SECOND EDITION

BRAIN-BASED
Learning

BUTUH LENGKAP HUB [email protected]

In a gentle way you can shake the world.

—Gandhi
 SECOND EDITION

BRAIN-BASED
Learning
THE NEW PARADIGM OF TEACHING

ERIC
Jensen
Copyright © 2008 by Corwin Press

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jensen, Eric.
Brain-based learning: the new paradigm of teaching/Eric Jensen.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Previously published under title: Brain-based learning & teaching
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4129-6255-1 (cloth: acid-free paper)
ISBN 978-1-4129-6256-8 (pbk.: acid-free paper)
1. Learning, Psychology of. 2. Brain. 3. Teaching—Psychological aspects. I. Jensen, Eric. Brain-based
learning & teaching. II. Title.

LB1060.J45 2008
370.15′23 2008003612

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions Editors: Allyson P. Sharp, Carol Chambers Collins

Editorial Assistants: David Andrew Gray, Brett Ory
Production Editor: Cassandra Margaret Seibel
Copy Editor: Sarah J. Duffy
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Caryne Brown
Indexer: Jean Casalegno
Cover Designer: Rose Storey
Graphic Designer: Monique Hahn
 Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author

PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF BRAIN-BASED LEARNING

1. What Is Brain-Based Learning?
Where Did Brain-Based Education Come From?
Defining Brain-Based Learning
Is Our Old Paradigm Outdated?
Survival of the Fittest
Determined Behaviorist
Brain-Based Naturalist
Giving the Brain an Appropriate Model Environment
2. How Your Student’s Brain Learns
How the Brain Learns
Routing Information Through the Brain
Basic Anatomy of the Brain
Cells of the Central Nervous System
Glial Cells
Neurons
Divisions and Functions of the Brain
Brain Stem
Cerebellum
Diencephalon
Cerebrum
The Micro Level of Learning
3. Brain Dominance in Learning
Relative Lateralization
The Paradox of Left-Brain Creativity
The Paradox of Right-Brain Logic
4. Rhythms of the Brain
The When Is As Important As the What and Why
Attentional Cycle
Ultradian Rhythm
Dual Cycles Run the Learning Brain
 The “Pulse” Style of Learning Is Best for the Brain

PART 2 PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON LEARNING

5. Biological Differences in Learning
It’s Not the Brain Size That Counts …
Functional Differences
Hearing
Vision
Touch
Activity
Smell and Taste
Problem Solving
6. The Impact of Physical Movement on the Brain
Physical Education and Learning
Benefits of Exercise on the Brain
Growing Up Active
Sensorimotor Integration in Kids
The Chemistry of Physical Activity
7. Stress and Threat
Types of Stress
The Brain in Distress
The Distressed Learner
Reactions to Threats
Putting an End to Threats
How Relaxation Affects Learning
The Importance of Rest
Energizer Ideas

PART 3 SENSORY CONTRIBUTIONS TO LEARNING

8. The Role of Sight in Learning
Sight’s Impact on the Learning Process
Color in the Environment
Concrete Vivid Images
The Impact of Peripherals
Light in the Environment
Seasons Can Impact Learning
9. The Role of Touch in Learning
School Environments and Cognition
Learning Hurt by Bad Environments
Brain-Friendly Environmental Changes
10. The Role of Taste in Learning
Nutrition and Learning
The Importance of Vitamins
Nutrition Tips for Teachers
Dehydration Hurts Learning
Hydration’s Importance to the Mind
About Hydration
Action Steps
The Final Word
11. The Roles of Smell and Acoustics in Learning
Create an Optimal Environment for Learning
Aromas May Boost Attention and Learning
Impact of Negative Ionization
The Role of Acoustics in Learning
Music’s Effects on the Mind-Body
Incorporating Music in the Classroom
Beneficial Music Selections
Music as a Carrier to the Nonconscious
12. The Role of Emotions in Learning
The New Paradigm: “Emotional Logic”
The Chemistry of Emotion
Are Feelings and Emotions the Same?
Dissecting an Emotion
The Amazing Amygdala
Hot Buttons and the Amygdala
Emotions as Mind-Body States
Outlets for Expression
The Thinking Tool of Emotions
Learning Has to Feel Right

PART 4 NEUROSCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

13. Teacher Communication
A Teacher’s Influence on a Classroom
Teacher Authority and Credibility
Teacher Congruency
Teacher Appearance
Tight Teacher Control
Learner Expectations
Altering Learner Behavior
Generally More Effective Communication Methods
Generally Less Effective Communication Methods
Forced Silence and Class Inactivity
 The Climate Can Be Highly Active
14. The Nonconscious Learning Climate
Some Learning Is Automatic
The Power of Nonconscious Learning
More on “Suggestion”
Teaching Tips for Optimizing Nonconscious Learning
15. Motivation and Rewards
Learned Helplessness
Changes in the Brain
Conditions and Constraints
Unlearning Learned Helplessness
Excessive Praise Is Detrimental
Motivation and Rewards
Rewards and the Human Brain
The Detrimental Effects of Rewards
Strategies for Eliciting Intrinsic Motivation
Rewarded Actions Lose Appeal
Should You Ever Use Rewards?
Alternatives for Bribery and Rewards
What the Reward Proponents Say
Replacing Rewards With Learning
Goal Setting Increases Performance
Personal Agency Beliefs
Previsualization Boosts Learning
Inspiring Optimal Motivation
16. Attention and Survival Value
Making Meaning
Attention Shifts
Optimal State for Learning
The Best State for Learning
Matching Challenge and Mastery
What Brain Waves Can Tell Us
17. Teaching How to Think
What Exactly Is Thinking, Anyway?
Factors That Influence Thinking
Environment
Will/Volition
Life Experience
Genes
Life Choices
Teaching Thinking
Brain Activated by Problem Solving
 Eye Movements and Thinking
The Use of Creative Problem Solving
Problem-Solving Strategies
The Role of Intuition in the Thinking Process
18. Memory and Creating Patterns of Meaning
How Memory Works
Where Memories Live
Long-Term Potentiation: What Is It?
Chemicals Impact Memory
Memory Is State Dependent
The Role of Glucose in Memory Formation
Sleep Time’s Effect on Memory
Memory Pathways
Engaging Multiple Memory Pathways
Other Influences on Recall
The BEM Principle
Study Skills Mastery
Importance of Pre-exposure
Mind Mapping
How Mind Mapping Aids Learning
Stages of Optimal Learning
Acquisition
Elaboration
Memory Formation
New Learning Maps
19. Meaning Making
Types of Meaning
What Triggers a Sense of Meaning?
Relevance
Emotions
Context
Role-Plays and Games Enhance Meaning
Framing Enhances Meaning

PART 5 BRAIN-COMPATIBLE CLASSROOMS

20. Enriching the Brain
Growing a “Better” Brain
A Biological Look at Enrichment
Human Neurogenesis Is Possible
The Keys to Enrichment
Novel Learning
Feedback Spurs Learning
 Activating More of the Brain
What Have We Learned?
How Much Enrichment?
Changing the Brain—On Purpose!
Enriching the Environment
21. Curriculum in a Brain-Compatible Classroom
Curriculum With the Brain in Mind
Brain-Compatible Curriculum
Social Fluency
Personal Development
Artistic Expression
Information Literacy
Scientific Inquiry
Planning With the Brain in Mind
Immersion-Style, Multipath Learning
Brain-Based Planning Strategies
The Seven Stages of Brain-Based Planning
Integrating Brain-Based Learning in the Classroom
Pre-Exposure and Priming
Sufficient Time for Learning
Low or No Threat
Prep for Final Performance
High Engagement
Positive Emotional Engagement
Learner Choice
Moderate to High Challenge
Strong Peer Support
Mastery Goals
Sufficient Nonlearning Time
Balancing Novelty and Predictability
Safe for Taking Risks
Moderate Stress
Alternating Low to High Energy
Multimodal Input
Frequent Feedback
Celebrate the Learning
Environment With the Brain in Mind
Strategies for Achieving a Brain-Based Environment
Acknowledgment of Value
Everyone Feels Cared For
Freedom of Expression
Encourage Affiliation
Accountability
 Hope of Success
Orchestrated Common Experiences
Physically Safe Environment
Trust of Others
Consistency of Structure
22. Assessment With the Brain in Mind
Assessment Styles Not Working
Mistakes in the Evaluation Process
Mistake #1: Pushing for Higher Standards Without the Necessary Resources
Mistake #2: Lockstep Testing Ignores Brain Development
Mistake #3: Short-Term Testing Ignores How the Brain Learns
Mistake #4: Most Testing Ignores Building-Block Learning
Mistake #5: Most Testing Ignores Real-World Applications
Overview of Brain-Based Assessment
Authentic Assessment
Content
Emotions
Context
Processing
Embodiment
Ideas for Assessing Authentic Learning
Focusing on Feedback
Improving Test Scores
Tips for Boosting Test Scores
23. Brain-Based Reform
Hallmarks of Brain-Based Reform
Ways of Improving Student Achievement
Environmental Control for Learner Achievement
Fatal Paths to Avoid
Include the Brain in the Reform
Seven Steps to Transforming Your School Into a Learning Organization
Assessing the Learning Community
Becoming a Local Expert

References
Index
 Preface

O ne of the most exciting fields in the world is brain research. Keeping pace
with the explosion of brain research over the past two decades has proved
challenging, but astute educators are applying the findings with growing
success. The result is a learning approach that is more aligned with how the brain
naturally learns best. This dramatic new paradigm, known as brain-compatible or
brain-based education, has emerged with strong implications for teachers and
learners worldwide. Based on research from the disciplines of neuroscience,
biology, and psychology, our understanding of the relationship between learning
and the brain now encompasses the role of emotions, patterns, meaningfulness,
environments, body rhythms, attitudes, stress, trauma, assessment, music,
movement, gender, and enrichment. By integrating what we now know about the
brain with standard education practices, Brain-Based Learning suggests ways that
schools can be transformed into complete learning organizations.
As many conventional educational models have been shattered like glass, many
are saying, “It’s about time.” The visionary author-scientist H. G. Wells said,
“Civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.” Indeed, there is an
urgency to our planet that we’ve never before collectively known. At both the local
and global levels, we lack the luxury of being able to weather a continued “Dark
Age” in learning. Too much is at risk: We must act on the problems facing us now.

Present problems cannot be solved with the same level of thinking or with the
same tools that created them.

This book calls for the initiation of a fundamental shift in thinking. Shortsighted
priorities, outdated teacher-education programs, visionless leaders, “program-of-
the-week” mentalities, clumsy systems, budgetary bottlenecks, hierarchical
infighting, and professional jealousy all contribute to the problem; and they’ve got
to stop. Furthermore, we need to quit playing the victim and arm ourselves with
change strategies that work. We can effect the changes called for if we collectively
make it important enough to do so. Each brain-based strategy outlined in this book
can be achieved by any one of us at little or no expense.
The first step, however, is to make an important distinction between core
problems and symptoms. Whereas solving core problems provides a twenty- to
fifty-fold return on our investment of resources, solving mere symptoms creates a
net loss. When an organization is antagonistic to the natural and effortless way the
brain learns, it faces a mind-boggling array of symptoms that result in ever-greater
challenges. This means that for every symptom you “solve,” you not only miss the
real problem, but you wear down an already overburdened staff and ultimately
drain valuable resources. Every new program that has come and gone over the past
30 years was likely to be brain antagonistic. Schools must open their collective
doors to the simple and fundamental questions that science is now answering for us:
How does the brain learn best? How do we create successful learning
organizations with the brain in mind?
Why is now the time for a shift in thinking? The research on what works is both
compelling and comprehensive. We are all great natural learners. Failing children
and failing schools are indications of a faulty system—not a faulty brain—and our
schools have taken enough of a beating! When students are provided with a learning
environment that is optimal for learning, graduation rates increase, learning
difficulties and discipline problems decrease, a love of learning flourishes,
administrators focus on the real issues, and learning organizations thrive. In short,
creating an organization around the way the brain naturally learns best may be the
simplest and most critical educational reform ever initiated. In fact, of all the
reforms, nothing provides a better return on your investment of time, energy, and
money than developing a brain-based approach to learning.
Now is the time to expand the research to make it school tested and classroom
proven. And that is up to us as educators. It is imperative that we share our
knowledge and experiences with others.

As in most change efforts, the first thing we face from others is indifference
followed by ridicule and opposition …and then, finally, respect.

Even as you read this, learning organizations across the globe, determined
individuals, cooperating teams, and whole communities have successfully
implemented brilliant, innovative, low-cost, brain-based learning solutions. Thus,
it’s no longer a question of “Can we?” We know we can provide learners with
brain-compatible environments and curriculums that support their natural learning
abilities. The question now is “Will we?”

Brain-based learning is a way of thinking about the learning process. It is not a

panacea, nor is it the solution to all of our problems. It is not a program, dogma,
or recipe for teachers. And it is not a trend or gimmick. It is, however, a set of
principles and a base of knowledge and skills upon which we can make better
decisions about the learning process.

People who teach and train others make a vital contribution to the preservation
of humanity. We must become a world of learners and begin to value learning as
much as freedom, liberty, justice, shelter, and good health. We are obliged to take
this assignment seriously—our collective future, in fact, depends on it. I invite you
to start now. If you can’t do it by yourself, ask for support: Start a network.
Determined people everywhere have done it. They’ve simply said, “Let’s get all of
these people talking to each other and see what comes of it.” As they shared what
works for them, they realized a success rate that exceeded the norm.
You can make a significant difference. You are a once-in-forever biological
event. This planet gets only one opportunity to experience your unique and
powerful contributions, so share all that you are capable of at this moment. Can you
step up to the challenge and accept your historic role? Go on, join the learning
revolution; you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Find other like-
minded people and organize yourselves for greater impact.

As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of concerned
citizens can change the world. It is, indeed, the only thing that ever has.”

Are you the exception as an educator or now in the mainstream if you are
buying into this new approach? How reputable is brain-based education? Harvard
University now offers both master’s and doctoral degrees in it through the Mind,
Brain, and Education (MBE) program. Every year, the program produces about
forty graduates with master’s degrees and two to four doctors of education who go
on to interdisciplinary positions in research and practice. Its mission is to build a
movement in which cognitive science and neuroscience are integrated with
education so that we train people to make that integration both in research and in
practice. The director, Professor Kurt Fischer, helps oversee this new intersection
of biology, cognitive science, and pedagogy. Does this sound like a fad to you? It’s
not.
For many, like Howard Gardner, brain-based education has become a new
focus in education. Interest in Harvard’s brain-based degree programs is
enthusiastic in Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea, England, South Africa, New
Zealand, Argentina, and other countries. There’s also a peer-reviewed scientific
journal on brain-based education. The journal, which is published quarterly by the
reputable Blackwell Publishers and the International Mind, Brain, and Education
Society (IMBES), features research reports, conceptual papers, reviews, debates,
and dialogue.
This book is written for those who want to know not only what works but why
it works and how to incorporate the methods. I have written it in nontechnical terms
for new as well as veteran teachers or trainers. When positive habits are formed
early, the job of teaching becomes significantly easier. When what we know
intuitively works is validated, we are rewarded with great satisfaction. So
everyone will benefit no matter what your level of experience. By picking up this
book, you’ve already taken the first step. Turn the page and take the next. If not now,
when? If not you, who? Carpe diem.