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This was a presentation of a class project for a grad course in Brain Based Teaching & Learning. Find techniques that were implemented and the results.
About the Project Description of Setting
Goals
Techniques, Results, and the Brain
Did I Achieve my Goals?
Our Textbook 
Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen
Resources to Learn More Links | Books & Music
Description of Setting top - I teach in a kindergarten classroom consisting of 22 students.
- The children's ages range from 5 to 7 years of age
- Three students have speech/language instruction 60-90 minutes per week.
- Two students receive special tutoring at least 30 minutes per week through the At-Risk program.
- Three students have been retained (two of which transferred here from other schools).
- During the course of this semester, we've had three friends move away, while three new students have joined our class.
Types of Students and Goals top Global Focus on the Classroom Environment I need to change the way I manage activities in the classroom to create a safe environment for learning. Also, I want to improve the sense of community because many of my students fight with one another on a daily basis. | | Perfect
Student | Interesting Student | Groaner
Student |  | My perfect student is a successful and motivated learner. Her learning is supported at home by parents who encourage her to learn and behave her best. She has good relationships with her classmates. | My interesting student falls behind in class work. She seems distracted, and occasionally adds to classroom discussion. She is sometimes motivated, but most work is not completed. Motivated or not, everything is done slowly, from writing her name to eating snack. She also struggles in her relationships with other children in the classroom. | My groaner student is a constant disruption to every aspect of the day. He is impulsive and active which often results in altercations with other students in the classroom and at recess. During instruction, he either calls our answers and concerns, or bothers other students. Otherwise, he is quite creative, catches on quickly, and seems to enjoy learning. |  | I would like my perfect student to work with and support other learners in the classroom. | I would like my interesting student to become a consistent, active participant in classroom activities, and to complete projects in a timely manner. | I would like my groaner sudent to minimize interruptions and to gain control of his actions against other students. | Brain-Based Techniques Implemented in my Classroom top | Technique | Results | How this relates to the brain | | water bottles, more bathroom breaks | Most students have a water bottle from which to drink freely. With increased hydration, the students needed more bathroom breaks. I don't have thirsty students anymore! They can also tell me why it's important to drink water. | According to Jensen, research has shown that dehydration causes higher salt levels in the blood which in turn raises blood pressure and stress. Also, since the brain is made up of more water than any other organ in the body, dehydration takes a toll quickly. It causes a loss of attentiveness, and lethargy (26). | | morning snack | We have a small snack, drinks, and they are ready to listen. No complaints about hunger anymore! | Jensen suggests eating certain types of food for optimal learning like fruits and vegetables, nuts, and lean meats (25).
While we did not eat these types of foods, we know that the brain needs energy and children need to be comfortable in order to learn. | | provide breaks between activities | We started taking our bathroom break in the middle of our reading time rather than before or after. When we moved on after the break, they were more focused and ready to work. | According to Jensen, movement can help focus attention (44). He also suggests providing processing time after teaching in order for students to solidify learning. This, however, pertains more to down time when external stimuli is shut down and allows the brain to make associations (47). | | change schedule to fit students' needs | I decided to schedule work time when they were ready to work, and rest time when they were ready to rest. After lunch, we have centers or instructional time. After snack, we have rest time. Everybody's happy! | Jensen says everyone has natural attentional highs and lows throughout the day. Teachers should take advantage of these cycles rather than fight them. (44 - 45). | | have positive interactions with students | I try to personally greet each student when they arrive in the morning, and I am more aware of what I say to students. | Threats biologically impair a student's ability to learn. In his book, Jensen points out that there are three areas of threats: threats from outside class, threats from other students, and threats from the teacher. The teacher can control threats from him or herself and threats from other students (59). | | improved transitions | The children now have a set routine they follow during transitions, and I ALWAYS warn them 5 minutes ahead of time. | Like threats, stress also biologically impairs a student's ability to learn. Knowing what to expect and establishing a routine helps reduce stress. | | rearranged the room | The furniture was rearranged to provide more space, and to more comfortably seat students. I added a small table for my groaner, which made table time much easier for him. | The new arrangement reduced stress by allowing students to have more personal space, and see the front of the room without having to turn their chairs around. | | vary learning activities | We used musical instruments to find beats in words, cut apart sentence strips and used our bodies to order words in sentences, played rhyming games, and cut back on activities with less active student involvement. | "We remember that which is most emotionally laden," says Jensen. Emotions stimulate our brains to recall things better. Choosing activities which are new, or require students to engage their emotions, faciliates learning (79-80). Novel activities also attract attention. | Did I Achieve my Goals? top Classroom as a Whole I have less stress, so the students probably have less stress. Student behavior was much improved after I implemented these techniques. I also have not noticed my students fight with one another like they had in the past. I want to continue working on reducing threats and stress for my students. Perfect, Interesting, and Groaner Children Nothing really changed, other than classroom environment, for the perfect and interesting children. The groaner still needs help in many areas. Changing the seating arrangement helped his behavior at the tables, and a more structured transition time helped greatly as well.
Links top Jensen Learning Corporation The Latest on How the Brain Works Westmark School - Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, Brain Development Teaching Kids about the Brain Neuroscience for Kids Dana Alliance Neuroscience Education Resources Mind Over Matter - Grades 5-9 - Learn how drugs affect the brain Books top Available at amazon.com Teaching with the brain in mind - Eric Jensen Brain-Based Learning & Teaching - Eric Jensen The Learning Brain - Eric Jensen Introduction to Brain Compatible Learning - Eric Jensen Brain Compatible Strategies - Eric Jensen Magic Trees of the Mind - Marian Diamond Your Child's Growing Mind - A guide to learning and brain development from birth through adolescence - Jane Healy Making Connections - Teaching & the Human Brain - Renate Nummela Caine & Geoffrey Caine How the Brain Learns - with learning manual - David Sousa Music Build Your Baby's Brain - Through the Power of Music Music for Mothers-to-be - Lullabies for Mother and Child | 
