6 Brain-Science Principles that Trump Traditional Teaching & Training

When you play most card games, there is one suit in the deck, or one card in the suit, that trumps all the others.

The Trump card is the best one to have, and with it, you can win the game. This metaphor is an appropriate one for instructional strategies that best for the learners.

This article gives you a summary of 6 brain science principles that trump traditional learning methods.

Movement sends more oxygen to the body and brain, which means that learners have more energy, are more alert, and can think and learn more easily. Every 10 - 20 minutes, have participants take a quick oxygen break. They can: stand and stretch, sit and stretch, stand and talk, walk around the room, stand and write on wall charts - anything that gets the learner’s body moving and oxygen to his/her brain.

The person doing the most talking is doing the most learning. Talking reinforces content. Have participants form pairs, triads, or small standing/sitting groups, and do one of the following: summarise, ask/answer questions, discuss, debate, list facts and share opinions with others.

The human brain thinks in images first, then words. Images are powerful learning and memory tools. Images can include: photos on slides (full size and dramatic), icons on handouts, stories, case studies, personal vignettes or images that learners draw as they are taking notes – anything that creates vivid mental pictures in the participants mind.

Participants remember what THEY write, not what YOU write. Provide (or have participants create) a “graphic organiser” – a note-taking tool that has both images/shapes and spaces in which to write. Do an Internet search for “graphic organisers” to find ones that your participants can use.

Attention lessens after about 10 - 20 minutes. Divide your content-delivery into 10, 15, or 20-minute segments. In between instructional segments, have participants DO something with the content. Activity examples: Pair-Share, Think-and-Write, Stand-Stretch-Speak, Sticky-Note-Writing, Sit-Stretch-Think, The Walkabout. Log onto www.Bowperson.com for activity instructions and more quick, content-review activities. 

The human brain notices things that are different from things that are routine, predictable, or boring. It also notices things that change in the learning environment. So: CHANGE ANYTHING! Change the ways you deliver content. Change the activities you have learners do. Change elements in the learning environment. The participants brain wakes up when things change.

Reference Author: Sharon Bowman