Introduction
Why do I need to learn this stuff? This is the question most teachers dread, although it is truly insightful. Why do my students need to learn about the brain? A promising way to maximize learning is to expose students to the way in which the brain works. Once they discover the structures of the brain and develop knowledge of the functions of these structures, they have information that will help them make a connection to their individual learning. When they can make this personal connection, a door to life-long learning will be opened for them. If students believe information is important to their lives, they will learn. We must help students see why the information we are sharing with them matters in their lives. They will be able to learn more effectively, know what challenges they may face, and develop strategies to overcome problems.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Once we stretch our minds around a new idea, it never returns to its former shape." 1 This quote helps us to recognize that learning physically changes the brain so each new experience can change the brain. By using these new experiences teachers can make connections to existing experiences and form new pathways. The key is connecting new learning to prior knowledge. Starting with what students already know and building from there is a biologically-based idea for pedagogy. 2
By learning how people learn or how the brain works, students may be able to learn more effectively. Knowing the processes involved can help students understand the problems that may arise in learning. Learning has a lot to do with repeating facts and making connections. Prior knowledge is important; all learners have prior knowledge, it is persistent, it is the beginning of new knowledge, and it is where all learners start. Teachers need to start where the learner is and scaffold in the information that should be taught; this will help to build existing neuronal networks and facilitate learning. Motivation to learn needs to be present for success. Teachers should not try to develop new ways to motivate the learner, but instead identify what already motivates them.
The brain is how information about the world is taken in and acted on. At birth, the brain is equipped with all the neurons it will ever have, but many of them are not yet connected to each other. When learning occurs, the messages travel from one neuron to another, over and over. Eventually, the brain starts to create connections (or pathways) between the neurons, so things become easier and can be done better and better. 3 Connections that are not used become inactive and are inhibited explaining the expression: "Use it or lose it." If mental skills are not exercised, they are not just forgotten; the brain map space for those skills is turned over to the skills that are practiced instead. 4 The two things that change connections or synapses are: how much they are used and how important the original connection is. As students learn new information they tie it to something they already know; each time they blend the old connection with the new they create a new network and strengthen it.
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