Brain Science

Guiding Questions:

To what extent does brain research impact the school experience?

What have we learned from brain research and what impact has what we've learned had on our instructional practices?

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Using Our Brains

by: Sara Lindberg, CESA 11

Introduction to Neuroeducation

With all of the breakthroughs in neuroscience in the past decade, it’s no surprise that new subgenres in this field of research are constantly being developed. One line of neuroscientific research that has become particularly popular is educational neuroscience or neuroeducation. Neuroeducation can be defined as the cross disciplinary field that integrates neuroscientific research into educational sciences, or, more simply, “the synergy between neuroscience and education”. Neuroeducation connects knowledge about neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections - with pedagogical practices and educational theory to uncover what works in education and why. Researchers from organizations like the Brainwave Learning Center from Stanford and Harvard’s Mind, Brain, and Education Program are studying the connection between brain science and student learning, while global organizations, like the UNESCO International Bureau of Education, have tasked themselves with sponsoring and publishing neuroscientific research designed to improve global learning outcomes.

CAST’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and the UDL Guidelines are rooted in neuroeducation research, specifically how the learning process activates the recognition, affective, and strategic networks of the brain. From a UDL perspective, the more we know about how learners’ brains develop and how educational environments can help or hinder that development, the more we can reflect on what types of teaching practices and instructional design strategies best support our learners. It is through this reflective work and professional development that we can learn to incorporate new best practices suggested by neuroeducation research, such as embedding social-emotional competencies like growth mindset, resilience, and mindfulness into instructional design and pedagogical methods.

Growth Mindset

The term “growth mindset” was popularized by the research of Carol Dweck, and can be defined as the ability to “see intellectual abilities not as fixed but as capable of growth in response to dedicated effort, trying new strategies and seeking help when appropriate.” When implemented as part of a long-term strategic plan, growth mindset interventions can have a significant impact on student learning. From a neuroscience perspective, growth mindset individuals show a more dynamic striatum (part of the brain region involved in reward and punishment responses), which makes them more likely to see mistakes or negative feedback as opportunities to learn and improve. Research using functional MRIs also suggests that “neural mechanisms indexing awareness of and attention to mistakes are intimately involved in a growth mindset individual’s ability to rebound from mistakes”. For schools, this highlights the importance of actively fostering a learning environment that builds a growth mindset in teachers and students and that reframes mistakes as learning opportunities. From an instructional design perspective, it supports the need for teachers to proactively design instruction that provides options for sustaining effort, persistence, and self-regulation. This aligns with the UDL checkpoints that address increasing mastery-oriented feedback (8.4), promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation (9.1), facilitate personal coping skills and strategies (9.2), and develop self-assessment and reflection (9.3). As educators, it is essential for us to model a growth mindset by challenging our own fixed mindsets about learning and by designing learning environments as safe spaces for students to take risks and learn from their mistakes.

Resilience

Another hot topic in neuroeducation research is also a characteristic often seen as necessary in a growth mindset: resilience. The definition of resilience varies slightly across research studies but can be broadly defined as “adaptive, resourceful and innovative enabling responses to adversity, threat or challenge.” Brain research shows that resilience is both a biological trait and an educational skill “that can be taught and enhanced through educational interventions.” Such interventions include explicit instruction and modeling of emotion regulation strategies and cognitive reappraisal (replacing negative thoughts with positive ones), as well as executive function skill building, which is the focus of UDL Guidelines Checkpoint 6. Specific ways in which educators can support the development of executive functioning in learners is through guiding appropriate goal-setting (e.g. providing goal-setting checklists, samples, and other scaffolds), supporting planning and strategy development (e.g. embedding activities for student self-reflection and sequencing action steps), facilitating the management information and resources (e.g. modeling note-taking strategies or the use of graphic organizers), and enhancing student capacity for monitoring progress (e.g. discussing rubrics and different ways to demonstrate proficiency). ³ By teaching and modeling resilience in our classrooms, we’re not only providing students a tool to improve their academic achievement but are helping them cultivate a skill essential for personal growth and lifelong learning.

Mindfulness

Like growth mindset and resilience, mindfulness in education is a topic that has seen a dramatic increase in neuroscience research, and schools are starting to incorporate mindfulness into student curricula and educator professional development. Research suggests that mindfulness interventions can change brain structures and functionality and positively influence attentional control, emotion regulation, awareness, and self-awareness, which are at the core of academic learning and wellbeing. Additionally, active-type meditative practices like yoga have been linked to the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which impacts memory, sense of agency, and self-control. Research also suggests that these activity-based practices activate key regions of the brain that support language, speech, articulation, spatial processing, and social perceptions. From a building or district level perspective, this data encourages administrators to allocate space and time to the practice of mindfulness and active-type meditative practices. From the lens of universal instructional design, it supports the thoughtful inclusion of these practices in daily classroom activities for all students. Additionally, because we know that student outcomes are closely linked with teachers’ wellbeing, some researchers have suggested similar interventions for educators as a form of professional development.

Conclusion

As with any other branch of neuroscience, neuroeducation is an experimental and ever-evolving discipline. Because of this, schools and educators have to be cautious about looking at neuroeducation as the “silver bullet” to solve all their problems. Neuroeducation researcher Dr. David Bueno, author of the Science of Learning Briefings for UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education says, “Neuroeducation is beginning to project a very promising scenario of optimization and pedagogical evolution, but we must be aware that it still has a long way to go”. ¹ That being said, there are still many opportunities to incorporate high-impact, research-based practices into school environments and classroom instruction. Schools can put research into practice by creating learning environments that promote a growth mindset, build resilience, and cultivate mindfulness for students and staff. For educators, utilizing a framework like UDL to proactively plan for learner variability and support the social-emotional component of learning is a great way to enhance professional practice. The following chart provides examples of what this might look like in our schools and classrooms.

Co-Teaching in a Bilingual Classroom

By: Sara Lindberg, CESA 11

When I started working at CESA 11 six years ago, I got involved in the Wisconsin UDL Grant and had the opportunity to learn about the Universal Design for Learning framework. UDL is something that transformed my professional practice as a professional development leader, and I always used to think about what it would be like to go back into the K-12 classroom with all of my UDL tools. Two and a half years ago, I had the opportunity to do just that when I was offered a teaching exchange fellowship at a bilingual secondary school in Spain.

I spent two years co-teaching at a public school in a small town near Seville, and during that time I worked with teachers in nearly every content area - English, Social Studies, Science, Philosophy, and Physical Education. I used UDL as the foundation for designing instruction and assessments, and I got to see firsthand how planning for learner variability and allowing students more voice and choice in their education made them more engaged and led to both content area and language development. When we made the switch to virtual learning during the pandemic (which happened over the course of 24 hours), it was much easier for me, because there was already so much flexibility built into my lessons and activities. As an educator in a rapidly-changing world, that's the beauty of UDL; it provides a foundation that is tight on goals and loose on means that is designed with change and variability in mind.

In preparing for this month's newsletter, the UDL team asked me to share my experiences through a UDL lens.

Q: Providing multiple means of Engagement targets the affective networks of the brain, or the "Why" of learning. How has connecting with the "Why" helped your students become more purposeful and motivated?

In working with middle and high school students especially, I think the "why" of learning is essential, because they are at an age where they are becoming more independent and starting to question things more. I've found that by making connections between things that seem so far removed from them - like the Black Plague or the introduction of the printing press - with things that are a part of their daily life - like the COVID pandemic or smartphones - they start seeing patterns emerge in human history and then start making more purposeful connections about things in their own lives and personal experiences.

Q: Providing multiple means of Representation targets the recognition networks of the brain, or the "What" of learning. How has allowing students to engage in multimodal learning helped them become more resourceful and knowledgeable?

Multimodal learning is a fundamental part of teaching emerging bilinguals, because it provides so many opportunities for students to interact with new information. They develop a deeper knowledge when they can hear about a concept, write about it, talk about it, and act it out, and they become more resourceful in using their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate.

Q: Providing multiple means of Action and Expression targets the strategic networks of the brain, or the "How" of learning. How has providing different ways for students to show what they know helped them become more strategic and goal-directed?

By providing students with different ways to express their learning, they become very focused on the learning goal, because there is no cut-and-dry method or pre-determined product set out for them. Instead of checking boxes on a multiple-choice test, they are essentially designing their own test, and they have to be very proactive in planning how to demonstrate their learning. Many students choose to demonstrate their learning through a medium they are passionate about, whether that's a video, a song, a piece of art, or a piece of writing. And because they are passionate about that form of expression, they tend to spend more time and effort in creating their learning artifact and engage in the content much more deeply than if they would have all had the same project or exam.

Q: Universal Design for Learning incorporates brain research on learner variability and the idea that there is no "average" learner. How has designing instruction with variability in mind helped your teachers engage the diverse learners more effectively?

I've found that by designing instruction with variability in mind and making my instruction as accessible as possible from the outset, every student feels like they have an entry point into engaging with the content. I also spend a lot of time modeling the use of different scaffolds and resources, so students have time to practice and learn which supports are most helpful to them, and they eventually start using the supports independently in other classes.

Allison Posey Discusses The Brain and Learning at the 2020 UDL Forward Conference

Allison Posey, Senior Content Editor and Producer, at CAST keynoted the 2020 UDL Forward Conference. During her session, she share research on brain plasticity and how learning and lived experiences change our brains.

Allison has authored the book Engage The Brain: How To Design For Learning That Taps Into The Power Of Emotion.