlines
available can prime students to get the
lecture

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Top-Down Processing



Looking at a brain end of semester vs. first week
 Expertise
Recognizing your friend from really far away b/c you
knew she would be here
 Expectations
Hearing the words to the song so clearly once you
read the lyrics
 20-20 Hindsight
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Reality
Raw sensory (biological) info
 + past experiences
 + context
 + motivation
 + expectations...

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu

“The Last Supper is supposed to be thirteen
men. Who is this woman?” Although
Sophie had seen this classic image many
times, she had not once noticed this glaring
discrepancy. “Everyone misses it,” Teabring
said. “Our preconceived notions of this
scene are so powerful that our mind blocks
out the incongruity and overrides our eyes.”
Dan Brown, Da Vinci Code
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Top-down and Teaching
 Be
aware of biases, prior info
 Can
we think like Novices?
 The
obvious is NOT obvious
 We see details, students need to be
SHOWN
 Framework,
 Point
knowledge reminders
out patterns, themes
 Encourage/reward
reading before
class
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Existing neural
networks/knowledge=
Top-down processing

Use for:
Examples…concrete, interesting
 Vocabulary breakdown
 Group work, explanations from students
 Teaching approach

 Memory
of own student habits
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Existing neural
networks/knowledge
• Help students find their own networks
What does this make you think of?
 What makes this memorable to you?
 Use from one semester to another and/or one
class session to another (supplemental
instructor/tutor)


Language and/or technology barriers
“comparing apples to oranges”
 “I can do it on my computer at home”

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
1.Orient
2.Familiarity
alters
processing
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
What if their “top” is wrong?

Focus on factually and conceptually
correct information
Asterisks in notes
 Error in previous thinking- show how it fits in

 Freud
 Negative
correlation, negative reinforcement
 Polygraph
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Attention: More Filters
The Brain sees what it wants to see, not
just what you put in front of it
 Same stimuli can be on retina- only cause
brain response when attended to
 Optimal level of arousal

Engagement/rewards
 Depth of processing again

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Managing Attention
Assignment Design
 Know what is
important and make
that apparent
 Match course
contingencies to real
value of activities
 Influence student
perceptions of value



BRIDGE examples
Should students have
class notes on
Blackboard (web)?
Value of practice and
homework
What happens when
you assign work that
isn’t completed?
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Teacher sees important details, students
need to be shown
 E.g. purpose of assignments (“busy
work!”) syllabus design can
include(w/recurring patterns) purpose,
points, procedure

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
10 Minute Reading Reinforcers (RR)
Purpose: Reinforce review of correct quiz answers and previous class
notes as well as active reading of current chapter.
Procedure: Twice during each unit several questions (usually multiple
choice) will be projected during the first 10 minutes of class. Please
bring a pencil to class everyday (there is a sharpener just outside the
classroom on counter in TLC office space). Notes can be used; the text
book cannot. Latecomers will miss that day’s reinforcer. Answers will be
discussed immediately afterwards. Because this is not intended to take
more than 10 minutes of class time, if you have an Individual Education
Plan (IEP) through Rider Learning Center that recommends longer time
on assessments please advocate for yourself by discussing this with me
early in the semester. You should plan regular times throughout the
week to read the text and review your notes. Plan on reading about 30
pages per class session on average.
Points: 9(5) = 45 points possible (can skip one w/out penalty or drop
lowest) [12.7% of grade]
Stayed Aroused Helps Us
Pay Attention
Tasks of
avg.
difficulty
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Optimal arousal level high for easy or
passive tasks
Tasks of low
difficulty:
lecture,
driving
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Optimal arousal level low for difficult
tasks
Tasks of
high
difficulty:
stressful
exam
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
So Why Doesn’t Fun
Stuff Always Work?
Increase arousal but students can miss
the point
 Improvements= add REFLECTION


Games as review for test
 List

topics strongest/weakest in
Sensory illusions
 Use
vocab words to summarize what was
demonstrated
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Selective Brain Development
Still have some growing to do
 Problem is, it is in the region that
manages:

Planning
 Response inhibition
 Emotional regulation
 Organization

Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
PFC and Teaching

Encourage planning


Model applications/abstractions


Piaget
Use action to complete learning cycle


Interim deadlines
Group work to test ideas, promote outward
use of terms and concepts
Encourage metacognition

Knowing what you know, reflection
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Long term planning
Assignment Design
 Anticipate needs for
long term planning
 Use assignments that
build on each other

BRIDGE examples
Adding preprofessional activities
to assignments


interview
Linked assignments
that create planning

Intermediate deadlines
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Models at our fingertips, FPOT, synapse
Maximize savings, LTP,
distributed processing
Be aware of and use existing knowledge,
obvious is not!, maintain arousal and
direct attention
Selective, Promote and model abstraction, longterm planning, active use of material
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
The Art of Changing the Brain:
Enriching the practice of teaching by
exploring the biology of learning
James E. Zull 2002
http://Styluspup.com