Brain-Based Learning and Teaching

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Throughout the course of history many people in time had no idea that many creatures of life had brains. With remarkable breakthroughs in technology and through human ability to take pictures of the human brain through head scans, scientists have discovered and mapped out the human brain. As neuroscientists understand how the brain works, discovery of brain-based learning has been a growing field ever since. Education is extremely important for human beings because the more educated we are as a society the better we contribute to society. Knowledge is extremely powerful and as a future educator, understanding how the brain works and developing lesson plans surrounding the inner workings of the brain will allow learning to manifest in the classroom.

In Eric Jensen’s Brain-Based Learning (2008) several prominent parts divide numerous chapters with the intent to explore educators in understanding key principles in learning. Three parts in the text discuss the physiological effects, sensory contributions, and neuroscientific perspective of the human brain. The final part discusses the brain-compatibility in the classroom. The three concepts in Jensen’s text that I will use in my classroom come from the three parts discussed of the human brain and these are the impact of physical movement on the brain, incorporating all the senses in the classroom, and making meaning for students.

Physical movement is extremely important in the classroom. I am a tactile learner so through movement I am able to learn better. For example, when given directions to a new place, the movement of the car and myself enables me to remember how to get to that destination again at a later time. “An active body enhances an active mind. Learners who are activ...

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...s theory of Zone of Proximal Development, and utilize the classroom from top to bottom.

Our brains are highly developed as humans and in today’s world we need to provide students with learning that is meaningful that provides critical thinking skills, creative thinking, ingenuity, and talent. Brain-based learning with a mixture of constructivism is what my classroom will look like. By combining these two theories I believe that the psychology and physiology of an individual will be able to shine brightly through their ability to learn. “Instead of putting most of the emphasis on memorization and recall, it may be smarter and more efficient to place more emphasis on the context in which something is learned” (Jensen, 2008, p. 165).

Works Cited

Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-based learning: the new paradigm of teaching (2nd ed.).

Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Corwin Press.

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