Active Learning
Learning With the Brain
In Mind
Ann Anzalone
ann.anzalone@gmail.com
Three Most Important Exercises
Integrating Both Sides of the Brain
The Cross Crawl 2x a day
Sit down. Do 28 puppet movements. (Puppet movements touch the elbow of the right
arm to the right knee and the elbow of the left arm to the left knee.)
Do 28 crossover movements. (Crossover movements touch the elbow of the
right arm to the left knee and the elbow of the left arm to the right knee.)
Do 14 puppets
Do 14 crossovers
Do 10 puppets
Do 10 crossovers
The Wayne Cook Posture
Sit down. Fold hands. The thumb of the hand that is on top is the ankle to cross on top.
Extend arms and cross the arm of the thumb on top over the other arm. Point thumbs
down. Wave at the fingers. Fold hands. Draw hands to chest, like a pretzel. Take ten
deep breathes with the tongue on the roof of the mouth to breathe in, down to breathe out.
Uncross ankles, put fingertips together. Rest hands with finger tips touching on lap.
Take ten more breathes.
Donna Eden, Energy Medicine, New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1998.
Thymus Thump
Rapidly, tap chest on both sides of the collar bone at the same time. Resets the body’s
balance.
Water
Weight divided by 3 = number of ounces needed daily
# of ounces divided by 8 = number of glasses of water needed daily
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Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicated 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly
ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers; 5 glasses per day decreases
risk of colon cancer by 45%, slashes risk of breast cancer by 79% and decreases
bladder cancer by 50%
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with
basic math and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Fruit juice, soft drinks, coffee and tea are all diuretics—they fail to provide
neutral pH water because the sugars bind to the water and are treated as food by
the brain.
Carla Hannaford, Ph.D. Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head. Utah:
Great River Books. 2005.
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GAMES
Teach problem solving skills by teaching students to:
 Plan moves by examining many possibilities
 Think about consequences of actions
 Plan ahead more than one step at a time
 Visualize future moves and to Pay attention
ZOOM: Students stand in a circle. One person starts the game by looking to his/her
left or right and says, “Zoom.” The next person says “Zoom” to the person next to
him/her in the same direction. “Zoom” continues until someone puts the brakes on. Any
one in the circle can put the “brakes” on at any time by saying, “Eek!” When “Eek” is
said, “Zoom” has to go around the other way.
PEANUT BUTTER POINT: Students stand in a circle. One person places his/her
hand flat under his/her chin pointing in either direction and says, “Peanut”. The person
being pointed to, places an arm over his/her head pointing in either direction and says,
“Butter”. The person being pointed to, points to anyone in the circle and says, “Point”.
The person being pointed to, places his/her hand flat under his/her chin pointing in either
direction and says, “Peanut”. The game continues. If someone is out, he/she becomes a
heckler for the players still in the circle. The heckler’s job is to distract the other players
so that they also become hecklers. Continue playing until 1or 2 players remain in the
circle.
LITERACY
teach literacy: song, dance, play, joking, improvisation, recitation, hear stories, made-up
or read aloud; retell; learn to speak well, increase vocabulary
through rhetorical practice
Good readers grow out of good reciters and good speakers.
young people talk themselves into a wholeness; they hear out loud how they feel; without
practice in storytelling inner life never fills out and takes shape; by swapping stories a
person learns he does not have to accept things as they are; can conjure up his/her own
world and manipulate it to his/her own liking
fewer children enter the world of orality; it is harder to learn to read because children
haven’t practiced or been taught the art of oral recitation; they learn orality by imitation
and participation; reading and writing must be learned; practice begins in orality
Literacy is the transformation of speech into a visual act.
Barry Sanders. A is for Ox Violence, Electronic Media, and the Silencing of the Written Word.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1994.
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SO EACH MAY LEARN
DR. HARVEY SILVER
There isn’t a strong correlation between ability and achievement.
Dr. Harvey Silver
4 A’s
1.
2.
3.
4.
Attention
Dr. David Walsh

Reactive attention: connected to the emotional system; involuntary,
hardwired, automatic, instinctive; responds to movement, sudden change and
emotion
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Focused attention: connected to the prefrontal cortex; needs to be

developed, helps to develop critical thinking skills, reflection, synthesis, critical
analysis
prefrontal cortex is responsible for thinking ahead, considering consequences,
assessing risks, managing emotional impulses and urges
focuses on one thing at a time sequentially.

Memory is the key to learning.
Memory is not retention but attention.
Jim Quik
Encode
store
retrieve
remember
Memory scaffolding is built by conversation;
the more elaborate the scaffolding, the more knowledge the child has.
The key to language success is conversation.
Language develops with repetition and practice.
Words are the tools of thinking
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Human Bingo
Directions: Play cover all. Find someone who can do each of the following and write
his/her name in the square. You may write one “free” wherever you choose.
Likes to read
several books at a
time
Sings
Likes to do one
thing at a time
Journals
Remembers names
Watches the news
Before going to sleep
Watches movies
more than once
Likes to read only
one book at a time
Remembers faces
Fidgets
Keeps piles on
the desk
Likes video
games
Does yoga
Gardens
Draws
Exercises regularly
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ARITHMETIC TIME TEST
Directions: Complete the problems as quickly as you can. In the following problems +
means divide, X means subtract,  means add, and – means multiply.
42 = __________
21 = __________
7-3 = __________
8+2 = __________
7x2 = __________
5-4 = __________
6+3 = __________
42 = __________
73 = __________
6-3 = __________
84 = __________
9+3 = __________
9x2 = __________
62 = __________
7x2 = __________
4-2 = __________
8+4 = __________
10+5= __________
6x3 = __________
12x1 = __________
8 -2 = __________
63 = __________
12+2 = __________
12x2= __________
102 = __________
3-2 = __________
5x3 = __________
6+3 = __________
4+2 = __________
4x2 = __________
3x 2 = __________
82 = __________
7- 2 = __________
10+2= __________
7+1 = __________
10-2 = __________
4x3 = __________
10x2 = __________
10-5= __________
6+3 = ________
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Brain Speed
a key to learning success
Brain speed
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is how fast the brain processes what is going on, around and within you
determines attention, alertness, learning, memory, decision making, problem solving,
mental clarity
determines how efficiently the mind works.
reflects how quickly memories can be recalled, questions answered, problems solved and
decisions made.
the faster your brain processing speed, the more focused you are, the more you take in
and learn, the more you remember, the quicker you make sound, split-second decisions
and react
the faster you can mentally recite or rehearse long list of items, the better you remember
Play games like: Jeopardy, Concentration, Memory, Boggle (www.wordSplay.net),
Scrabble, Set (set daily puzzle www.setgame.com)
Work puzzles, word searches, Sudoku
Answer Questions www.freerice.com
Do mental math.
Memorize poems.
Make ABC lists.
Read aloud.
Practice Brain Age games www.memory-improvement-tips.com
www.freebrainagegames.com
Speed stack cup stacking
Exercise Brain Gym Infinity Walk Bal-A-Vis-X
Handwriting affects the ability to read, spell and comprehend.
Dr. Rosa Hagin 2002
Ability to write fluently connects to the ability to speak fluently.
Writing solidifies thinking and takes reasoning to a higher level.
Kathleen Ricards Hopkins Teaching How to Learn in a What-to-Learn Culture
Language is the key to making connections.
Oral language directs and develops thinking processes.
Vygotsky Thoughts and Language
Writing is the doing part of thinking.
When writing, one is processing what heard or read.
Bonnie Terry
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Impact on Student Achievement
Eric Jensen. Game-Changers. Workshop San Antonio, TX 2013
Put each of these in order from having the Highest to Lowest impact on student
achievement.
Mastery learning
Homework
Teacher clarity
Feedback, F/S assessment
Aims & policies of the school
Peer tutoring
Teacher-student relationships
Expectations by student
Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers. Routlege Press. 2011.
Which factor is a far greater predictor of student success than IQ?
Reading scores
Motivation level
Math scores
Attitude
Working memory
Alloway T.P. & Alloway, R. G. 2010
The new science of skill building is n___________________.
The rules are
1. Students must buy in to it. Skills must be coherent to the student.
2. Students' brains need error correction
3. Students need skill practice 5-10 minutes /day for 8-15 weeks
4. Skills must be of increasing difficulty. Greater complexity means better transference.
5. Once they get it right, they still need repetition.
6. Skill building needs to be in all subject areas.
Skill practice:
Study skills:
Memory skills:
Priority skills:
organizing, study, memory, attention, note taking
reading, skimming for key ideas, asking Qs, pre-reading, summarizing
acronyms, loci method, color, association,
urgent, important, use of lists, daily checklists, task management
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High Return Achievement Factors

S____________ E___________________
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Hope and growth mindset

F_________________

Relationships

T_____________ S_________________

Vocabulary instruction and test scores are correlated with increased gray matter
density. Lee H. Devlin et al. Anatomical traces of vocabulary acquistion in the adolescent
brain. J Neurosci, Jan 31:27 (5) 1184-9

Changing pre-test state with free 10 minute writing activity boosted test scores 517% Write how feeling about upcoming test
Ramirez G and Beilock SL. 2011 Writing about test worries boost exam performance in
classroom Science Jan 14: 331 6014 211-3
 Reading with the left index finger underlining the words increases reading speed
25-50%. The eyes are attracted to the motion and attention follows. The senses
work together. Sight and touch are connected.
Jim Kwik
 Faster readers comprehend better because of better focus. Reading one word at a
time starves the brain for focus.
What is the greatest motivator to humans in the workplace?
Recognition for good work
Incentives for work will done
Management support
Interpersonal support
Clear achievable goals
Making progress
Eric Jensen. Game-Changers. Workshop San Antonio, TX 2013
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A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amen, Daniel, M.D. Making a Good Brain Great. NY: Harmony Books. 2005.
Bradley, Michael. Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy! WA: Harbor Press. 2002.
Birkenbihl, Vera. Memory Optimizer. MN: Learning Strategies Corp. 2001.
Dennison, Paul E. and Gail E. Dennison. Brain Gym. Teacher's Edition. California:
Edu-Kinesthetics Inc. 2010.
Gurian, Michael. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! CA: Jossey-Bass. 2001.
Hannaford, Carla. Smart Moves. Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head.
Virginia: Great River Books. 2005.
Jensen, Eric. Enriching the Brain How to Maximize Every Learner's Potential.
Ca: Jossey-Bass. 2008.
Jensen, Eric. Teaching With the Brain In Mind. Virginia: ASCD. 2005.
Lemov, Doug. Teach Like A Chamnpion. 49 Techniques That Put Your Students On the
Path to College. CA: Jossey-Bass. 2010.
Melillo, Robert. Dr. Disconnected Kids. New York: Penguin Group. 2009.
Masgutova, Svetlana, Ph.D. and Nelly Aknmatova, Ph.D. Integration of Dynamic
Postural Reflexes Into the Whole Body Movement System. Poland: International
Neurokinesiology Institute. 2004.
O’Dell, Nancy PhD. and Patricia Cook PhD. Stopping ADHD. New York: Avery
Publishing Group, Inc. 2004.
Restak, Richard. M.D. Think Smart. A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your
Brain's Performance. NY: Riverhead Trade. 2010.
Scheele, Paul R. and Cheryl Hiltibran. Memory Optimizer Accelerator. MN: Learning
Strategies Corp. 2004.
Simontacchi, Carol. The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our
Brains and Harming Our Children. New York: Tarcher. 2007.
Sousa, Dr. David. How the Brain Learns to Read. CA: Corwin Press. 2005.
Sunbeck, Deborah, Ph.D. Infinity Walk. California: Jalmar Press. 1996.
Walsh, David. PhD. Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids. NY: Free Press. 2011.
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