What you need to know to learn.
Expert learners ask…
 What is my goal here?
 What do I already know?
 How much time will it take me to learn
this?
 What strategies help me learn best?
Novice learners…
 Do not evaluate their
understanding.
 Do not revise their work.
 Do not dive deeper into the
subject by asking
questions.
Your neural network
 You have billions of neurons in your brain
which are responsible for storing, producing
and sharing all your knowledge!
These neurons have five
fundamental parts.
 Cell body (the switch board)
 Dendrite (receives in-coming chemical messages)
 Axon (receives electrical message from dendrite)
 Myelin sheath (fatty insulation for axon)
 Axon terminal (the end of the axon that transmits to
other axon terminals)
Dendrite
Cell body
Axon
Axon terminal
A
Neurotransmitters
(your knowledge)
Axon terminal
B
How do these pieces help you
learn?
 It is not the number of neurons you have that makes
you smart.
 It is how they are connected.
 Learning creates a physical change in the brain.
 New knowledge strengthens old connections and creates
new ones.
Your brain is malleable, you can
change it.
 When your brain is challenged, you
create new neural connections. (Your
intelligence expands.)
 When your brain is not challenged,
your neural network and your brain
shrink!
The
brain
Research to support plasticity.
 Group one:
 12 rats lived in a cage with play structures that
were changed two or three time a week for
newness.
 Group two:
 3 rats in a smaller cage with no play structures.
 Group three:
 One rat in a small cage with no toys.
Which one do you think had brain growth?
After 30 days….
 Group one:
 These rats had more dendrites & brain growth than the
other rats and had a greater ability to maneuver mazes.
 Group two:
 These rats had not brain growth and did not show an
improved ability with the mazes.
 Group three:
 This rat lost brain matter (his brain shrunk) and he
struggled to maneuver the mazes.
In a later study…
 One rat was put in a big cage with play structures, but
he didn’t experience brain growth.
 A group of twelve rats was put into a cage with no play
structures and they too did not experience brain
growth.
What does this tell us?
 The brain needs a
combination of
socialization (friends)
and challenges to grow.
 This is why we are going
to work in cooperative
groups.
 This is why I give you toy
day.
 What am I going
to do to help you
become an expert
learner?
I am going to teach you what type
of learner you are.
 We will take a left brain, right brain survey.
 We will do a learning preference evaluation.
 We will learn how to work in cooperative groups.
 We will evaluate our performances on assignments.
 You will have choice on assignments.
Conclusion
 Now that you know how the brain learns and that you
control how smart you are, I want you to think of that
as we learn together this year.
 Challenge yourself and those around you.
 Take yourself seriously as a learner. You can do this.
 Now, let’s get started.