Ten facts about brain research findings every educator should know

 Overview of brain development, critical periods and learning styles

1.  meet the brain; how the brain learns

2.  brain development in children, birth through adolescence

3.  using the brain’s critical growth periods to enhance learning

4. assessing and planning for differing learning styles*

Maximizing Learning through Emotions

1. how sensori-motor development is the foundation for learning

2. supporting emotions to enhance and inhibiting emotions that prevent learning

3. how positive emotions to prime the brain for learning

4. teaching emotional regulation to inhibiting aggression and model problem solving developing memorable learning activities*

Arranging environments to facilitate learning

1. planning for seating, temperature, lighting, noise to promote learning*

2. role of physical movement in learning and memory formation, and helping children with learning disabilities

3. why the brain needs for play and physical movement to learn

Understanding how the social brain supports or inhibits learning

1. the physiology of social support in the classroom and its role in brain function

2. supporting sensitive periods of social development to enhance learning, including the ability to inhibit aggression*

3. the role of stress and stress hormones in learning and how classroom activities can increase helpful stress and decrease harmful stress

Memory formation, motivation and higher level thinking skills

1. memory formation and how to develop activities to support children’s long term memory formation*

2. motivation and how teachers can motivate children*

3. encouraging higher level thinking skills, revisiting Bloom’s taxonomy*