After a background in critiquing research, learn about dozens of recent research studies of the brain, and what they show. Updated for all the great new research through 2013, don't miss this informative collection of research. by Wenda Sheard
Presentation by Rosemarri Klamn, MAPC, CHRP
November 20, 2015
EDDE 803: Teaching and Learning in Distance Education
Doctorate of Education in Distance Education
Presentation by Rosemarri Klamn, MAPC, CHRP
November 20, 2015
EDDE 803: Teaching and Learning in Distance Education
Doctorate of Education in Distance Education
More Art Than Science: Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and TalentedMorgan Appel
This session explores a variety of brain-compatible strategies to differentiate instruction for diverse gifted and talented learners, focusing on movement from manipulation to application to abstraction in the dynamic classroom environment. Holistic approaches to differentiation are discussed in the context of arts immersion; iconic teaching; content imperatives; and the use of universal themes to engage creative audiences. Delivered at Pasadena USD, March 31, 2017.
Bargain Basement: Professional DevelopmentCarolyn K.
Free online professional development resources for teachers, including training in gifted education and resources to use for differentiation with your gifted students | Hoagies' Gifted Education Page | Carolyn K. and Kathi Kearney
3 techniques for high quality communication on your agile teamsAndrea Chiou
This is deck I used at AgileDC conference, Oct 21, 2014. I've altered slightly from what was handed out, based on some feedback I got (in the Clean Feedback forms).
If you are interested in more in depth, come to my 3 hour workshop on Jan 30, 2015
http://mafn.org/event-1724379
Many thanks to Caitlin Walker of Training Attention who developed these Systemic Modelling techniques - and to all who contribute to disseminating the work of David Grove via Clean Language.
For training, please see opportunities here: http://www.cleanlearning.co.uk/ if you are in the UK.
For additional online resources and book recommendations on this topic, you can visit this page: http://adaptivecollaboration.com/books-i-recommend/
More Art Than Science: Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and TalentedMorgan Appel
This session explores a variety of brain-compatible strategies to differentiate instruction for diverse gifted and talented learners, focusing on movement from manipulation to application to abstraction in the dynamic classroom environment. Holistic approaches to differentiation are discussed in the context of arts immersion; iconic teaching; content imperatives; and the use of universal themes to engage creative audiences. Delivered at Pasadena USD, March 31, 2017.
Bargain Basement: Professional DevelopmentCarolyn K.
Free online professional development resources for teachers, including training in gifted education and resources to use for differentiation with your gifted students | Hoagies' Gifted Education Page | Carolyn K. and Kathi Kearney
3 techniques for high quality communication on your agile teamsAndrea Chiou
This is deck I used at AgileDC conference, Oct 21, 2014. I've altered slightly from what was handed out, based on some feedback I got (in the Clean Feedback forms).
If you are interested in more in depth, come to my 3 hour workshop on Jan 30, 2015
http://mafn.org/event-1724379
Many thanks to Caitlin Walker of Training Attention who developed these Systemic Modelling techniques - and to all who contribute to disseminating the work of David Grove via Clean Language.
For training, please see opportunities here: http://www.cleanlearning.co.uk/ if you are in the UK.
For additional online resources and book recommendations on this topic, you can visit this page: http://adaptivecollaboration.com/books-i-recommend/
Neuroscience: Myths, Metaphors and MarketingJames Lawley
Presentation given to the Annual NLPtCA Conference 2012: We may be called 'neuro'-linguistic psychotherapists, but how much does neurological research influence how we work with a client? How much has science discovered about our neurology that is applicable to working psychologically? Do we know when we are committing logical level errors by reading too much into the research? And can we distinguish psychological-map from neural-territory? I will explore how much is myth, metaphor and marketing – and how much it matters.
This ppt is all about Teaching Techniques from A to Zee- discussing about Low key responses, Brain-storming and much more included in Effective Teaching.
A Power Point Presentation of the Topic ''The PRINCIPLES of LEARNING'' on the subject '' The Principles of Teaching 1''
Contains the following:
-9 Principles of Learning by Horne and Pine
-Laws of Learning by Thorndike
with Pictures to be easily understand, or for to you ask share their insight about the given principles, Quotation related to the topic and also a special video.
Hope it will help you, thank you~
Gifted 201: A sampler of advanced topics in giftednessCarolyn K.
A sampler of the next topics in Gifted Education:
Social / Emotional Needs
Testing and Assessment
Academic Acceleration
OverExcitabilities (OEs)
Underachievement
by Hoagies' Gifted Education Page
What every teacher should know about cognitive researchStephanie Chasteen
From the Colorado Science Conference (Nov, 2011)
In the past few decades, we’ve gained a wealth of information about how people learn. The results of this cognitive and education research can help us become more effective teachers. In this interactive talk, we’ll explore some of the main findings of cognitive research in a language accessible to everybody, and discuss how they can be used in our teaching.
What every teacher should know about cognitive scienceStephanie Chasteen
This is a presentation that I've given a few times for GK12 programs at CU, with some main messages on how people learn and a non-exhaustive look at findings from cognitive science, and how these ideas might apply to the classroom.
Florida Mediator Helps You to Understand Your Client's Brain UWWM
What wacky, weird and mostly wonderful things are happening inside your client's brain during mediation? Longtime mediator Michelle Jernigan helps litigators to make sense of it all so they can better support and guide their clients.
The Blue Brain Project is an attempt to reverse engineer the human brain and recreate it at the cellular level inside a computer simulation. The project was founded in May 2005 by Henry Markram at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. Goals of the project are to gain a complete understanding of the brain and to enable better and faster development of brain disease treatments.
What can cognitive neuroscience do to enhance our understanding of education ...Hon Wah Lee
The development and popularity of brain science have driven many people to look to the brain for answers to improving learning. Cognitive neuroscience as an interdisciplinary area of research with a focus on human cognition has the potential to connect the brain and education. This paper explores what cognitive neuroscience can (and cannot) do to enhance our understanding of education and learning by examining in greater depth why certain previous attempts to bridge this gap are more successful than others. This paper also discusses the implications of this merge for scientists and educators, and future directions for research in neuroscience and neuroengineering.
The Stroop Effect And Visual Perception Overview Write a 2-part .docxsuzannewarch
The Stroop Effect And Visual Perception
Overview
Write a 2-part assessment that discusses your experience with the Stroop Effect and concepts related to visual perception. This assessment should be a minimum of 4 pages long.
One of the central hypotheses in psychology is the relationship between stimulus and response. Sight and language are two human abilities relevant to the hypothesis of stimulus and response. Your understanding of these two abilities will help you build up a concept of the neural basis of human behaviors interacting with the world.
Show More
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
•
Competency 2: Employ critical and creative thinking to evaluate problems, conflicts, and unresolved issues in the study of biological psychology.
▪
Discuss whether a person with dyslexia or a brain injury would have more or less trouble with completing the Stroop test.
▪
Discuss the results of the Stroop test.
•
Competency 3: Examine the research methodology and tools typically associated with the study of biological psychology.
▪
Explain the role of the anterior cingulate in audiovisual processing, and the symptoms of brain injury to this area.
•
Competency 4: Assess the important theories, paradigms, research findings, and conclusions in biological psychology.
▪
Define the problem of final integration of visual information.
▪
Discuss whether there is a problem with final integration of visual information.
•
Competency 6: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
▪
Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a
psychology professional.
▪
Use APA style and format.
Context
Recent technologies employed in the study of the brain regions regulating speech are helping scientists better understand the neural basis of human behaviors interacting with the world. For example, MRI imaging studies are revealing other areas within the brain that may also play a role in language and reading. Another example is that both Broca's and Wernicke's areas are fundamental to speech ability, but the specific mechanism of how each plays into oral language is still unclear. This is still a new area that challenges psychologists, neurologists, and speech therapists.
Humans use different parts of their brain to discriminate objects from people. In fact, we may have specialized neurons for recognizing faces. This relates to the main theme of this assessment: vision and visual perception. Many questions about human vision are unanswered. For example, different areas of the brain respond differently to visual recognition tasks, but how and why these areas cooperate to process visual information remains unclear. Another example: The visual cortex contains several layers, the functional roles of which are the subject of intense investigation. Questions include, .
1. How do people make decisions?
2. The adolescent brain and theories of decision-making
3. What can we do to help
Connections: The Learning Sciences Platform integrates a humane approach in the educational processes through creative initiatives using an interdisciplinary and international perspective.
Connections work is focus on:
- Educational Support “in situ”
- Professional Development
- Educational Research
- Promotion of free resources to improve the learning sciences
Visit our social networks
- Website: http://thelearningsciences.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectionstlsp/
- Instagram: ConexionesPCA2017
- Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/Lascienciasdelaprendizaje
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUDsQmjsiJl8T2w5-EF78g
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/16212567/
Contact us:
E-mail: info@thelearningsciences.com
Mobile: +593 995 615 247
(I’ll GO OVER STEP BY STEP IN CLASS TOMORROW)Part OneP.docxgertrudebellgrove
(I’ll GO OVER STEP BY STEP IN CLASS TOMORROW)
Part One
Portfolio Critique Using Morningstar.com
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in the United States and in major international markets and offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products for individual investors, financial advisors, and institutional clients. Morningstar is a trusted source for insightful information on stocks, mutual funds, variable annuities, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, separate accounts, hedge funds, and 529 college savings plans.
1. Go to www.morningstar.com. Sign up for Premium Membership. You will be able to receive a 14-day free trial. Browse the site to become familiar with everything Morningstar has to offer. Be prepared to participate in classroom discussion and bring your questions if you have any.
2. Go to X-Ray and print the page. Write a portfolio critique.
Part Two
Use the daily data on the portfolio returns and the market returns (e.g., the S&P 500 index) to estimate a single-index market model. Your analysis should include
(Morningstar automatically will calculate)
1. Standard deviation for each portfolio.
1. Covariance between the rates of return of portfolio and S&P500.
1. The correlation coefficient between each portfolio and S&P500.
1. Run a regression of each portfolio against the market return and find:\
(In fact Morningstar will automatically calculate)
0. Alpha for each portfolio.
0. Beta for each portfolio.
0. What is the systematic and nonsystematic risk of the each security?
0. Sharpe Ratio of portfolios
1. Plot the risk and return of each portfolio and draw the efficient frontiers.
1. Identify which portfolio dominates on the efficient frontier.
1. For which portfolio had an average return in excess of that predicated by the CAPM?
Essay Portion Study Guide
Psych 120, Spring 2019
1. What are aphantasia (and hyperphantasia), and why are they interesting to conceptualization researchers? What sort of information have we already discovered through studying aphantasia? Discuss TWO experiments we covered in class that could be re-examined in an aphantasic population, and why they would contribute to a greater understanding of cognition.
2. How do we recognize and categorize objects? Trace the processes involved with object recognition and categorization, discussing all possibilities covered for how we can do this. Lastly, provide TWO pieces of evidence in support of those various possibilities.
3. What is the dual visual system theory and what does it have to do with consciousness and cognition? Provide TWO pieces of evidence (neurological or behavioral) supporting the dual visual system theory. Next, discuss how those same TWO pieces of evidence might actually not support the dual visual system theory.
4. How do video games impact cognition? Are all video games equal in their benefits or detriments to various cognitive activities? Provide TWO pieces of evi ...
Mind-wandering-in-children--Examining-task-unrelated-thou_2019_Journal-of-Ex.pdf
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 179 (2019) 276–290
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Experimental Child
Psychology
journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate/ jecp
Mind wandering in children: Examining
task-unrelated thoughts in computerized
tasks and a classroom lesson, and the
association with different executive functions
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.11.013
0022-0965/� 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (E.H.H. Keulers).
1 Both authors contributed equally to this work.
Esther H.H. Keulers a,⇑,1, Lisa M. Jonkman b,1
aDepartment of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University,
6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
bDepartment of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University,
6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history:
Received 8 June 2018
Revised 16 November 2018
Available online 15 December 2018
Keywords:
Educational setting
Executive function
Inhibition/interference control
Mind wandering
Task-unrelated thought
Typically developing children
Mind wandering is associated with worse performance on cogni-
tively demanding tasks, but this concept is largely unexplored in
typically developing children and little is known about the relation
between mind wandering and specific executive functions (EFs).
This study aimed, first, to measure and compare children’s mind
wandering in controlled computerized tasks as well as in an educa-
tional setting and, second, to examine the association between
mind wandering and the three core EFs, namely inhibition, work-
ing memory, and set shifting/switching. A total of 52 children aged
9–11 years performed a classroom listening task and a computer-
ized EF battery consisting of flanker, running span, and attention
switching tasks. Mind wandering was measured using online
probed and/or retrospective self-reports of task-unrelated
thoughts (TUTs) during task performance. Children reported TUTs
on 20–25% of the thought probes, which did not differ between
classroom and EF tasks. Regression models, hierarchically adding
the three core EFs, accounted for a small but significant portion
of variance in TUT frequency when measured in class and retro-
spectively after EF tasks, but not when measured online in EF tasks.
Children with worse inhibition were more prone to mind wander
during classroom and EF tasks. Lower attention switching accuracy
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1016/j.jecp.2018.11.013&domain=pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.11.013
mailto:[email protected]
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.11.013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00220965
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jecp
E.H.H. Keulers, L.M. Jonkman / Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 179 .
Discoveries about the brain can help teachers individualize learning. But first we must sort the truth from the hype.
Designing educational experiences without an understanding of the brain is like designing a glove without an understanding of the human hand. This analogy is attributed to Leslie Hart, pioneering author on braincompatible learning in the 1980s. Since Hart made this analogy, there have been many advances in scientific understandings of how the brain operates. Teachers who are passionate about reaching students should be eager to use advances in neuroscience to design better educational experiences.
Connections: The Learning Sciences Platform work is focus on:
- Educational Support “in situ”
- Professional Development
- Educational Research
This work is complemented with “in situ” accomplaniment and joint research.
Visit our social networks
- Website: http://thelearningsciences.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectionstlsp/
- Instagram: ConexionesPCA2017
- Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/Lascienciasdelaprendizaje
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUDsQmjsiJl8T2w5-EF78g
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/16212567/
Contact us:
E-mail: info@thelearningsciences.com
Mobile: +593 995 615 247
Abstract. Here I briefly delineate my view about the main question of this International Seminar, namely, what
should we expecting from the XXI Century regarding the advancements in intelligence research. This view can be
summarized as ‘The Brain Connection’ (TBC), meaning that neuroscience will be of paramount relevance for increasing
our current knowledge related to the key question: why are some people smarter than others? We need answers to
the issue of what happens in our brains when the genotype and the environment are integrated. The scientific community
has devoted great research efforts, ranging from observable behavior to hidden genetics, but we are still far
from having a clear general picture of what it means to be more or less intelligent. After the discussion held with
the panel of experts participating in the seminar, it is concluded that advancements will be more solid and safe
increasing the collaboration of scientists with shared research interests worldwide. Paralleling current sophisticated
analyses of how the brain computes, nowadays science may embrace a network approach.
Zombies or Cyborgs: is Facebook Eating Your Brain?guestcf1e8d8
While some present the dawn of the social web as a doomsday, we believe that social media technologies represent a secondary revolution to that described above by cyborg cognition theorist Andy Clark. Trapped within this debate lies the brain; recent advances in the neurosciences have thrown open our concept of the brain, revealing a neural substrate that is highly flexible and plastic (Green and Bavelier 2008). This phenomenal level of plasticity likely underpins much of what separates us from the animal kingdom, through a profound enhancement of our ability to use new technologies and their cultural co-products (Clark and Chalmers 1998; Schoenemann, et al. 2005; Shaw, et al. 2006). Yet many fear that this plasticity represents a precise threat to our cognitive stability in light of the technological invasion of Twitter-like websites. By investigating how the brain changes as we undergo profound self alteration via digital meditation, we can begin to unravel the biological mysteries of plasticity that underpin a vast array of issues in the humanities and social sciences.
Similar to Brain Research for Teachers & Other Curious Souls, 2013 update (20)
Go Out & Play! Geocaching and Other Great Outdoor Ideas for KidsCarolyn K.
Research shows that free time in nature offers huge benefits to kids. Better focus and fewer symptoms of ADHD, higher test scores, better social/emotional skills and self-esteem, better vision, and of course, better physical fitness... Why aren't we sending our kids outside to play?
For many of us, kids and adults alike, we need a "reason," a motivation to get off the computer and out the door. Geocaching provides that reason, while offering all the social and educational benefits of free time outside!
Beyond Academics: Social Emotional Needs of the GiftedCarolyn K.
Meet the social emotional needs of the gifted child. Gain awareness of those needs, how they differ from other children, and how they are the same. Gain insight into your own effect on those needs, as a teacher and/or as a parent.
Hoagies' Gifted: Testing and assessment of the GiftedCarolyn K.
What do the tests we give students mean? How can you compare scores across different measures? What do we need to know about intelligence, ability, and achievement testing? Find answers here!
Hoagies' Gifted: Online Bargain Basement ReturnsCarolyn K.
Free online resources for preK-12 gifted differentiation, plus educator professional development | NAGC presentation by Kathi Kearney and Carolyn K. | Hoagies' Gifted Education Page
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
2. The first edition of this PowerPoint was prepared for an
MIT SPLASH weekend in 2006. The second edition was
prepared in part for the 2012 SENG conference.
www.sengifted.org The third edition was prepared for a
Potential Plus UK event in February 2013.
APPRECIATIONS: This PowerPoint would not have been
possible without Supporting the Emotional Needs of the
Gifted (SENG), without Carolyn K. and her Hoagies Gifted
Education Page, and without Rebecca McMillian and her
Brain Café.
PERMISSIONS: Permission to copy for education and
advocacy purposes will freely given upon request to
wendasheard@gmail.com. Thank you for your requests in
advance.
EXPLANATION: My Ph.D. is in political science with an
emphasis on education policy.
3. Why Learn Brain Research?
We want to be the best teachers possible for
our children. (WITH KNOWLEDGE)
We want to advocate effectively (WITH
EVIDENCE) for diverse educational programs
and funding to meet the needs of all children.
5. Before we begin, some
cautionary notes:
I. Yale & “Neurobabble”: People are more likely
to trust articles if the word “neuroscience”
appears in the article.
II. John Geake’s The Brain at School: We need
to avoid neurobabble, including multiple
intelligences and learning styles.
III. Better tools for measuring brain activity are
under development and one is available now.
6. I. Yale & “Neurobabble”
The Seductive Allure of Neuroscience Explanations.
The scientists conducted three experiments and
discovered that non-experts “judged that explanations
with logically irrelevant neuroscience information were
more satisfying than explanations without.”
More troubling: The subjects were Yale
undergraduates enrolled in a neuroscience course.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2778755
7. II. Notes from John Geake’s
The Brain at School (2009)
Levels of analysis are confounded when we try
to port neuroscience over to education
Correlation is not proof of causation.
Cognitive neuroscientists and educators are
not well connected.
Neuroscience tools will improve in the future.
8. John Geake &
“Neuromythologies”
“[At education research conferences] I rarely
hear an education/practitioner researcher stand
up and say that a particular theoretical position,
much less a piece of research, is wrong, or silly,
or useless in the classroom. Or say that here is
evidence that this particular pedagogic approach
is ineffective. Instead, it all gets added into a
cornucopia of unpredictable flubber recently
expanded, to make matters worse, with the
latest neuromythologies.”
9. III. Better Tools Coming
“Pushing the frontiers of MRI”
“Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
has revolutionized our understanding of the human
brain, but the method is now approaching the limit
of its capabilities. Alan Jasanoff hopes to break
through this limit and to develop new technologies
for imaging the molecular and cellular phenomena
that underlie brain function.”
http://mcgovern.mit.edu/principal-investigators/alan-jasanoff/
10. What’s on his head?
Photo from: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/neuroimaging-and-mental-illness-a-window-
into-the-brain/neuroimaging-and-mental-illness-a-window-into-the-brain.shtml
11. Magnetoencephalography
(MEG machine)
“A direct measure.” (not a measure of
metabolism products)
“A very high temporal resolution device.” (only
milliseconds)
“Sources can be localized with an accuracy of
millimeters.”
“Completely non-invasive. Injection of isotopes
or exposure to X-rays or magnetic fields is not
required.”
http://www.meg-brain-mapping.pitt.edu/index.html
12. News Flash
€500 Million for Brain Research
Neuroscientist Henry Markram from the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in Lausanne won a €500 million grant
from the European Commission to simulate everything
known about the human brain in a supercomputer (Abbott
2013).
Abbott, Alison. “Billion-euro brain simulation and graphene
projects win European funds.” Nature. Jan. 23, 2013.
doi:10.1038/nature.2013.12291,
http://www.nature.com/news/billion-euro-brain-simulation-
and-graphene-projects-win-european-funds-1.12291
15. Infants, 1997
Ninety-six children, Midwest United States
community, ERP measures of speech perception
obtained within 36 hours after birth from
synthesized speech syllable /gi/.
“Auditory ERPs recorded within 36 hours after birth
can be used to successfully discriminate, at well
above chance levels, the reading performance of
children 8 years later.”
Molfese, D. L., & Molfese, V. J. (1997). Discrimination of language skills at five years of age using
event-related potentials recorded at birth. Developmental Neuropsychology, 13(2): 135-156
16. Early College Entrants, 1996
EEG study of 30 gifted adolescents (mean age
13.3, SAT averages 1100), 30 average ability
adolescents, and 30 college-age subjects.
“These finding suggest that gifted adolescents may
have a developmentally enhanced state of brain
activity, one that more closely resembles that of
college-age adults to whom they also resemble in
terms of cognitive ability.”
Alexander, J. E., O’Boyle, M. W., & Benbow, C. P. (1996). Developmentally advanced EEG
alpha power in gifted male and female adolescents. International Journal of Psychophysiology,
23(1-2): 25-31.
17. Gifted Brains on Math
Gifted students relaxed brain waves when
doing math problems and not relaxed
otherwise.
Non-gifted students NOT relaxed when doing
math problems but RELAXED otherwise.
More cross-hemisphere communication in
gifted brains doing math. Gifted children have a
larger corpus callosum in MRI studies.
18. Gifted Brains on Math Studies
O'Boyle, M. W., Cunnington, R., Silk, T., Vaughan, D.,
Jackson, G., Syngeniotis, A., & Egan, G. (2005).
Mathematically gifted male adolescents activate a unique
brain network during mental rotation. Cognitive Brain
Research, 25, 583-587.
Singh, H. & O'Boyle, M. W. (2004). Interhemispheric
interaction during global-local processing in mathematically
gifted adolescents, average-ability youth, and college
students. Neuropsychology, 18(2), 671-677.
Alexander, J. E., O’Boyle, M. W., & Benbow, C. P. (1996).
Developmentally advanced EEG alpha power in gifted male
and female adolescents. International Journal of
Psychophysiology, 23(1-2): 25-31.
19. London Taxi Drivers, 2000-
2010
Maguire and Gadian (2000) and Woollett
(2009) discovered that the brains of London
taxi drivers differ from the brains of non-taxi
drivers.
Spatial brain area grows as “The Knowledge”
(25,000 details) is acquired.
Spatial brain area shrinks after retirement.
Maguire, E. A., & Gadian, D. G. (2000). Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi
of taxi drivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of
America, 97(8), 4398-4403.
Woollett, K. (2009). Talent in the taxi: a model system for exploring expertise. Philosophical
Transactions: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), 1407-1416.
20. Violin Players, 2007
Schwenkreis, El Tom, Ragert, Plege,
Tegenthoff, & Dinse (2007) discovered that the
brains of professional violin players differ from
the brains of people who don’t play the violin.
Schwenkreis, P., El Tom, S., Ragert P., Pleger, B., Tegenthoff, M. & Dinse, H. R. (2007). Assessment
of sensorimotor cortical representation asymmetries and motor skills in violin players. European
Journal of Neuroscience, 26, 3291–3302.
21. Cost of Strengths? 2009
The London taxi drivers were significantly more
knowledgeable than others about London
streets, landmarks, and their spatial
relationships.
Despite their advanced knowledge in those
respects, the taxi drivers were significantly
worse at forming and retaining new
associations involving visual information.
Woollett, K., & Maguire, E. A. (2009). Navigational expertise may compromise anterograde
associative memory. Neuropsychologia(47)4, 1088-1095.
22. Beyond Math/Verbal? 2003
Haier, White, and Alkire (2003) found that the
individual differences in general intelligence
correlate with brain function not only during
reasoning tasks, but also during tasks that do
not require reasoning.
This suggests giftedness is not just rational
thinking.
Haier, R. J., White, N. S., & Alkire, M. T. (2003). Individual differences in general intelligence
correlate with brain function during nonreasoning tasks. Intelligence 31, 429–441.
23. Later Development of
Executive Function for
Superior Intelligence? 2006
The development of executive function appears
to be delayed in preadolescent children with
superior intelligence, perhaps because their
advanced development in other aspects of the
brain take more time.
Cortex Matures Faster in Youth with Highest IQ http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-
news/2006/cortex-matures-faster-in-youth-with-highest-iq.shtml (2006)
24. From the NIH Study, 2006
Cortex Matures Faster in Youth with Highest IQ http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2006/cortex-
matures-faster-in-youth-with-highest-iq.shtml (2006)
25. More Executive Function with
High Intelligence? 2007
“Of the six executive function indices subjected
to multiple regression, five were significantly
related to intelligence in a regression analysis.”
The relationship of intelligence to executive function and non-executive function measures in a
sample of average, above average, and gifted youth by Sharon Arffa,
http://acn.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/8/969.abstract 2007
26. Misdiagnoses? 2010
“[C]linical measures of [executive function] may
differ among children with ADHD and controls
at average IQ levels, but there is poorer
discriminatory power for these measures
among children with above average IQ.”
Effects of IQ on Executive Function Measures in Children with ADHD by E. Mark Mahone,
DOI:10.1076/chin.8.1.52.871 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/chin.8.1.52.8719 (2010)
27. French Study of Infants, 2011
Literature Review: “children identified as ‘high-
level potentialities’ or ‘intellectually gifted’
develop sensory, locomotor,
neuropsychological, and language skills earlier
than typically expected.”
Hypothesis: “the earlier development
originates from biological processes
affecting the physical development of the
brain and in turn even intellectual abilities
are developed earlier, potentially allowing for
advanced development” (Cont. next slide)
28. Findings: “Development data evidences an
advance in neurosensory-motor maturation among
“high-level potentialities” children, both in postural,
motor, and locomotor acquisitions, and in
eye/motor coordination and attentional abilities.
These results point to the reticular formation
coming into play at an early stage in the form of
awareness and attention and to rapid transmission
speed of nerve input, as has been corroborated by
different studies, leading to greater processing
speeds.” (Cont. next slide)
French Study of Infants, 2011
29. Discussion: “[H]ow these developmental
advances interact with the social environment
and in certain circumstances may entail
increased risk for developing
socioemotional difficulties and learning
disabilities that often go unaddressed due to
the masking by the advance intellectual
abilities.”
International Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 420297,
doi:10.1155/2011/420297Review ArticleDevelopmental and Cognitive Characteristics of “High-Level
Potentialities” (Highly Gifted) Children Laurence Vaivre-
Douret1,2,3http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijped/2011/420297/
French Study of Infants, 2011
31. Intrinsic Motivation, 2010
Extrinsic rewards such as money work only if
the task is simple.
Rewards need to be intrinsic for creative and
conceptual tasks.
Notes: Many people have created for free
(Wikipedia, Linux, etc). * * * Skype founder:
“Our goal is to be disruptive but in the cause of
making the world a better place.” * * * Steve
Jobs: “I want to put a ding in the universe.” * *
* We are purpose motivators, not only profit
motivators.”
RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Illustrated version of Daniel Pink’s Talk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc (2010)
32. Video Game Motivation, 2011
“It may seem counter intuitive to think that
children would consider harder work a reward for
doing well on a homework problem, test, or
physical skill to which they devoted considerable
physical or mental energy. Yet, that is just what
the video playing brain seeks after experiencing
the pleasure of reaching a higher level in the
game. A computer game doesn't hand out cash,
toys, or even hugs. The motivation to persevere
is the brain seeking another surge of dopamine --
the fuel of intrinsic reinforcement.”
Willis, Judy. “A Neurologist Makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool.”
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis (April 14, 2011)
33. Video-Game Motivation, 2012
“[A] video game about killing cancer in the
body, strongly activates brain circuits involved
in positive motivation. This reward-related
activation is associated with a shift in attitudes
and emotions that has helped boost players’
adherence to prescribed chemotherapy and
antibiotic treatments in a previous study.”
Video Games in the Brain: Study Shows How Gaming Impacts Brain Function to Inspire
Healthy Behavior, http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9293984.htm (March 19, 2012)
34. Self & Group Motivation, 2010
“Education scientist Sugata Mitra tackles one of
the greatest problems of education -- the best
teachers and schools don't exist where they're
needed most. In a series of real-life
experiments from New Delhi to South Africa to
Italy, he gave kids self-supervised access to
the web and saw results that could
revolutionize how we think about teaching.”
Sugata Mitra, http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html (2010)
35. “Participants rated the attractiveness of faces
and subsequently learned how their peers
ostensibly rated each face. Participants were
then scanned using functional MRI while they
rated each face a second time. * * * Participants
changed their ratings to conform to those of their
peers. This social influence was accompanied by
modulated engagement of two brain regions
associated with coding subjective value—the
nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex * *
*.”
Zaki, Jamil, at al. “Social Influence Modulates the Neural Computation of Value” Published online
before print June 8, 2011, doi: 10.1177/0956797611411057 Psychological Science July 2011 vol. 22
no. 7 894-900
Peer Pressure Motivation, 2011
36. Researchers used fMRI “to elucidate the neural
mechanisms associated with social influence with
regard to a common consumer good: music. * * *
adolescents, age 12–17. * * * 15-second clips of
songs from MySpace.com * * * * Song popularity
had a significant effect on the participants’ likability
ratings of the songs. fMRI results showed a strong
correlation between the participants’ rating and
activity in the caudate nucleus, a region previously
implicated in reward-driven actions.”
Berns, Gregory S. et al, “Neural Mechanisms of the Influence of Popularity on Adolescent
Ratings of Music.” Neuroimage. 2010 February 1; 49(3): 2687.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2818406/
Peer Pressure Motivation, 2010
37. Dopamine Motivation, 2011
“The human brain, much like that of most
mammals, has hardwired physiological
responses that had survival value at some
point in evolutionary progression. The
dopamine-reward system is fueled by the
brain's recognition of making a successful
prediction, choice, or behavioral response.”
Willis, Judy. “A Neurologist Makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool.”
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis (April 14, 2011)
39. Dopamine & Genes, 2008
Begley (2008) reports on research finding that
nearly 30 percent of children are born with genes
that result in their brains having fewer dopamine
receptors than normal. Having few dopamine
receptors is linked to an inability to learn from
mistakes, and to less activity in the brain’s frontal
cortex, the site of higher-order thinking.
Begley, S. (2008, August 9). But I did everything right. Newsweek.
Retrieved April 26, 2009, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/151758
40. Dopamine & Genes, 2008
Continued
In her article, Begley quotes Jack Shonkoff,
director of the Center on the Developing Child
at Harvard University as saying, “individual
genetic differences are the 800-pound gorilla of
child development.”
41. Dopamine & Rewards, 2012
“The researchers found that * * * hardworking
people had the most dopamine in two areas of
the brain known to play an important role in
reward and motivation, and low dopamine
levels in the anterior insula, a region linked to
motivation and risk perception.” in Journal of
Neuroscience. 2012
From Slacker or Go-Getter? Brain Chemical May Tell Vanderbilt University.
http://www.livescience.com/20026-brain-dopamine-worker-
slacker.html?utm_content=LiveScience&utm_campaign=seo+blitz&utm_source=twitter.com&ut
m_medium=social+media
42. Dopamine & T. gondii, 2012
Parasites – Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii)
causes production and release of abnormal
amounts of dopamine.
43. T. gondii in Brazil, 2006
A 2006 article estimates the “dopamine”
parasite, toxoplasma gondii infects 67% of
Brazilians.
The researcher hypothesizes that the bug’s
behavioral effects on individuals may in turn
influence human culture in general.
See Lafferty, K. D. “Can the Common Brain Parasite, Toxoplasma Gondii, Influence Human
Culture?” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 273 (1602), 2749-2755 DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2006.3641 (2006).
44. T. gondii in the USA, 2011
The overall T. gondii antibody prevalence in the
United States according to NHANES 1999–
2000 data is 14.3% (95% CI 12.3%–16.2%).
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/13/4/06-1355_article.htm#tnT1
45. T. gondii’s effect on rats
T. gondii makes rats friendly towards cats. Thus
the parasite affects the behavior of the rats,
which change of behavior increases the
chances of the parasite completing its life cycle
in the cats.
Berdoy, M. et al. “Fatal Attraction in Rats Infected with Toxoplasma Gondii.” Proceedings of the
Royal Society Biological Sciences. Vol. 267, no. 1452, p. 1591-1594. 7 Aug. 2000. doi:
10.1098/rspb.2000.1182 http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/267/1452/1591
46. T. gondii in the UK, 2012
According to a report commissioned by the
UK Food Standards Agency, 350,000
Britons a year are being infected by T.
gondii. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/beware-of-the-cat-
britains-hidden-toxoplasma-problem-8102860.html (2012)
[A 1993 UK survey found that 5.5 to 12.7% of
pregnant women in the London region were
infected.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8432316?
dopt=Abstract]
47. Parasites in General, 2011
“[W]e tested the parasite-stress hypothesis for
the distribution of intelligence among the USA
states: the hypothesis proposes that
intelligence emerges from a developmental
trade-off between maximizing brain vs. immune
function.”
“As predicted, we found that the correlation
between average state IQ and infectious
disease stress was − 0.67 (p < 0.0001) across
the 50 states.”
Parasite prevalence and the distribution of intelligence among the states of the USA,
doi:10.1016/j.intell.2011.02.008
48. 4. What Else Affects Brains?
Culture
Language
Aerobics
Emotions
Norepinephrine
Health
Music
49. Culture, 2012
“Despite claims to the contrary, leaders in the
neurodiversity movement clearly recognize
autism as a disability. * * * They also maintain,
however, that difficulties experienced by
people with disabilities are contextual and
that living in a society designed for
nonautistic people exacerbates the
challenges experienced by autistic
individuals.”
What Can Physicians Learn from the Neurodiversity Movement? By Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, in
American Medical Association Journal of Ethics June 2012, Volume 14, Number 6: 503-510.
http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2012/06/oped1-1206.html
50. Culture, 2011
In a Nature commentary, researcher Laurent
Mottron criticized autism research to date and
argued that we should move away from
expecting people with autism to correct
themselves to meet our expectations. Instead,
we should accommodate the needs of
people with autism in much the same way we
accommodate the needs of people with visual
and hearing impairments.
Mottron, Laurent. “Changing perceptions: The power of autism,” Nature. Vol. 479, p. 33–
35. November 2011, DOI: doi:10.1038/479033a.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v479/n7371/full/479033a.html,
51. Language, 2011
Words for color affect perception of colors.
Members of the Himba Tribe in Africa have
language that names colors differently than
we name colors. They can see what we can’t
see, and we can see what they can’t see.
BBC Horizon: Do you see what I see? "The Himba tribe"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b71rT9fU-I (2011)
52. Aerobic Fitness, 2010
“MRI and behavioral methodologies to examine
the link between aerobic fitness, brain
structure, and cognition in preadolescent
children. A clear association between aerobic
fitness, hippocampal volume, and relational
memory in children is demonstrated.”
49 children ages 9 &10, average K-Bit IQ 115,
MRI used.
A neuroimaging investigation of the association between aerobic fitness, hippocampal volume, and
memory performance in preadolescent children (2010) Chaddocka et al (IL, OH, PA)
53. Emotions, 2001
Ethics problems involving emotion show
different patterns of brain involvement than
those ethics problems not involving emotion.
Emotions affect judgment and problem-solving.
Greene, J.D., R.B. Sommerville, L.E. Nystrom, J.M. Darley, J.D. Cohen. (2001). An fMRI
investigation of emotional engagement in moral judgment. Science, 293 (5537):2105.
54. Emotions, 2002
Participants in a negative mood learned faster,
contrary to expectation. This research
examined learning over a 12-day period. The
learning involved a word association task,
visual learning task, and a mood-induction
process.
Moore, Simon C., Oaksford, Mike. Some long-term effects of emotion on cognition. British Journal of
Psychology. August 2002, 93(3).
55. Norepinephrine, 2012
“University of Kansas researchers have found larger
resting pupil size and lower levels of a salivary enzyme
associated with the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in
children with autism spectrum disorder.”
“* * * samples taken at home throughout the day showed
that sAA levels were higher in general across the day and
much less variable for children with ASD.”
“What this says is that the autonomic system of children with
ASD is always on the same level,” said Christa Anderson,
assistant research professor. “They are in overdrive.”
http://neurosciencenews.com/pupil-size-saliva-alpha-amylase-
children-autism-spectrum-disorder/
57. Health Behaviors, 2012
“We report longitudinal data in which we assessed
the relationships between intelligence as assessed
in Grade 7 and consequential health outcomes in
Grade 11.”
“The mean age of respondents (N = 420; 188
males, 232 females) was 12.30 years (SD = 0.49)
in Grade 7and 16.17 years (SD = 0.45) in Grade
11. They completed standardized verbal and
numerical ability tests and a measure of
conscientiousness in Grade 7 and health related
questions in Grade 11.”
Cognitive ability and health-related behaviors during adolescence: A prospective study
across five years. Joseph Ciarrochi et al. From Australia
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289612000384
58. Health Behaviors, Continued
“Results indicated that higher intelligence was
associated with a number of healthy behaviors
including delay in onset of cigarette smoking.
Intelligence significantly predicted less time spent
watching TV, lower physical exercise, and lower
consumption of stimulant drinks. Covariate
analyses showed that general intelligence
predicted health outcomes after controlling for
conscientiousness, socio-economic status, and
gender.”
Cognitive ability and health-related behaviors during adolescence: A prospective study across five
years. Joseph Ciarrochi et al. From Australia
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289612000384
59. Musical Training, 2009
“Here, for the first time, we demonstrate structural brain
changes after only 15 months of musical training in
early childhood, which were correlated with
improvements in musically relevant motor and auditory
skills.
These findings shed light on brain plasticity, and
suggest that structural brain differences in adult experts
(whether musicians or experts in other areas) are likely
due to training-induced brain plasticity.”
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 Jul;1169:182-6.The effects of musical training on structural
brain development: a longitudinal study. By Hyde, et al.
60. Cortical Thickness, 2011
“High-resolution magnetic resonance scans
were acquired in 32 healthy adults to model the
gray– white and gray–cerebrospinal fluid
borders for each individual cortex and to
compute the distance of these surfaces as a
measure of cortical thickness (CT).
Associations between CT and the dimensions
of impulsiveness (Barratt-Impulsiveness-Scale
11, BIS) were identified in entire cortex
analyses.”
Cortical thickness correlates with impulsiveness in healthy adults (2011). By Shilling.
NeuroImage doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.07.058
61. 5. Education Improvements?
First, we repeat John Geake’s cautions.
Next, we offer a small sampling of brain
research studies and other information that
might improve education.
The purpose of this section is not to provide a
full list; the purpose is to “whet your appetite” to
learn more.
62. Cautions from John Geake’s
The Brain at School, 2009
Levels of analysis are confounded when we try to
port neuroscience over to education
Correlation is not proof of causation.
Cognitive neuroscientists and educators are not
well connected.
Neuroscience tools will improve in the future.
63. Larger Kerning
Zorzi, Marco, et al. “Extra-large letter spacing
improves reading in dyslexia.” Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences in the United
States
(2012)http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/0
5/29/1205566109
G r e a t e r / l e t t e r / s p a c i n g / helps
reading in dyslexia
http://neurocritic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/g-r-
e-t-e-r-l-e-t-t-e-r-s-p-c-i-n-g.html
64. Better Fonts
“OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font
created to increase readability for readers with
dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold,
italic and bold-italic styles. It is being updated
continually and improved based on input from
dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on
using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution.”
http://dyslexicfonts.com/
66. Physical Exercise, 2011
Forty minutes of daily exercise done in the
classroom during reinforcement of basic academic
skills (students in grades 1-3) or done on exercise
equipment while watching educational programs
(students in grades 4-6) improves learning in a
low-scoring elementary school. The percentage of
students meeting state standardized test goals
increased from 55 percent to 68.5 percent.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/05/02/exercising-
while-learning-boosts-test-scores-study-finds
67. Learning with Hands, 2010
Scientists at the University of Chicago’s Human
Performance asked participants to solve a Tower of Hanoi
puzzle, and then asked them to demonstrate how they
solved the puzzle. If the weight of some of the puzzle parts
was significantly altered before a participant demonstrated
how he or she solved the puzzle, the participant’s problem
solving skills suffered. The scientists concluded, “Gesturing
does not merely reflect thought: gesture changes thought
by introducing action into one’s mental representations.
Gesture forces people to think with their hands.”
Beilock, S.L. and Goldin-Meadow, S. (2010). “Gesture changes thought by grounding it in
action.” Psychological Science OnlineFirst, published on October 1, 2010 as
doi:10.1177/0956797610385353.
68. Learning with Hands, 2011
To test whether gesturing while thinking
improves learning, the Birmingham scientists
recruited university students to solve the
problems. Results from a series of experiments
reveal that (1) people spontaneously use
gesturing to help them solve complex spatial
problems, and (2) the gesturing improves later
performance on different spatial tasks.
Chu, M. and Kita, S. (2011). “The Nature of Gestures’ Beneficial Role in Spatial Problem Solving.”
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. American Psychological Association, Vol. 140, No. 1,
102–116.
69. Learning with Hands, 2012
Notre Dame psychologists placed 136 images of complex
geometric patterns within the same distance from the eyes
of each of 44 undergraduate students, but within different
distances from their hands. The scientists found that
learning differences occur depending upon whether the
visual material is within the reach of the students’ hands or
not, even if the students did not use their hands. But the
scientists discovered a downside to objects placed within
reach—people are less able to abstract information
common to a series of images when the images are near
their hands.
Davoli, C. C., Brockmole, J. R., & Goujon, A. (2012). A bias to detail: How hand position modulates visual learning and
visual memory. Memory & Cognition, 40, 352-359. http://www.nd.edu/~jbrockm1/pubs.html
70. Optimal Rewards, 2011
“The popularity of video games is not the
enemy of education, but rather a model for best
teaching strategies. Games insert players at
their achievable challenge level and reward
player effort and practice with
acknowledgement of incremental goal
progress, not just final product. The fuel for this
process is the pleasure experience related to
the release of dopamine.”
Willis, Judy. “A Neurologist Makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool.”
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis (April 14, 2011)
71. Improved Diagnoses, 2009
“Developmental disorders in children are
typically diagnosed by observing behavior, but
Aditi Shankardass knew that we should be
looking directly at their brains. She explains
how a remarkable EEG device has revealed
mistaken diagnoses and transformed children's
lives.”
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/aditi_shankardass_a_
second_opinion_on_learning_disorders.html
72. About Aditi Shankardass
“Aditi Shankardass is a neuroscientist trained
across three disciplines of the field:
neurophysiology, neuroanatomy and
neuropsychology. * * * Currently, she leads
the Neurophysiology Lab of the Communicative
Disorders Department at California State
University.”
http://www.ted.com/speakers/aditi_shankardass.html
73. Impulse Control Training?
Campbell and von Stauffenberg (2009) found
that children’s performances between 36
months of age and first grade on measures of
resistance to temptation, delay of gratification,
response inhibition, attention, and planning
predicted whether the children would have
symptoms of ADD or ADHD in third grade.
Campbell, S. B., & von Stauffenberg, C. (2009).
Delay and inhibition as early predictors of ADHD symptoms in third grade. Journal of Abnormal
Child Psychology, 37(1), 1-15.
74. Meditation Training?
“Eileen Luders, an assistant professor at the UCLA
Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and colleagues, have
found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of
gyrification (“folding” of the cortex, which may allow the
brain to process information faster) than people who do
not meditate. Further, a direct correlation was found
between the amount of gyrification and the number of
meditation years, possibly providing further proof of the
brain’s neuroplasticity, or ability to adapt to
environmental changes.”
“Evidence builds that meditation strengthens the brain, UCLA researchers say.”
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/evidence-builds-that-meditation-230237.aspx March 12,
2012
75. Looking Inside Brains?
Nature published an article about the efforts of
researcher Brian Butterworth and others to understand
dyscalculia (Callaway 2013).
Butterworth hopes to monitor the brains of students as
they improve their math skills by playing Number
Sense, a suite of educational computer games that
Butterworth and a colleague at the Institute of
Education in London developed to help people with
dyscalculia.
Callaway, Ewen. (2013). “Dyscalculia: Number games: Brian Butterworth is on a crusade to
understand the number deficit called dyscalculia — and to help those who have it.” Nature, 493: 150–
153. doi:10.1038/493150a http://www.nature.com/news/dyscalculia-number-games-1.12153
76. Zapping with Electricity?
Scientists in the United Kingdom have shown that electricity
applied to the brain can boost math learning.
Oxford University neuropsychologist Roi Cohen Kadosh has
been experimenting with administering very low, non-painful
electric current into the brains of adults (Feilden 2012). The
technique, called “transcranial direct current stimulation
(TDCS),” stimulates the prefrontal cortex nerves of adults as
they answer mathematics questions. Cohen Kadosh’s
studies have shown that the mathematical abilities of adults
improve after training with TDCS. Cohen Kadosh plans to
test the TDCS technique with children with dyscalculia.
77. Zapping & Movement &
Games, Oh My!
Oxford neuropsychologist Roi Cohen Kadosh has developed
a system that involves not only a computer game to help
students improve their mathematics skills, but also a Kinect
device to record body movements, and a helmet to zap the
student’s brain with electricity as the student solves math
problems via body movements while playing the game.
Here is a video demonstration of the
computer/Kinect/zapping system that Dr. Cohen Kadosh
plans to use for his research on brain stimulation and
mathematics learning:
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/11/brain-
zapping-kinect-game-mathematics.html.