TAKE
CONTROL
OF
YOUR
READING
WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN THE BRAIN WHEN
YOU READ?
AREAS OF THE BRAIN SPECIALIZE –
BUT NO AREA IS DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO READING
A TYPICAL CELL IN THE BRAIN
TWO NEURONS ARE COMMUNICATING
AXON OPENS WHEN STIMULATED
COMMUNICATION AMONG MANY NEURONS
WHY DOES
READING MATTER?
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HOW CAN YOU STAY
SHARP AT ANY AGE?
,
GET MOVING – EXERCISE
• Physically active people tend to
maintain better cognition and memory
than inactive people
• Reduces dementia risk by 30 to 40
percent
• Helps the hippocampus, the region of
the brain involved in memory function
• Can trigger the growth of new nerve
cells and promote nerve growth
PUMP SOME IRON
• Older women who participated in a
yearlong weight training program did
13 percent better on tests of cognition
than a group of women who did
balance and toning exercises.
• This may be due to an increase in the
levels of growth factors in the brain
which nourish and protect nerve cells.
LEARN NEW SKILLS
• Learning NEW things – not the things you
routinely do - spurs the growth of new brain
cells.
• You increase the number of brain cells and the
number of connections between those cells.
• UCLA researchers using MRI scans found that
middle-aged and older adults with little
internet experience could trigger brain centers
that control decision-making and complex
reasoning after a week of surfing the net.
MEDITATE
• Chronic stress floods the brain with cortisol
which leads to impaired memory.
• Harvard researchers found that people trained
in MBSR – mindfulness-based stress reduction
– a form of meditation involving focusing one’s
attention on sensations, feelings, and state of
mind – were able to reduce stress hormones.
• The density of gray matter in the hippocampus
increased significantly in the MBSR group
compared with a control group.
EAT A MEDITERRANEAN DIET
• Alzheimer’s risk reduced by 34
to 48 percent for those who ate
fish, vegetable, fruit, nuts, and
beans.
• Omega 3 fatty acids from fish
may be as important for the
brain as they are for the heart.
SPICE – FOOD FOR THE BRAIN
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•
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Herbs and spices like black pepper, cinnamon,
oregano, basil, parsley, ginger, and vanilla are
high in antioxidants which may build brain
power.
People in India have a lower incidence of
Alzheimer’s.
Scientists believe this is due to curcumin, the
active ingredient in turmeric. It bonds to
plaques that accumulate in the brains of
people with Alzheimer’s and lowers
inflammation levels.
A study also found that people who ate curried
foods had higher scores on standard cognition
tests.
SET GOALS
• A study at Chicago’s Rush University Medical
Center found that people who approached life
with clear intentions and goals were less
likely to develop Alzheimer’s
CONNECT WITH FRIENDS
• A University of Michigan
study found that subjects
did better on tests of
short-term memory after
10 minutes of
conversation with friends.
GET HEALTHY – BE HEALTHY
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•
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Researchers found that older adults at risk
of vitamin B12 deficiencies had smaller
brains and scored lowest on tests measuring
thinking, reasoning, and memory.
Diabetes doubles the risk for Alzheimer’s
and other forms of dementia. Good control
of diabetes can delay the onset of dementia
by several years.
Be aware that the brain is affected by
medications, illegal drugs, tobacco, and
alcohol. These affect your cognition,
emotions, motor skills, and memory.
TREAT YOUR BRAIN WITH RESPECT
TREAT YOUR BRAIN WITH RESPECT
HOW YOU READ
DOES MATTER SNOOZE, LOSE,
OR TALK TO YOURSELF
INQUIRY STRATEGIES –
- ASK KEY QUESTIONS
- GET THOSE DENDRITES GROWING
• What do I know? (prior knowledge)
• Are there explanations or examples? (in the
book? prior knowledge?)
• Where is this going? (prediction, anticipation)
EXPAND THOSE QUESTIONS
• Why am I reading this selection? (purpose, setting goals)
• What do I already know about what I am reading? (connecting to
prior knowledge)
• Where is this heading? What is coming next? (matching new
input to stored patterns – prior knowledge; critical thinking)
• How can I use this information? (matching, predicting, applying)
• What can I do to strengthen this new learning? (actively,
personally and specifically experience the new learning)
QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION
– USE IT OR LOSE IT
“It is essential to move reading processes beyond skills, which
are automatic and require no thinking, to strategies that do
require thought, interpretation, and choice. And strategies
must move beyond processes which become routine and
become devoid of reader interaction requiring thought,
interpretation or choice by developing a process of inquiry
that taps prior knowledge.” Kesterson
COGNITIVE STRATEGIES –
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR READING
Survey – also called previewing
 Read and ask, “What do I already know?” about the title,
introductory paragraph, objectives, main concepts, headings,
subheadings, pictures, charts, illustrations, bold print, words in
italics or bold print, chapter questions, summary, etc.
 Do this before reading the text from beginning to end.
Internal Dialogue
 Talk to yourself – have a conversation with the text around the
questions, “What do I already know?” and “What is coming next?”
MORE COGNITIVE STRATEGIES
Question/Read
 Prime the pump to be ready for learning.
 Ask questions when you are surveying (before reading);
 Ask questions while you are reading (during reading change
headings or subheadings into questions; change the first
sentences of paragraphs into questions);
 Answer those questions after reading the selection.
Prior Knowledge
 Make connections – GROW DENDRITES - by asking, “What do I
know about what I am reading?”
ANOTHER COGNITIVE STRATEGY
Definition w Example
 Textbooks are all about teaching you new concepts. Concepts are
often printed in italics or bold print.
 The definition for the new concept is often in the same sentence.
 An explanation and/or an example may precede or follow the
definition.
 The example which follows is from a sociology textbook.
 “A symbol is anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people
who share a culture. A word, a whistle, a wall of graffiti, a flashing red light, a
raised fist - all serve as symbols. The human capacity to create and manipulate
symbols is almost limitless -- think of the variety of meanings associated with the
simple act of winking an eye, which can convey such messages as interest,
understanding, or insult. Humans can use anything to have a particular
meaning; for example, a whistle can have many messages -- I find you
interesting, getting someone’s attention, as music.”
AND MORE COGNITIVE STRATEGIES
My Life
 How does this apply to my own life?
 Make those connections to prior knowledge – grow dendrites.
Recite
 Say what you have learned out loud.
 Answer your questions out loud.
 When you say it out loud, you create neural pathways to other parts of the brain.
Predict
 Change the heading, bold print word, or first sentence in a paragraph into a
question?
 Then ask, “What do I know about what I am reading?”
 Next read and recite the selection.
 Then ask, “Where is this going? What is coming next?”
FOR THESE NEXT STRATEGIES,
TAKE CMS 185 – SOON TO BE RDG 185
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Compare and Contrast
Organize
Transform
Connect Picture/Chart with Text
Draw/Label and Redraw/Label
Visualize
Express/Summarize
Map
Apply