Brain Education: Who Knew!?!

The brain, much like the heart, is an important part of the body and its function. However, the brain, unlike the heart, is seen as a critical piece to learning. In this week’s blog, we will discuss the manner in which the brain plays an integral part in the concept of learning and development. To begin, we must first understand the physiology of the brain. The brain can be described in sections, or hemispheres. There are four hemispheres of the cortex of the brain. The following are the four hemispheres and their primary function as noted in Learning Theories and Instruction (Ormrod, Schunk & Gredler, 2009):

Frontal lobe – Conscious thinking occurs in this lobe. Largely responsible for a variety of “human” activities such as language, attention, reasoning, decision making, planning, self-regulation, learning strategies, problem solving, consciously controlled movements and interpretation of others’ behaviors.

Parietal lobes- Receive and interpret somatosensory (Temperature, pressure, texture, pain) information

Occipital lobes – Interpreting and remembering visual information

Temporal lobes – Interpreting and remembering auditory information (Assists with long term memory)

With this understanding, we can delve into various scientific studies in relation to brain functionality and development within the realm of neuroscience and its impact on learning. In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (2000), Bransford argues that "learning adds synapses [within the brain]. Learning specific tasks brings about localized changes in the areas of the brain appropriate to the task. Learning imposes new patterns…on the brain, and this phenomenon has been confirmed by electrophysiological recordings of the activity of nerve cells"(pp. 120-121). Based upon Bransford’s view, it is important to understand that it is not the exercising of the body that keeps the brain fit it is the actual exercising of the brain that enhances our abilities to learn. If a task is repeated daily, the brain, once the task is mastered, will no longer be driven to seek for additional activity. For instance, have you ever been bored at work from the monotonous activities and in turn it feels as though the day is dragging and you have not accomplished anything. The brain has become “stagnant”. It does not require extra energy to complete the task(s) at hand so the there is no additional nerve activity. Yet, when you are approached or faced with a new challenge or project, there is a sense of difference, invigoration or energy that comes about you. The brain is in the process of being exercised and gearing up to learn and grow.

Yet Immordino-Yang and Damasio take a different approach in exploring the brain, neuroscience and its connection to learning in We Feel, Therefore We Learn: The Relevance of Affective and Social Neuroscience to Education (2007). Immordino-Yang and Damasio “…contend, however, that the relationship between learning, emotion and [the] body…runs much deeper than many educators realize and is interwoven with the notion of learning itself. It is not that emotions rule our cognition, nor that rational thought does not exist. It is, rather, that the original purpose for which our brains evolved was to manage our physiology, to optimize our survival, and to allow us to flourish” (pp. 3). This argument pushes us to evaluate our very understanding on the premise of learning. From this basis, it can be argued that emotional stability is another critical component to effective learning and building cognitive skills. In this sense, stability relates to an individual’s capability to effectively relate to the surrounding environment. As the environment rapidly changes, we are unable to define stability in definitive terms. To understand this concept, in relation to Bransford’s view, we can simply use the example of the adult learner that has been in the same role (or career) for 15 years. This subject’s scope of practice has not varied greatly in the duration of their employment in turn affecting their morale and attitude towards the job. Bransford may argue that the subject requires new challenges to trigger essential brain activity and potentially effect the overall aspects of the body. Immordino-Yang and Damasio may argue that the subject’s emotional state, potentially created by the surrounding environment, is the main contributing factor to the subject’s decline in aptitude which directly affects the potential of promotion onto a new skill, level or role.

Interestingly, more and more educators are taking some of these types of theories, studies and understandings and introducing such concepts into their daily curriculum. What is Brain Education? provides us with a glimpse of some of the positive impacts the consideration of neuroscience and brain activity has within the educational institution. It highlights the 5 step training process of brain education: brain sensitizing, brain versatilizing, brain refreshing, brain integrating, brain mastering. I feel the "Brain Education" concept may be extremely beneficial to all age groups or learning styles. It keeps the student engaged and provides constant brain activity which allows for enhanced cognitive skills and builds emotional stability. From an Instructional Designer perspective, I feel that many of these concepts will enable me to learn how I learn as an individual and how much “brain power” I am allowing myself to obtain and exercise which in turn will allow me to understand the levels I am able to aid my students in reaching. If, based on these concepts alone, I will continually strive to learn and assist others to do the same in a positive and interactive environment.

What are your thoughts? How would Brain Education or the other views noted assist you in your Instructional Design quest?