Brain-Based Learning New and Effective

Brain-Based Learning

New and effective brain-based learning has been developed since technology and research has advanced sufficiently to show teachers how the brain works and what the processes are that compel and assist learning in many different areas. As a result, curriculum has been developed that uses research from neurosciences to enhance the direct application of advanced methods of absorption of information into the various areas of children's brains, active and eager to retain and utilize this information. (Wolfe, 2001)

Teachers who apply this curriculum need to know something of how the brain functions and the purposes of the different parts of the brain in order to be effective. Holding students' attention for long periods of time, hoping that rewards will assist retention and "forgetting" information are problem areas that curriculum developers have been applying this new knowledge to lately. As a result, multi-modal lessons for teaching difficult subjects, such as Grammar and English have made learning these subjects fun for children. (Van Zile, 2003)

Tried and tested methods of multi-modal learning, in which visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic elements are integrated into what were considered "dry" subjects, have turned those subjects into lively, interesting physical activities that children have a hard time forgetting, and stimulate students to ask for more. Furthermore, information is not divided into subject-encapsulated classes, but subjects are integrated into one or more other categories to enhance across-the-board learning. Active participation in the lesson by the physical body of the student has become a central and critical part of learning, as studies have linked the cerebellum with movement as well as the activities of learning. Memory, spatial perception, language, attention, emotion, nonverbal cues and even decision making have also been linked to the cerebellum, making movement a central and critical part of learning, according to various studies,. (Jensen, 1998) the new studies in brain development have impacted educational practices tremendously.