Sara Newton
Knowing Your Brain
It
Just
Makes
Sense
http://www.educationplanet.com/search/Science_and_Engi
neering/Life_Sciences/Biology/Anatomy/Brain_Anatomy/
Brain_Anatomy
Learning – What is It?
 Define It; Measure It; What do you learn
best?; How do you learn?
Thinking About Thinking
(Blakey and Spence, 1990)
 Metacognition
is knowing what we know
and knowing what we don’t know.
 A thinker’s job is management of thinking.
 Strategies include:
• connecting new information to former
knowledge
• selecting thinking strategies deliberately
• planning, monitoring, and evaluating thinking
processes
It Imparts Ownership
(Howard, 1994, pp. 236-239)
Metacognition
improves learning
 Knowing which of your
Multiple Intelligences
are the strongest will
help you formulate
strategies for
improved learning.

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm
It Makes Sense
(Visser, 1996)
http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm
Use your stronger intelligences first to build
solid foundation.
 Then approach from other perspectives to
fortify.

It is Content Specific

http://www.educationplanet.com/search/Science_and_Engineering/Life_Scien
ces/Biology/Anatomy/Brain_Anatomy/Brain_Anatomy
(Guild, 1998)
To learn how your
brain works will
make learning the
anatomy and
physiology of the
brain more
meaningful.
What Are My Strengths?
 Perceived by Howard Gardner, Multiple
Intelligences are seven different ways to
demonstrate intellectual ability. (An eighth
intelligence - the naturalist - has been added.)
descriptions are from http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm
The following
Visual/Spatial Intelligence

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The ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to
think in pictures and need to create vivid mental images
to retain information. They enjoy looking at maps, charts,
pictures, videos, and movies.
Their skills include:
puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of
direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps
through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical
objects, interpreting visual images.
Possible career interests:
navigators, sculptors, visual artists, inventors, architects, interior designers,
mechanics, engineers
Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence



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
The ability to use words and language. These learners
have highly developed auditory skills and are generally
elegant speakers. They think in words rather than
pictures.
Their skills include:
listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor,
understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information,
convincing someone of their point of view, analyzing language usage.
Possible career interests:
Poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, translator
Logical/Mathematical
Intelligence

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The ability to use reason, logic and numbers. These learners
think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making
connections between pieces of information. Always curious
about the world around them, these learner ask lots of
questions and like to do experiments.
Their skills include:
problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract
concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of
reason to make local progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and
wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations,
working with geometric shapes
Possible career paths:
Scientists, engineers, computer programmers, researchers, accountants,
mathematicians
Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence



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The ability to control body movements and handle objects
skillfully. These learners express themselves through
movement. They have a good sense of balance and eye-hand
co-ordination. (e.g. ball play, balancing beams). Through
interacting with the space around them, they are able to
remember and process information.
Their skills include:
dancing, physical co-ordination, sports, hands on experimentation, using body
language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, expressing
emotions through the body
Possible career paths:
Athletes, physical education teachers, dancers, actors, firefighters, artisans
Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

The ability to produce and appreciate music. These musically
inclined learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They
immediately respond to music either appreciating or
criticizing what they hear. Many of these learners are extremely
sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping
taps).



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Their skills include:
singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns,
composing music, remembering melodies, understanding the structure and rhythm of
music
Possible career paths:
musician, disc jockey, singer, composer
Naturalist Intelligence





The ability to observe and understand patterns in the natural
environment. A naturalist shows expertise in recognizing and
classifying plants and animals.
Their skills include:
sorting, classifying, collecting and categorizing, shrewdly distinguishing between
variations
Possible career paths:
molecular biologist, medicine and herbal remedies specialist, analyist, ecologist,
urban planner
Interpersonal Intelligence

The ability to relate and understand others. These learners try to see
things from other people's point of view in order to understand how
they think and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to sense
feelings, intentions and motivations. They are great organizers.
Generally they try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage
co-operation.They use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal
language (e.g. eye contact, body language) to open communication
channels with others.

Their skills include:

seeing things from other perspectives, listening, using empathy, understanding other people's
moods and feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's moods, motivations
and intentions, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict
resolution, establishing positive relations with other people.

Possible Career Paths:

Counselor, salesperson, politician, business person
Intrapersonal Intelligence

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The ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's inner state
of being. These learners try to understand their inner
feelings, dreams, relationships with others, and strengths
and weaknesses.
Their Skills include:
Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing
themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their
thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship
to others
Possible Career Paths:
Researchers, theorists, philosophers
Brain Structure and Function
General
to
Specific
llustration from The three units of the human Brain Júlio Rocha do Amaral, & Jorge Martins de Oliveira
MacLean’s Triune Brain Theory
“three interconnected biological computers” MacLean (as cited on Web Page)

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Image from
#1 - The Reptilian Brain is
geared for survival.
It is the oldest brain. It
consists of the structures of
the brain stem - medulla, pons,
cerebellum, midbrain.
This brain controls muscles,
balance and autonomic
functions, such as breathing
and heartbeat. This part of the
brain is active, even in deep
sleep.
://psyc.uwec.edu/km/375triune.htm
http://www.kheper.auz.com/gaia/intelligence/MacLean.htm#triune
MacLean’s Triune Brain Theory

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
#2 - The Limbic System
adds the capacity for
emotion and coordination
of movement.
concerned with emotions and
instincts, feeding, fighting,
fleeing, and sexual behavior.
Physiologically, it includes the
the hypothalamus,
hippocampus, and amygdala.
It has vast interconnections
with the neocortex
MacLean’s Triune Brain Theory



# 3 - The Neocortex allows
for the higher cognitive
functions. MacLean refers to
the cortex as "the mother of
invention and father of abstract
thought".
The cortex is divided into left and
right hemispheres. The left half of
the cortex controls the right side
of the body and the right side of the
brain the left side of the body.
The right brain is more spatial,
abstract, musical and artistic,
while the left brain more linear,
rational, and verbal.
More Detail
(Martini, 1998, pp. 445-473)
Cerebrum
Midbrain
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus
Pituitary gland
Pons
Amygdala
Cerebellum
Medulla
Oblongata
Reptilian (#1)
(Sylwester,1995, pp. 39-44)
Midbrain
•process visual
and auditory
•maintain
consciousness
•reflex
generation
•RAS
Thalamus
•relay and
processing
center for
sensory
data(from outside
the body)
•hallucinations
Pons
•bridge cerebellum to brain stem
•facial motor control
Cerebellum
Medulla
Oblongata
•brain to spine
•relays sensory
information
•adjusts ongoing movement patterns on basis of
sensory data and stored memories
•maintain balance and equilibrium
Limbic System (#2)
(Nunley, 1999)
Hypothalamus
•Hunger, sex
drive, thirst,
hormones,
temperature
(sensory data from
inside)
Amygdala
•Sophisticated emotions (love, joy, kindness)
•filters and interprets incoming sensory data
Hippocampus
•Connects the
other two
•stores new
memories
Frontal (solves, decides,
moves)
Parietal
(feels)
Neocortex #3
(Cerebrum)
•thin covering
of cortex but
70% of brain
cells
•higher level
functions
Temporal
(hears
& smells)
Broca’s Area
Speechbreathing and
vocalization
Wernicke’s Area
Interprets what
is seen or heard
Occipital
(sees)
Learning Pathways
Neuron to Neuron
 The brain is a collection of specialized
cells called neurons.
 Information travels from one neuron to the
next: axon synapse
dendrite axon
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/neurok.html
Learning Pathways
Some links grow while others fade
“A single neuron may be
involved in many pathways.
So strengthening a neuron
used for one project may have
additional benefits if it is also
used for other tasks.” (Nunley, p.25)
•Each time you learn
something new, new
dendrites are grown on
your neurons to
communicate with other
neurons.
•connections = pathways
•Those not used are
pruned out to make way
for stronger pathways.
•The more a pathway is
used, the easier it is to
access.
Learning Pathways
Thoughts involve communication from many
areas of the brain (Nunley)
 you see the apple
 memories of
apple pie and milk
 anticipate taste and
salivate
 coordinate arm to
bring it to mouth
 new memory - yuck! A
worm
A.p.p.l.e.
Learning Pathways
Storage of the information can vary (Fishback, 1998)
 Sensations enter your brain and are
temporarily stored in Short-Term Memory
 Your brain decides whether to consolidate
the memory into Long-Term Memory
(Limbic system is an active player)
 Memories are separated and then
distributed in different regions of your
brain.
Learning Pathways
Storage of the information can vary (Martini, 1998, p.505)
Repetition
Promotes
Retention
Sensory
Input
Short-Term
Consolidation
Memory
?
Long-Term
Memory
?
Visualizing Brain Activity
CT (Computed
PET- (photon/positron
MRI (magnetic resonance
Tomography) A beam
of x-rays is shot
straight through the
brain.
emission computed tomography)
When radio-labeled compounds
are injected in tracer amounts,
their photon emissions can be
detected much like x-rays in CT.
imaging) When protons are
placed in a magnetic field,
they become capable of
receiving and then
transmitting electromagnetic
energy.
http://www.med.harvard.edu/AANLIB/home.html
A Lot To Remember
Apply
what you
know
to
learn
http://www.educationplanet.com/search/Science_and_Engineering/Life_Sciences
/Biology/Anatomy/Brain_Anatomy/Brain_Anatomy
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