Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Plasticity
Brains change
Use it or lose it
Top-down Processing
it in frameworks
Fit
What are your/their expectations?
Optimal Arousal
Depends on task
Selective Brain Development
Works in progress
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Try It…
Seated to the Seated to the
LEFT? RIGHT?
Check out picture Close eyes
Close eyes When asked,
check out picture
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Psychology and Neurons
Tying human behavior to neurons
is difficult.
There may be 100 billion neurons in your
nervous system.
Each neuron has many connections (within
brain average = 10K)
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Changing Brains
What changes can occur in synapses?
# (increases or decreases)
Strength and pattern of signal
Character (excitation or inhibition)
Changed by:
Use
Importance of signal
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Long term potentiation
Think about each term
Change in neuronal response due to
experience
Could be easier to fire
Or release more chemicals
All because of previous firing
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Plasticity
Neuronal changes produced by
experience
Spines on dendrites can appear within
minutes of stimulation
Existing structure will play a role, be
modified
We’ll have to pay attention to existing
knowledge
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Changing Brains
Neuronal response is enhanced if:
Stimulation is repeated
Distributed practice
Saturation avoided
Smaller chunks
Making connections
Depth of processing
Highlighters and flash cards don’t cut it
Overlearned/overlapping
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Will they remember everything
from intro?
No, but may experience the
Faster relearning as
connections are reestablished
and strengthened
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
BRIDGE and the Brain
Focus of BRIDGE
Scholarship of teaching
Discipline-based epistemology
Classroom experimentation
Themes across three years
Content coverage vs. mastery
Transition from novice to expert
Backward design
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Maximize Savings
Assignment Design BRIDGE examples
Manage the timing of Increasing the
assignments to meaning of reading
include review and assignments
reuse of critical
concepts Ungraded assignment
sheet (did it?), can use
Increase the during exams
frequency of
assignments Learning to use
critical terms
Include practice with
smaller chunks Key term web
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Processing what comes in:
Bottom-Up
Association Cortex for integration
Primary Cortical nuclei
Thalamic nuclei
Receptor to transduce energy
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Processing what comes in:
Top-Down
Association Cortex for integration
Primary Cortical
nuclei
Thalamic nuclei
Receptor to transduce energy Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Try It…
Seated to the Seated to the
LEFT? RIGHT?
Check out picture Close eyes
Close eyes When asked,
When asked, open check out picture
eyes and blink Then blink
quickly repeatedly for final
slide
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Go beyond “cool”…
Make the connection explicit
HOW you saw the second item was
influenced by your “preparation”
Once you see it one way it is difficult, but
not impossible, to see other ways
Reading ahead of time, slides/outlines
available can prime students to get the
lecture
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Top-Down Processing
Looking at a brain end of semester vs. first week
Expertise
Recognizing your friend from really far away b/c you
knew she would be here
Expectations
Hearing the words to the song so clearly once you
read the lyrics
20-20 Hindsight
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Reality
Raw sensory (biological) info
+ past experiences
+ context
+ motivation
+ expectations...
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
“The Last Supper is supposed to be thirteen
men. Who is this woman?” Although
Sophie had seen this classic image many
times, she had not once noticed this glaring
discrepancy. “Everyone misses it,” Teabring
said. “Our preconceived notions of this
scene are so powerful that our mind blocks
out the incongruity and overrides our eyes.”
Dan Brown, Da Vinci Code
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Top-down and Teaching
Be aware of biases, prior info
Can we think like Novices?
Theobvious is NOT obvious
We see details, students need to be
SHOWN
Framework, knowledge reminders
Point out patterns, themes
Encourage/reward reading before
class
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Existing neural
networks/knowledge=
Top-down processing
Use for:
Examples…concrete, interesting
Vocabulary breakdown
Group work, explanations from students
Teaching approach
Memory of own student habits
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Existing neural
networks/knowledge
• Help students find their own networks
What does this make you think of?
What makes this memorable to you?
Use from one semester to another and/or one
class session to another (supplemental
instructor/tutor)
Language and/or technology barriers
“comparing apples to oranges”
“I can do it on my computer at home”
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
1.Orient
2.Familiarity
alters
processing Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
What if their “top” is wrong?
Focus on factually and conceptually
correct information
Asterisks in notes
Error in previous thinking- show how it fits in
Freud
Negative correlation, negative reinforcement
Polygraph
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Attention: More Filters
The Brain sees what it wants to see, not
just what you put in front of it
Same stimuli can be on retina- only cause
brain response when attended to
Optimal level of arousal
Engagement/rewards
Depth of processing again
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Managing Attention
Assignment Design BRIDGE examples
Know what is Should students have
important and make class notes on
that apparent Blackboard (web)?
Value of practice and
Match course
homework
contingencies to real
What happens when
value of activities you assign work that
Influence student isn’t completed?
perceptions of value
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Teacher sees important details, students
need to be shown
E.g. purpose of assignments (“busy
work!”) syllabus design can
include(w/recurring patterns) purpose,
points, procedure
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
10 Minute Reading Reinforcers (RR)
Purpose: Reinforce review of correct quiz answers and previous class
notes as well as active reading of current chapter.
Procedure: Twice during each unit several questions (usually multiple
choice) will be projected during the first 10 minutes of class. Please
bring a pencil to class everyday (there is a sharpener just outside the
classroom on counter in TLC office space). Notes can be used; the text
book cannot. Latecomers will miss that day’s reinforcer. Answers will be
discussed immediately afterwards. Because this is not intended to take
more than 10 minutes of class time, if you have an Individual Education
Plan (IEP) through Rider Learning Center that recommends longer time
on assessments please advocate for yourself by discussing this with me
early in the semester. You should plan regular times throughout the
week to read the text and review your notes. Plan on reading about 30
pages per class session on average.
Points: 9(5) = 45 points possible (can skip one w/out penalty or drop
lowest) [12.7% of grade]
Stayed Aroused Helps Us
Pay Attention
Tasks of
avg.
difficulty
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Optimal arousal level high for easy or
passive tasks
Tasks of low
difficulty:
lecture,
driving
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Optimal arousal level low for difficult
tasks
Tasks of
high
difficulty:
stressful
exam
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
So Why Doesn’t Fun
Stuff Always Work?
Increase arousal but students can miss
the point
Improvements= add REFLECTION
Games as review for test
List topics strongest/weakest in
Sensory illusions
vocab words to summarize what was
Use
demonstrated
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Selective Brain Development
Still have some growing to do
Problem is, it is in the region that
manages:
Planning
Response inhibition
Emotional regulation
Organization
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
PFC and Teaching
Encourage planning
Interim deadlines
Model applications/abstractions
Piaget
Use action to complete learning cycle
Group work to test ideas, promote outward
use of terms and concepts
Encourage metacognition
Knowing what you know, reflection
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Long term planning
Assignment Design BRIDGE examples
Anticipate needs for Adding pre-
long term planning professional activities
Use assignments that to assignments
build on each other interview
Linked assignments
that create planning
Intermediate deadlines
Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
Models at our fingertips, FPOT, synapse
Maximize savings, LTP,
distributed processing
Be aware of and use existing knowledge,
obvious is not!, maintain arousal and
direct attention
Selective, Promote and model abstraction, long-
term planning, active use of material Stephanie Golski, Ph.D.
golski@rider.edu
The Art of Changing the Brain:
Enriching the practice of teaching by
exploring the biology of learning
James E. Zull 2002
http://Styluspup.com