Brain Based Learning

Henlie Sakamoto

Presented by National Board Certified Teacher,

Brain Based Learning Theories

Presented by Henlie Sakamoto,
Na5onal Board Cer5ed Teacher

Agenda
Introduc)ons Ice Breaker
Brain Facts, Cor)sol and
Brain Teasers
Use of Five Senses
-Aromatherapy
Smells and Tastes
-Impact of Colors
-Food As Medicine
Mul)ple Intelligences
Learning Modali)es
Teacher Thoughts
-The Middle Wife
Words For Life
-Children Learn What
They Live
-All I Need To Know I
Learned In
Kindergarten
-Andy Rooney
-The Garden
Evalua)ons

Brain Facts

The brain weighs ~ 3 lbs. but uses 20% of the bodys energies.
Most of a babys 100 Billion Brain cells are not connected in a network. They become connected
when they have sPmulaPng experiences.
By age 3, the number of connecPons peak. A 3year old has twice the number of
connecPons as an adult. This huge number of connecPons means that a 3 year olds brain
is more acPve, connected and exible than that of an adult!
A childs capacity for learning any language is greatly diminished by age 11. And yet we teach
languages in high school and not elementary school.
The many parts of the brain work in concert to ready the body for acPon or to be ready to process
informaPon. The various parts of the brain have specic funcPons to perform. For opPmal use of
our brains, use varying learning modaliPes.
The brain strengthens frequently used connecPons and gets rid of liWle-used connecPons.
Therefore repeaPng posiPve experiences is benecial to any age.
Cor)sol stress hormone, inhibits informaPon processing
A Teacher reprimanding a students will inhibit that childs learning for upwards of 45
minutes unPl the corPsol chemical is ltered out.
Stress factors prolonged stress in young children stunts their academic ability . Worry,
fearfulness, depression shuts down the brain. The chemicals in the brain ready the body for self-
preservaPon in a ight or ght mode. RaPonale thinking is not processed.

Brain Facts continued

Brain happiness : omega 3 faWy oils from sh is brain food. Diet will contribute to sustained good
brain processing health.
Exercise in later life will decrease onset of neurological illness. Studies have found that mild exercise
improves cogniPve ability 32% over those whom are sedentary.
Water the elixir of life. Keep your brain well lubricated. Even mild dehydraPon impairs our
judgment. Impaired judgment can be tragic when elderly people are driving.
Drink your weight in ounces of water a day! 140 lbs = 140 oz. or at least drink 8 glasses a
day. Sip half a cup every hour for good brain and body health. Coee and tea drinks are
dehydraPng. They should not be considered replacements for water.
Upon waking each morning, drink a glass of water with lemon to hydrate and cleanse your
body. Try this for a week and see if you dont think more clearly.
Also drink a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal for beWer digesPon of the meal and to
eat less.

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Put one foot in

front of the other

Eye exam

Surf the web

Forgive and forget

Stepbrothers

Two peas in a pod

Scrambled eggs

It rings a bell

Your check is in the mail

Our Five Senses

Consciously using our Five Senses for op5mal learning

Sense of sight.
Sense of hearing.
Sense of smell.
Sense of taste.
Sense of touch.

Experts tell us that when we hear something, we will retain

11% of what we hear. When we combine hearing with a visual
that we see, that informaPon retenPon goes up to 33%.
When we add the component of note taking, the informaPon
processing increases to 67%.
And when we discuss what we are learning with another
person, that informaPon retenPon increases to upwards of
87% !
So using our eyes, ears, hands to write and mouth to speak,
greatly enhances our brain funcPons and our ability to learn
and retain informaPon.
Discussing the learning with another person is also an
important learning modality that was labeled by Howard
Gardner, Harvard Professor, who called it Interpersonal
Intelligence.
(To increase this learning modality and to further use our ve
senses, I have taught my students to give each other the
slide when celebraPng any achievement. I have found that
using the sense of touch creates a bond among the students
and creates a sense of teamwork and accomplishment,
increasing classroom harmony.)

Five Senses Continued

Another Brain-based learning technique is the use of Realia using real life objects in teaching,
whenever possible. A picture can speak a thousand words, but a real life object can be beyond
words.
(Lets take Pme now to nourish your brain and to give you a real life experience in taste, texture
and eye appealing colors.)
As you enjoy the awesome strawberry refreshment, think about how you might
describe the strawberry to someone who has never seen nor tasted one. Anybody
want to try?
What does it look like?
What does it taste like?
What does it feel like?
What are the colors?

Taste Learning Chart - in handout.

Aromatherapy Chart in handout.

Color and Moods Chart handout.