An introduction to Neuroscience - Science of Learning ... · repeatedly or persistently takes part...

The Brain in the Classroom?An introduction to educational neuroscience

Gregory M. DonoghueJared C. Horvath

Stephanie McMahonScience of Learning Research Centre

27th June, 2016

Our learning objectives

An introduction to Neuroscience

An introduction to the Science of Learning

Classroom Applications

Three themes

Your purpose in teaching

Three themes


Translation of neuroscience to education

Three themes


Translation of neuroscience to education

Spotting the learning & teaching strategies

So exactly what is learning?

A behavioural psychologist:

“The relatively permanent change in behaviour brought about as a result of

experience or practice.”(Mayer 2008)


A cognitive psychologist:

“the process by which a relatively stable modification in stimulus-response relation is developed as a consequence of functional environmental interaction via the senses.”

(Sheldon 1996)


An educator:

“A process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”

(Kolb 1984)

And what happens during learning?

A neuroscientist:

“When an axon of cell A is near enough to excite a cell B and repeatedly or persistently takes part in firing it, some growth process or metabolic change takes place in one or both cells

such that A's efficiency, as one of the cells firing B, is increased.”

(Hebb 1961)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axon

Image credit: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/13944682478_6a578b0502_o.jpg. 2015 Creative Commons Licence

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/13944682478_6a578b0502_o.jpg

Image credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/125992663@N02/14599057004 2015 Creative Commons Licence

Neuroscience Essentials

LIVING Non-LIVING

The CELL

The PRIMITIVE NEURON

The NEURON

The DENDRITE and the AXON

AXONDENDRITEInformationInformation

The SYNAPSE: neuron-neuron

The SYNAPSE: neuron-muscle

Muscle

InformationInformation

Light

Information

Image credit http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron#/media/File:Neuron1.jpg 2015 Creative Commons Licence

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron%23/media/File:Neuron1.jpg

NEURON A

NEURON B

NEURON B

NEURON A

SYNAPSE

Image credit https://farm1.staticflickr.com/248/526249719_0cc82defb2_o.jpg 2015 Creative Commons Licence

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/248/526249719_0cc82defb2_o.jpg

Image credit: Adam Wegner, Webb Lab / Vanderbilt. J. Corey Evans, Cristina M. Robinson, Mingjian Shi‡, and Donna J. Webb 2015

The PERSON

SENSORY INPUTS COGNITIONBEHAVIOURAL

OUTPUTS

The POPULATION

Neuroeducation Quiz

Please rate how this neuroscience knowledge will change the way you teach in your classroom?

(a) A lot(b) Some(c) A little(d) None(e) Don’t know

Translating Learning Science

World’s best neuroscientists working on learning



And yet



And yet

Neuromyths still abound



And yet


Ineffective teaching practices still in use



And yet


Ineffective teaching practices still in use

Proven practices not being used


Why?

An Abstracted Learning Framework

I Matter Physical Physics

Layer No.

Developmental Phase Layer Name Relevant Discipline

II Cells Cellular Biology / Pure neuroscience

III Organs CerebralSystems, Cognitive and Behavioural

Neurosciences

IV Organisms Individual Cognitive & Behavioural Psychology

V Populations Sociocultural Education, Social Sciences

Drink bottles in the classroom?


Layer No.




Neurosciences



Drink bottles in the classroom?


Layer No.




Neurosciences



Three Themes

1. Translation – brain to classroom

2. Primary Purpose

3. Spot the Learning & Teaching strategy

The Scientific Method

1. Make some assumptions


1. Make some assumptions2. Make some observations


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis4. Make some predictions


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis4. Make some predictions5. Do an experiment


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis4. Make some predictions5. Do an experiment6. Take some measurements


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis4. Make some predictions5. Do an experiment6. Take some measurements7. Question your assumptions and

hypotheses.


1. Make some assumptions2. Makes some observations3. Develop a theory or hypothesis4. Make some predictions5. Do an experiment6. Take some measurements7. Question your assumptions and

hypotheses

1. Decide what you want to get

And in the classroom . . .

1. Decide what you want to get 2. Decide what you will do to get it

And more practically . . .

1. Decide what you want to get, 2. Decide what you will do to get it3. Measure it before you do anything


1. Decide what you want to get, 2. Decide what you will do to get it3. Measure it before you do anything4. Do something


1. Decide what you want to get, 2. Decide what you will do to get it3. Measure it before you do anything4. Do something5. Measure it after you’ve done something


1. Decide what you want to achieve 2. Decide what you will do to get it3. Measure it before you do anything4. Do something5. Measure it after you’ve done something6. Do more of what worked & less of what didn’t


1. Decide what you want to achieve 2. Decide what you will do to get it3. Measure it before you do anything4. Do something5. Measure it after you’ve done something6. Do more of what worked & less of what didn’t 7. Say “Duh!” (Peterson, C. 2006)


An example of good science: Hattie’s effect sizes

Class average before teaching (e.g. 45%)



Class average after teaching (e.g. 90%)



Class average after teaching (e.g. 90%)

Effect (of your teaching) (e.g. 100% improvement)


The measurement of effect sizes (simple version)

• Class average before teaching (e.g. 45%)

• Class average after teaching (e.g. 90%)

• Effect (of your teaching) (e.g. 100% improvement)


The measurement of effect sizes (simple version)

• Class average before teaching (e.g. 45%)

• Class average after teaching (e.g. 90%)

• Effect (of your teaching) (e.g. 100% improvement)


The measurement of effect (Cohens’ d )

Averageafter minus Averagebefore

Effect size =




Effect size =




Effect size =




Effect size =Variation

Distribution of Effects


Zero – you’ve made no difference

Positive – you’ve increased learning

Negative – you’ve decreased learning







Negative – you’ve decreased learning


0.0 – 0.3 normal development effect



0.3 – 0.4 average teacher effect




0.4 - 0.6 minimum desirable range




0.4 - 0.6 minimum desirable range

0.6 + best practice

Try ranking these effects

Answers

Applying the framework . . . Quiz

In what layer is Hattie’s research conducted?

(a) Sociocultural(b) Individual(c) Cerebral(d) Cellular(e) Physical


To what layer is Hattie’s research applied?



To what layer is Hattie’s research applied?


Learning Strategies1. Re-reading

2. Self-explanation

3. Elaborative Interrogation5. Distributed Practice

10. Highlighting / Underlining

6. Interleaved Practice

4. Practice Testing

8. Mnemonics

9. Summarisation

3. Elaborative Interrogation

7. Imagery for Text

Classroom Science of LearningBasic Phonemes (EAL Students

Classroom Science of Learning

LOW

x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x

MEDIUM

x x x xx x x

HIGH

x x x

Basic Phonemes (EAL Students

Term 1


LOW


MEDIUM

x x x xx x x

HIGH

x x x


Term 1

Term 2

LOW

x x x x xx x x x

MEDIUM

x x x x x x xx x x x x x x

HIGH

x x x x x


LOW


MEDIUM

x x x xx x x

HIGH

x x x


Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

LOW

x x x x xx x x x

MEDIUM


HIGH

x x x x x

LOW

x x

MEDIUM

x x x x x

HIGHx x x x x x x x x


Classroom Science of Wellbeing

Grade 5 boy

Friend 1

Friend 2

Friend 5

Friend 4Friend 5

Classroom Science of Wellbeing

Grade 5 boy

Friend 1

Free sociogram software: GraphViz

Friend 4Friend 5

Friend 2

Friend 3

Scenario for Discussion

Image credit: © American Association of Neurology, used in accordance with http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/brain-on-music.jpg .

http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/brain-on-music.jpg


Music has a large and visible impact on activity in the brain.


Music instruction has a 0.29 effect size on academic achievement

Image credit: © American Association of Neurology, used in accordance with http://patients.aan.com/go/about/terms.

http://patients.aan.com/go/about/terms

Learning Strategies1. Re-reading

2. Self-explanation

5. Distributed Practice

10. Highlighting / Underlining

6. Interleaved Practice

4. Practice Testing

8. Mnemonics

9. Summarisation

3. Elaborative Interrogation

7. Imagery for Text

Another example

Training Practice PracticePre-test Post-testDelay

Practice

Massed PracticeMassed Practice

Another example

Training PracticePre-test Post-testDelay

Inter-session interval

ISI

Spaced Practice

Practice Practice

Inter-session interval

ISI

Training Practice PracticePre-test Post-testDelay

Practice

Massed PracticeMassed Practice

Spaced Practice

Spaced PracticeSociocultural Layer - effect size > 0.80

Image http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Aplysia_punctata.jpgg 2015 Creative Commons Licence

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Aplysia_punctata.jpgg

Spaced PracticeSociocultural Layer – ES > 0.80

Individual layer – ES > 0.80

Spaced PracticeSociocultural Layer – ES > 0.80

Individual layer – ES > 0.80

Cerebral & Cellular layer

Image http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Aplysia_punctata.jpgg 2015 Creative Commons Licence

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Aplysia_punctata.jpgg

Free educator resourcesPEN Principles

• http://slrc.org.au/resources/

• [email protected]

http://slrc.org.au/resources/

mailto:[email protected]

Coming up

UQ SeminarThursday 14th May

Associate Professor Ross CunningtonMotor Learning and Mirror Learning

Coming up

PD: Bringing the Science of Learning into the Classroom

Brisbane 30th June – 1st JulyMelbourne July 6th – July 7th

Coming up

Webinars2nd June Brain Development across the lifespan20th August Memory and attention3rd October Emotions and learning

Collaborating Organisations Partner Organisations

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