Slides to accompany 1/4/12 presentation

1. How Teaching Changes the Brain Air Academy High School January 4, 2012 Barbara A. Toney

3. Major concepts • Good, bad, short-term or long-term, something is always happening in kids’ brains. • The choices you make as an educator will be a major influence on students- _1_. • You can only make ___2___ when you are informed about which ones matter the most.

4. Old (outdated) Paradigm “ Our brains stay mostly the same. Except we lose brain cells every day.” (this is old and mostly wrong)

6. Guess Which Factors Actually Change Our Brains? Bad moods Playing an Instrument Distress Daily Walks Learning Diabetes __9__ Gene Expression Trauma Watching TV Nutrition Hands on Science Exercise __10__ Medications Sleep

9. __11__ Brain Chemistry Neurogenesis Cell Survival/Function __12__ Gene Expression Blood Flow How Teaching & Learning Changes the Brain

10. Teaching Changes Cell Structures (length & volume) Jacobs, et al., 1993

11. Learning Experiences Physically Alter Student Brain Cells

12. Dendrites Add “Spines” as Response to Environmental Input Majewska, et al. 2006

14. Teaching Changes How Cells Connect

16. Learning Changes Location of Blood Flow in Our Brains Note changes in activation L-R in subjects learning to play a game Haier et al.(1992)

17. Activities and Exercise Change the Brain

18. Standing, a Simple Activity, Increases __13__

19. Nearly any kind of activity that boosts circulation also improves brain function and cognition Vaynman S, and Gomez-Pinilla (2006)

24. Primacy-Recency Effect We remember best what we experience first , and second best what comes last . BEM

32. Website http://www.barbaratoney.com This site is currently being rebuilt. Click on “articles” to access over 130 education articles written by me. The new website will have lots more informational material and should be up by the end of January.

34. What can I do Tomorrow?

35. The New Understanding of the Role of Teachers Teachers can teach in ways that make powerful and positive changes in the brains of their students! Teachers shape brains!