Online Teaching: 40 pedagogical interventions. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D.

Bringing the Neuroscience of Learning to
Online Teaching: 40 Pedagogical
Interventions for the Modern Teacher
Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D.
www.thelearningsciences.com
tracey.tokuhama@gmail.com

Background
• Professor, Harvard University Extension School: “The
Neuroscience of Learning: Introduction to Mind, Brain,
Health and Education science”
• OECD: Member of the expert panel on Teachers’ New
Pedagogical Knowledge based on contributions from
Technology and Neuroscience
• Associate Editor of the Nature Partner Journal Science of
Learning
• Interdisciplinary researcher in neuroscience, cognitive
psychology and education (cultural anthropology and
linguistics).
• Boston University: BA, BS, magna cum laude; Harvard
University: Master’s in International Educational
Development; Capella University: Ph.D. In Professional
Studies in Education (Mind, Brain and Education Science)
• Teacher at all levels of education (K-University, continuing
education) with more than 29 years of experience in 33
countries.
M a k i n g
C l a s s r o o m s
B e t t e r
L E S S O N S
from the
C O G N I T I V E
R E V O L U T I O N
that
T R A N S F O R M
our T E A C H I N G
2

Agenda
1. Your questions
2. Teachers’ New Pedagogical
Knowledge (Online)
• Planning
• Activities
• Tools
• Neuroscience of Learning: Principles
and Tenets
3. 40 Online Pedagogies and
“Mantras” of Teaching
Tokuhama-Espinosa 3

One-Minute Paper
• Left side: What you KNOW about
the “[teaching online] [the brain
and teaching] [the difference
between good teaching online
and good teaching face-to-face]”
• Right side: What you WANT to
know.
• Chat or Q&A: Write what you want
to know.

Planning
28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa 5

“Emergency Remote Teaching”
vs. MOOCs vs. Webinars vs.
Quality Online Learning

Three steps to ensuring understanding
(backward design)
Adopted from Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (1998),
Understanding by Design.
Objectives
“At the end of the
day, what do I
hope I achieved”?
Evaluation
“What do I accept as
evidence that I am
meeting my objectives?”
Activities
“What do I do”?

Macro and Micro applications of UbD
Macro Planning
Meso Planning
Micro Planning

28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa
Start
List of Objectives
End
Week
15
Week
14
Week
13
Week
12
Week
11
Week
10
Week
9
Week
8
Week
7
Week
6
Week
5
Week
4
Week
3
Week
2
Week
1
Week
0
Neuroethics
Intro and Global
Overview
Functional
Neuroanatomy
Affective
Neuroscience
Attention
Neuroplasticity
& Epigenetics
Memory
Neurodevelopment Language
Executive
Functions
Metacognition &
Theories of Learning
Global Overview & Future Directions
Theory of
Mind &
Cultural
Neuroscience
Mindfulness & Default
Mode Network
Mind-Body Connection
Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes:
Global objectives of the week
Specific objectives of the week
• Sleep & Dreaming
• Physical Activity
• Nutrition
• Gut-Brain Axis
Weekly Objectives
Research to Create
or Update Bundles
Pre-class
Slide Deck
Pre-class
Video
Discussion
Board Prompt
Quiz
Live Class
Slide Deck
Live
(synchronous)
Class
Small group
discussion and
application

Summary
• Twelve Steps to Successful Instructional Design
1. Decide on Course Objectives
2. Decide on Topic Order
3. Decide on Weekly Objectives
• Research the Bundles
4. Create Pre-Class Slides
5. Record pre-class Video
6. Respond to the Discussion Board prompt
7. Create the weekly Quiz
8. Create Live Class Slides
9. Conduct the Live (synchronous) Class
10. Use Evaluation as a Teaching Tool throughout
11. Establish clear Communication protocols throughout
12. Change Time priorities
28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa; http://tdclique.com/?p=3198 10
• Is this for you?
• A worked model
• Pros and cons

Activities

Class Activities, including Evaluation
1. Asynchronous
Quiz Watch
pre-class
video(s)
Respond to
Discussion
Board
prompt
Explore the
Bundles
Content and Logistics DB
Key themes emerge ;
Points of clarification
2. Synchronous
LIVE CLASS
Slide deck; Recorded session
(Sections)
(Workshops)
Participation
(3-2-1
Reflections)
Semester-long Project
3. Asynchronous
“Homework: Do-Overs and In-Depth Exploration”
Evaluation is
on-going,
embedded,
continual and
formative.
Evaluation is
well-
documented.

Pros and Cons
Pros
• More focus on the humanistic
side of teaching
• More focus on student needs
• Much more personalization
• Much more differentiation
• Better documentation
• Greater variety of (free)
learning resources
Cons
• Change in mind-set needed
to prioritize formative
evaluation (time)
• More front-end planning
(flipping)
Teacher: More listening, less talking
Student: More interaction with peers and teachers

Tools

Multi-
course
Platforms
MOOCs
University credit
courses
Software
Surveys
Plagiarism
Assessment
Presentations
Digital stories
Transcription
Whiteboards
Blogs
Research
Writing
Podcast
(All topics)
Apps
ICT
Art
Math
History
Science
Language
Health
Physical Ed
Games
General
knowledge
Subject
specific
SEL-Team
Work
Thinking,
Planning,
Strategy
Websites
Subject
Teacher tips
Repositories
Methodologies
Prepared
lessons
ONLINE TOOLS

Neuroscience of Learning:
Principles and Tenets

PRINCIPLES TENETS
n=6 n=21

Three studies over 11 years

•False
information
about the
brain and
learning
Attitudes and
Predujices
(Neuromyths)
• Universal
aspects of
learning true
for all
humans
Principles • Individual
aspects of
learning; true for
all but lots of
human variation
Tenets
•Social
influences on
pattern and
category
recognition
•Affective
aspects of
learning
Culture
• What should
happen in
the
classroom
Instructional
Guidelines
The “new first steps” in teacher professional development:
24
Tokuhama-Espinosa 2017
1
2
3
4
5
For example: Some people are “right-
brained” and others are ”left-brained”
For example: “All new learning passes
through the filter of prior experience”
For example: “Sleeping and
dreaming are vital for learning”
For example: Numeric symbol
representation
Example: “50 Practical Applications of
Mind, Brain, and Education science”

Challenges to
Teachers:
• Much of what we
hold to be “truths” in
our practices is
without scientific
foundation and
possibly a
neuromyth.
25
Tokuhama-Espinosa Feb
2017

Myths:
• Multi-tasking
• Right-Left Brain
• Male and Female Brains
• 10% brain use
• Ageing brain
• Diets for your brain
31
Tokuhama-Espinosa Feb
2017

Myths about brain plasticity
• Neurogenesis optimizes
learning.
• Neural plasticity is due to good
pedagogy.
• Learning created new brain
cells.

Myths about memory
• Memory is like an objective recording
of a situation and reality exists in an
abstract form for all to perceive.
• The brain has unlimited capacity for
memory.
• Memorization is unnecessary for
learning (and unwanted in modern
education).
• The brain remembers everything is has
ever experiences; forgetting is due to
bad encoding.

Myths about emotions and learning
• Learning can be isolated from
the social/emotional context.
• Reasoning and decision-
making can be divorced from
emotion and feeling (and in
doing so, improves the quality
of thought one engages in).

Myths about language,
bilingualism and multilingualism
• Languages are located in the
left hemisphere of the brain.
• Children must acquire their
native language first before
learning a second language.
• Children are sponges and learn
foreign languages effortlessly.

Why do myths persist?
Neuromyths are “hypothesis which have been
invalidated [but which] nevertheless leave traces
and of these have captured the wider imagination,
‘myths’ take root (OECD, 2007, pp.108).
1. Over-generalization of scientific findings
(stretching the data beyond its original
purpose)
2. Based on a partial truth
3. Unsubstantiated beliefs or Misconceptions
4. Misinterpretation of data

Criteria for identifying myths
In general you can have confidence in studies….
1. that are current
2. that have been replicated
3. that are conducted on humans
• School-aged children
4. that appreciate the complexities of learning
• measure “real” skills used in academic and life
settings, not just lab design)
Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2017

Six (6) Principles

Six principles about human learning …
1. UNIQUENESS: Human brains are
unique as human faces. While
the basic structure of most
humans’ brains is the same
(similar parts in similar regions),
no two brains are identical. The
genetic make-up unique to
each person combines with life
experiences and free will to
shape neural pathways (94.64%).

2. DIFFERENT POTENTIALS: Each
individual’s brain is differently
prepared to learn different tasks.
Learning capacities are shaped by
the context of the learning, prior
learning experiences, personal
choice, an individual’s biology and
genetic make-up, pre-and peri-
natal events, and environmental
exposures (90.18%).

3. PRIOR EXPERIENCE: New
learning is influenced by
prior experience. The
efficiency of the brain
economizes effort and
energy by ensuring that
external stimuli are first
decoded, compared, both
passively and actively, with
existing memories (84.68%).

4. CONSTANT CHANGES IN THE
BRAIN: The brain changes
constantly with experience.
The brain is a complex,
dynamic, integrated system
that is constantly changed by
individual experiences. These
changes occur at a molecular
level either simultaneously, in
parallel, or even before they
are visible in behavior (93.69%).

5. PLASTICITY: The brain is
plastic. Neuroplasticity
exists throughout the
lifespan though there are
notable developmental
differences by age
(93.69%).

6. MEMORY+ATTENTION=LEARNING: There
is no new learning without some form of
memory and some form of attention.
Most school learning requires well-
functioning short, working and long-
term memory systems and conscious
attention. However, procedural
learning, habituation, sensitization and
even episodic memory can occur
without conscious attention (74.55%).

Additions to the Principles?
• Emotions influence all learning, memory and decision making. As rationale as humans
may claim to be, every decision has an inherent value placed on it by the individual,
which constitutes a form of weighting.
• Emotions help to direct attention and provide motivation.
• One's physiological state influences learning and memory. Sleep, nutritional status,
stress, etc., all influence brain functioning in dynamic ways on multiple time scales.
• One's ability to self evaluate, especially regarding mistakes, enhances learning and
memory.
• Emotional systems of the brain are central to learning. Both amygdala and
hippocampus are profound memory systems and part of the limbic brain. Evidence for
this goes back as far as the James-Lange theory of emotion. There are more things, but
I will have to think on this.
EMOTIONS

• Humans are born to connect-whether that connection is
good or bad depends on the circumstances.
• Levels and stages of human cognitive development.
• Above seems mostly focused on academic/cognitive
learning, maybe include a principle also integrating
social/emotional learning?
• The idea of mindsets in learning - growth mindset,
belonging, etc.
LEARNING IS SOCIAL

• I would like seeing the principle "cognitive processes are
embodied" (or something similar)--something that
recognizes that the traditional split between body-mind /
thought-feeling is not entirely accurate.
• I find that many teachers still see "thinking" (and by
extension learning) as an activity which takes place in
some independent mental space, and that it is
independent of affect, intuition, etc.
BODY-MIND

Twenty-one (21) Tenets

Twenty-one (21) Tenets
• A tenet is a construct in learning for which there is
evidence, but also a high level of human variability.
Sleep pattern variation
Body shape variation

1/21
Tenet: Motivation
• Motivation influences
learning, (however,
what motivates one
person and how may
not motivate another in
the same way).
• How does this influence
your teaching? (97.27%)
28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa
61
Positive (+) Negative (-)
Intrinsic
Extrinsic

2/21
Tenet: Emotions and Cognition
• Emotions and cognition
are mutually influential.
Not all stimuli result in the
same affective state for
all people.
your teaching? (98.18%)

3/21
Tenet: Stress
• Stress influences
learning (but what
stresses one person and
how may not stress
another in the same
way) (94.45%)
your teaching?
Tokuhama-Espinosa Feb 2017

4/21
Tenet: Anxiety
• Anxiety influences
learning (but what
causes anxiety in one
person may not cause
anxiety in another)
(97.25%)
your teaching?

5/21
Tenet: Depression
• Depression influences
learning (but what causes
depression in one person
may not cause depression
in another) (93.64%)
your teaching?

6/21
Tenet: Challenge and Threat
• Learning is influenced by
both challenge and threat
as perceived by the learner.
What a person finds
challenging or threatening is
highly individualized as are
their reactions to the stimuli
(88.99%)
• How does this influence your
teaching?

7/21
Tenet: Facial Expressions
• Reactions to facial
expressions are highly
individualized: they reflect
prior experience, both
personal and in response to
cultural expectations.
(Exceptions: Autism Spectrum
Disorder) (74.55%)
teaching?

8/21
Tenet: Tones of Voices
• The brain interprets tones of
voices unconsciously and
almost immediately, however,
the reaction to the tones of
voices is based in part on prior
experience and therefore
individualized (73.39%)
teaching?

9/21
Tenet: Learning is Social
• Humans are social beings who
learn from and with each
other. Social interactions
influence learning. Different
amounts of social interactions
around learning are desired by
different people (96.36%)
teaching?

10/21
Tenet: Attention
• Attention is a complex phenomenon
comprised of multiple systems
(supporting functions such as
metacognition, self-reflection,
mindfulness and meditation as well as
states of high alertness, selective
attention and focused attention), which
work to different degrees in different
relationships with one another (88.99%)
• How does this influence your teaching?

11/21
Tenet: Most learning is not linear
• Most learning does not necessarily
occur linearly, but rather
advances and retracts based on
stages of growth, reflection and
the amount of repetition to which
one is exposed (86.24%)
teaching?

12/21
Tenet: Conscious and Unconscious
Processes
• Learning involves conscious and
unconscious processes, which may
differ by individuals based on their
training and other individual
experiences. Learning is also described
as implicit (passive or unaware
processes) and explicit (active or
aware processes) (92.66%)

13/21
Tenet: Learning is development (nature and
nurture) as well as experiential (nurture)
• Learning is developmental (nature
and nurture) as well as experiential
(nurture): a person’s age,
cognitive stage of development
and past experiences all
contribute to learning and do so
differently for each person
(89.81%)
teaching?

14/21
Tenet: Learning engages the entire
physiology
• Learning engages the
entire physiology: the body
and brain interact to play
a role in learning processes
(78.70%)
your teaching?

15/21
Tenet: Sleep and Dreaming
• Sleep and dreaming influence learning in
different ways: sufficient sleep permits the
brain to pay attention during wakeful
states and dreaming contributes to
memory consolidation.
• The amount of sleep and dreaming an
individual needs can vary based on
culture, circumstances, motivation,
genetics and learned sleep hygiene
practices (72.22%).

16/21
Tenet: Nutrition
• Nutrition influences learning.
Basic nutritional needs are
common to all humans,
though there are variations
in the frequency of food
intake and some dietary
needs, which are unique to
individuals (90.74%).
teaching?

17/21
Tenet: Physical Activity
• Physical activity influences
learning, however, different
individuals need different
amounts of physical activity
to perform optimally.
Interspersing physical and
cognitive activity may
improve learning (87.16%).
teaching?

18/21
Tenet: Use it or lose it
• Use it or lose it: Brains that remain
active cognitively help
development and can also stave
off cognitive decline in the aging
brain, however, individual
variations, including experiences
and genetic predispositions,
influence the final outcomes of
interventions (83.49%).
teaching?

19/21
Tenet: Feedback
• Feedback about learning progress
influences learning outcomes.
Feedback itself can be a source of
learning. The type, frequency, and
use of feedback can influence
learning outcomes, which can also
vary by individual (96.26%).
teaching?

20/21
Tenet: Relevant and meaningful
contexts
• It is easier to retrieve memories
when facts and skills have been
embedded in individually relevant
and meaningful contexts
(however, what is relevant or
meaningful varies by individual)
(92.59%).
teaching?

21/21
Tenet: Novelty (and Patterns)
• Brains detect novelty
(however, what is novel to
one individual may not be
novel to another)
(93.52%).
your teaching?

Principles
Principle 1:
Uniqueness
Principle 2:
Different
Potentials
Principle 3:
Prior
Experiences
Principle 4:
Constant
Changes
Principle 5:
Neuronal
Plasticity
Principle 6:
Memory
Systems and
Attention
Systems

Tenets
Tenet 1:
Motivation
Tenet 2:
Emotions
and
Cognition
Tenet 3:
Stress
Tenet 4:
Anxiety
Tenet 6:
Challenge
and Threat
Tenet 5:
Depression
Tenet 7:
Facial
Expression
Tenet 8:
Tones of
Voice
Tenet 9:
Learning is
Social
Tenet 10:
Attention
Tenet 11:
Learning is
Non-linear
Tenet 13:
Development
al &
Experiential
Tenet 12:
Conscious
and
Unconscious
Tenet 14:
Entire
Physiology
Tenet 15:
Sleep &
Dreaming
Tenet 16:
Nutrition
Tenet 17:
Physical
Activity
Tenet 18:
Use it or
Lose It
Tenet 20:
Relevant
and
Meaningful
Tenet 19:
Feedback
Tenet 21:
Novelty &
Patterns

Pedagogies

Link to 40
pedagogies
https://drive.google.com
/file/d/1BHnkQ3ABRAPb
b8PaTleAiyc1mSWld9BL/
view?usp=sharing

Choosing the 40 pedagogies
• Reviewed 50 practical
applications of Mid, Brain,
and Education science
• Searched for support in
online settings
• Searched for evidence
from a transdisciplinary
view

•False
information
about the
brain and
learning
Attitudes and
Predujices
(Neuromyths)
• Universal
aspects of
learning true
for all
humans
Principles • Individual
aspects of
learning; true for
all but lots of
human variation
Tenets
•Social
influences on
pattern and
category
recognition
•Affective
aspects of
learning
Culture
• What should
happen in
the
classroom
Instructional
Guidelines
The “new first steps” in teacher professional development:
87
1
2
3
4
5
For example: Some people are “right-
brained” and others are ”left-brained”
For example: “All new learning passes
through the filter of prior experience”
For example: “Sleeping and
dreaming are vital for learning”
For example: Numeric symbol
representation
Example: “50 Practical Applications of
Mind, Brain, and Education science”

Goals, Principles, Tenets, Mantras
and Pedagogies

Goal: Mastery Learning

Mastery through Universal
Design for Learning
•“Some people can do steps. Everyone can
do ramps. Build ramps.”
28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2021 91

Mastery: Differentiate entry
points to the material
• “Different people need different things at
different stages of the learning process to reach
the same objective.”
28 April 2021 Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2021 92

Mastery: Differentiated homework
•“Treating everyone fairly does not mean
treating them equally.”

Mastery Learning: Use long-term
E-portfolios; Use PPP Rubrics
•“Learning can and should be measured in
terms of Product, Process and Progress.”

Mastery: Prioritize formative
evaluation
•“Frequent, explicit, formative evaluation
serves both student and teacher.”

Mastery: Feedforward
•“What can I do better the next time?”

Goal: Deeper Learning

Deeper learning: Flip
•“Start with the end in mind.”

Deeper learning: Make time for
reflection.
•“Mind wandering is not a waste of time.”

Deeper learning: Leverage
culture
• “The brain adapts to what it does most.”

Deeper learning: Expect the
best

Deeper learning: Understand
heuristics, expose bias

Deeper learning: Apply
interleaving

Deeper learning: Help students find
success every day
• “Success begets success.”

Deeper learning: Use questioning;
Employ the Socrative Method
• “It’s harder to ask a good question than to answer one.”

Goal: Metacognitive
Awareness

Use the Metacognitive
Awareness Inventory
• “Learning how to learn is a lifelong goal.”

Metacognitive Awareness: Train
Executive Functions
• “Self-regulation is more important than innate
intelligence in predicting learning outcomes.”

Goal: Growth Mindsets

Growth Mindset: Love what you do
or learn from it (and if you are
lucky, do both!)
• “Attitude is often more important than aptitude.”

Growth Mindset: Teach
lifelong learning objectives
• “Learning limits are often self-imposed.”

Growth Mindset: Teach risk and
protective factors about brain health
• “You are more than just the sum of your
genes and zip code.”

Growth Mindset: Educate
the whole child
• “The whole is greater than the sum
of the parts.”

Goal: Dare to Err

Dare to Err: Make time for “do-overs”
• “Anyone who can learn from their mistakes should be
given the opportunity to do so.”

Dare to Err: Use frequent,
low-stakes testing
• “Mistakes are a natural part of learning.”

Goal: Optimal Performance

Optimal Performance: Know Thyself
as optimal performance is relative
• “The sweet spot of learning.”

Optimal Performance: Flexibility
based on (current) student needs
• “It’s a moving target: Learn to adjust on the fly.”

Goal: Relevant Curriculum

Relevant Curriculum: Apply
neuroconstructivist design of curriculum
• “There is a natural hierarchy and learning
trajectory for each subject.”

Relevant Curriculum: Habituate
transdisciplinary thinking
• “The more you know, the more you can know.”

Goal: Differentiation and
Student Autonomy

Differentiation and Student Autonomy:
Let students drive the curriculum
• “There are many paths to Rome.”

Differentiation and Student
Autonomy: Use authentic learning
• “The person who does the work is the
person who does the learning.”

Goal: Social Contagion

Social Contagion: Prioritize small
group work
• “People can and do affect each other’s
emotional states.”

Social Contagion: Teach emotion
and empathy through facial clues
• “There is no cognition without emotion.”

Social Contagion: Read
emotional cues from voices
• “Prioritize social emotional learning over
content memorization.”

Goal: Strong Learning
Communities

Strong Learning Communities:
Leverage Theory of mind
• “We know ourselves better by know ‘the other’.”

Strong Learning communities:
Collaborate as learners
• “1+1=3: Collaboration yields more than
individual efforts."

Collaborate as teachers
• “1+1=3: Collaboration yields more than
individual efforts.”

Strong Learning Communities: Share
• “Share to build community.”

Cold call by name
• “Disinhibition Effect: The protection of anonymity.”

Goal: Personalization

Personalization: Show you care
• “A person’s self-perception as a learner is
shaped by teachers and influences learning
outcomes.”

Personalization: Listen
• “You can’t teach students if you don’t know them.”

Goal: Communication

Communication: Get in synch
• “The brain can’t let it go: Communication
immediacy smooths the flow of learning
processes.”

Communication: Be predictable.
• “Communication regularity lowers anxiety
and cognitive load.”

1. Quick review of teachers’ new
pedagogical knowledge model
2. Neuromyths
3. Principles and Tenets
4. What do the best teachers do?
5. And now…
Summary

3-2-1
• 3: Three things you didn’t know before
• 2: Two things you will continue to research or talk about
• 1: One thing you will change in your personal or
professional life based on the information that was shared
Visible Thinking: “II used to think … and now I think….”

3-2-1
• 3 things that are new (unknown before)
• 2 two things so interesting you will continue to research them or
share with someone else
• 1 thing you will change about your practice based on the
information shared today

For more information:
Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D.
www.thelearningsciences.com
(tracey.tokuhama@gmail.com)

Online Teaching: 40 pedagogical interventions. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D.

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