1. Slater 1
Emily Slater
Mrs. Tillery
AP Literature and Composition
18 November 2011
Senior Project Research Paper: Teaching and the Brain
It seems that every year, the school district arbitrarily changes how teachers should do
their jobs. Performance based pay, pre-kindergarten classes, and increasingly computerized
classes are just a few of the ways schools have tried to increase standardized test scores. Many
of these programs are implemented because of a set of statistics support them, however, little if
any consideration is given to the science behind the student. New studies on the brain and how it
learns have created more effective teaching techniques that will soon take over the world of
education, though one must be cautious when implementing them.
To understand how humans learn, one must first understand certain parts of the brain. In
the human brain, most rational thinking is done in the frontal lobe of the brain, or the section
located around the forehead area. Inside the frontal lobe, the prefrontal cortex is located. In
essence, this section of the brain controls the willpower and personality of the human mind and,
if damaged, can cause severe personality and behavior changes (Sousa). However, the
hippocampus is, in all probability, the most relevant section of the brain in relation to learning.
The hippocampus is responsible for converting the electrical signals it receives into short and
long-term memory while simultaneously comparing these signals to past experiences (Sousa). If
this section, located in the lower middle section of the brain, is damaged or degraded by age, it
can cause serious problems for memory. Another important section of the brain is the parietal
lobe. For the most part, this section of the brain is used in perception and is most concerned with

2. Slater 2
the cognition portion of learning. Damage to the parietal lobe is known to cause difficulties with
language and mathematics (Hudmon 5). Surprisingly enough, emotional responses are also
incredibly important to the learning process. The amygdala, which is connected to the
hippocampus, essentially takes the processed information from the parietal lobe and associates
an emotion with it (Wolfe). In addition to this, it is important to see traits in the brain as a whole.
The human brain can be divided into two cerebral hemispheres. Generally, the right brain is
thought of as the more artistic and creative side, while the left-brain is thought of as logical.
However, this fact is a misconception. Humans use both sides of their brain almost equally and
while there are some slight correlations betweens sides of the brain and certain traits (Jensen),
both sides are used in processes such as creating music and formulating sentences. Yet
understanding these sections of the brain is essentially useless if one does not understand their
practical applications.
Learning is, essentially, the combination of long-term memorization and understanding.
However, in order for a student to learn a concept, several things must first occur. Firstly, the
information must be consistent with previous ideas. It is for this reason that someone who has
never done basic math will struggle with memorizing complex algebraic formulas. If one is not
able to reconcile this, it makes it extraordinarily difficult to memorize concept. Nonetheless,
there is a way to circumvent this if they are able to give importance to the information. If a
concept is given meaning, even if it does not necessarily make sense, it is easier to recall (How
the Brain Learns). According to some researchers, it is this need to associate new information
with meaning that makes mnemonic devices so effective. By creating an acronym, song, rhyme,
or using word associations, the brain give an importance to the information and thus is able to

3. Slater 3
recall ideas more easily (Roediger). However, without both meaning and understanding, one
cannot effectively learn and therefore both concepts must be encouraged.
Numerous studies on the brain have illuminated actions of adolescents that have
previously been attributed to apathy or idleness. When a student consistently fails tests, most
teachers assume that the student simply does not apply himself or herself. While that may be the
case, there is also a neurological explanation for this phenomenon. When one is in a stressful or
frightening situation, the amygdala sends a signal throughout the brain that causes the body to
react in a variety of ways. Heart rate increases, the immune system is suspended, and, the most
unfortunate effect in a testing environment, the rational and thinking part of the brain becomes
significantly less efficient (Wolfe). By recognizing this, teachers can make efforts to create a
less threatening environment in order to relax their students and consequently improve test
scores.
One possible way of relaxing students in order for them to perform better on tests is
called “patterning.” While drawing on past experiences and feelings can definitively increase
test-taking anxieties, it can also do much to negate them. When students are more comfortable
with their teacher and believe that they are learning in a supportive environment, they are able to
learn much more effectively (Caine). Conversely, if there is not a mutual respect between the
student and teacher, the student will have little motivation to do well in that class. However, not
all of the responsibility of teaching a student falls on the shoulders of the educator.
Adolescents have sleeping habits that differ from adults and children, which can be
explained by neuroscience. Melatonin is a chemical that is, among other things, essential for
memory in the brain that can only be secreted by the brain during sleep (Larson). This restricted
release of melatonin is responsible for the circadian rhythms or “biological clock” of humans.

4. Slater 4
When a human progresses from childhood to adolescence, the release of melatonin is shifted
later in the day. This shift causes teenagers to sleep in later and stay up later. In one study, it was
found that even when sleep was restricted to a mere five hours a night, adolescents would stay
awake later in the evening because it was at that time they would be most awake (National
Research Council and Institute of Medicine). Furthermore, by delaying the average school day
only one hour, it was discovered that test scores and the ability to concentrate could be
significantly increased (Lufi). To a county focused on improving standardized test scores, this
information could offer significant benefit to students with relatively little cost.
Decreased attention is a problem that many teachers must deal with on a daily basis.
However, the solution to this widespread problem is relatively simple. Working memory, or
conscious processing of information, can only hold approximately seven items at a time and
maintain maximum focus for ten minutes in most adults (How the Brain Learns). After these
first ten minutes, the attention paid to a subject starts to decline. Additionally, because of the
time the brain takes to process information, there is a time gap between when one sees the
information and when it is actually registered in the consciousness (Caine). By acknowledging
this gap and planning lessons that switch between lecture and reflection or practice on a certain
subject, teachers can increase the productivity of their allotted class time.
However, despite significant progress in brain-based education, there are serious
problems with implementing its findings. Neuroscience is a relatively new scientific field that is
rapidly progressing. In spite of this and, perhaps, because of this, there is a lot of false
information that is thought of as fact until someone disproves it. Until several years ago, many
thought that genius babies were created by listening to classical music and humans only used ten
percent of their brains. While the scientific community has now proved these claims untrue, they

5. Slater 5
are still talked of as if they were facts in the general population. Scientists themselves
acknowledge this deficiency and speculate how much of the research will be disproved in the
coming years (Jossey-Bass). Because of this, any groundbreaking discoveries have to be looked
upon with caution. Even if the scientific community was entirely sure of their findings, there are
also cultural and budget issues to hold back its progress. In the United States, funding for
education, among other things, has been cut in almost half of the states in the United States
(Johnson). Many schools are struggling to get basic text books and maintain an already low
wage for teachers; it would appear to be folly to spend tax dollars on educating teachers in
information that might completely change in a couple of years. Unfortunately, even if a
scientific study is thoroughly proven and tested, it is difficult for most people to change their
ways. For example, even though delaying the start of school one hour has been proven to
increase test scores and concentration (Lufi), schools refuse to change their ways. Moreover,
many of these studies only confirm knowledge gained from years of teaching experience. Many
teachers have been implementing these techniques years before studies on the mechanics of the
brain were published.
Yet despite all the controversy, studying the brain and its components can greatly benefit
educators and students in numerous ways. By discovering which parts of the brain control
factors of education, one is more completely able to understand what education is in its essence.
By studying and testing these findings, strategies such as creating a relaxing test taking
environment and breaking up lectures into ten to twenty minute sessions are created and
implemented by teachers to help students learn more effectively. Even the school district can
control test scores from afar by increasing the amount of sleep its adolescent students get by just
one hour. While these findings must be taken with a grain of salt for the time being, it will not

6. Slater 6
be long until it is common for teachers to be trained in rudimentary neuroscience before entering
the work force.

7. Slater 7
Works Cited
Caine, Renate, and Geoffrey Caine. Understanding a Brain-Based Approach to Learning. N.p.:
EBSCO Publishing, 2002. College of Education and Educational Technology. Web. 17
Nov. 2011.
How the brain learns. UF and Shands. University of Florida, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Hudmon, Andy. Learning and Memory. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2006. Print.
Jensen, Eric. Brain-based learning: the new paradigm of teaching. Google Books. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Jossey-Bass. The Jossey-Bass reader on the brain and learning. N.p.: John Wiley and Sons Inc.,
2008. Google Books. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Larson, J, et al. Impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation in melatonin MT2 receptor-
deficient mice. University of Illinois at Chicago, 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Lufi, Dubi, Orna Tzischinsky, and Stav Hadar. Delaying School Starting Time by One Hour:
Some Effects on Attention Levels in Adolescents. National Center for Biotechnology
Information, Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Sleep needs, Patterns, and Difficulties of
Adolescents. Ed. Mary G. Graham. The National Academies Press, 2000. Web. 17 Nov.
2011.
Roediger, Henry L., and Mary Susan Weldon. Imagery and Related Mnemonic Processes.
Department of Psychology. Washington University in St. Louis, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Publishers, 2011. Google
Books. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

8. Slater 8
Wolfe, Pat. Brain Matters: Translating Research Into Classroom Practice. Alexandria: ASCD,
2010. Google Books. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
- - -. Brain Matters: Translating Research Into Classroom Practice. Alexandria: ASCD, 2010.
Google Books. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
- - -. How the Brain Learns. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.