Use the term “brain-based learning” with some and you’ll potentially be met by skepticism or humor; after all, doesn’t all learning occur in the brain? Given this response, beginning with a solid definition seems wise. According to The Glossary of Education Reform (2013), the term brain-based learning, “refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including…how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.” Brain-based learning, therefore, is less about noting the “location” of learning and more about how educators can understand cognitive development and functionality of the brain to design and develop content and activities to increase engagement and motivate their students to learn.

In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Jensen (2005) describes seven critical factors in the learning process that directly relate to the design of the brain; these include “engagement, repetition, input quantity, coherence, timing, error correction, and emotional states.” Each of these factors exert unique and, sometimes competing, influence on the ability of students to receive, process, and retain information over time (Jensen, 2005). Additionally, sociopolitical and economic statuses play a role in the function of students’ brains. Low socioeconomic students “rarely choose to behave differently, but they are faced daily with overwhelming challenges that affluent children never have to confront, and their brains have adapted to suboptimal conditions in ways that undermine good school performance” (Jensen, 2009). These students often experience “emotional and social challenges, acute and chronic stressors, cognitive lags, and health and safety issues” (Jensen, 2009). As a result, educators should “assume [their] students need transition time from their personal lives to their academic lives” (Jensen, 2005).

Beyond the science of how the brain works, studies have shown the importance of students explicitly understanding the brain’s structural and functional changes during learning. “When students see [the learning] process as changing their own brains, the result is a powerful and positive cycle” that allows them to see that “hard work really matters” (Wilson & Conyers, Engaging, 2014). Further, students who practice metacognition, or “the ability to think about [their] thoughts with the aim of improving learning,” are able to think independently and reflectively, taking charge of their learning (Wilson & Conyers, Metacognition, 2014)

The design of the brain, and the resulting model of brain-based learning, strongly supports the use of differentiation in the classroom. A fundamental pillar of differentiation is the concept that a one size fits all model prevents teachers from engaging all students, meeting them where they are, and providing equal access to a quality education. Much like differentiation, brain-based learning acknowledges the “need [for] flexibility in the classroom to accommodate for a wide range of students” (Cozolino, 2013). Educators who understand the role of the brain in learning are able to, essentially, “hack” their students learning processes and use differentiation to ensure that learning takes place at the best possible time, in the best possible environment. Differentiation, then, becomes a tool for educators to ensure learning is relevant and meaningful to individual students, encourage depth over breadth, understand the importance of brain breaks, provide strategies to help students both practice metacognition and cope with internal or external stressors, and allow students to see the big picture but make choices regarding their individual learning experience to increase intrinsic motivation (Jensen, 2005; Desautels, 2016; Cozolino, 2013; Wilson & Conyers, Metacognition, 2014; Wilson & Conyers, Brain, 2014; Jensen, 2009). Educators who understand the science behind brain-based learning and synthesize this knowledge with the strategies of differentiation wield powerful tools to create learning environments allowing all students to engage and thrive.

Citations

Cozolino, L. (2013, March 19). Nine things educators need to know about the brain. Greater Good. Retrieved from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/nine_things_educators_need_to_know_about_the_brain

Desautels, L. (2016, February 23). Energy and calm: Change it up and calm it down. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/energy-calm-change-it-up-lori-desautels

Great Schools Partnership. (2013). Brain-based learning. The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/brain-based-learning/

Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind: What being poor does to kids’ brains and what schools can do about it. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind. (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Wilson, D. & Conyers, M. (2014, May 20). Brain moves: When readers can picture it, they understand it. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/brain-movies-visualize-reading-comprehension-donna-wilson

Wilson, D. & Conyers, M. (2016, February 13). Energy and calm: Change it up and calm it down. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/energy-calm-change-it-up-lori-desautels

Wilson, D. & Conyers, M. (2014, October 7). Metacognition: The gift that keeps giving. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/metacognition-gift-that-keeps-giving-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers