"Can an understanding of how the brain works really improve your instructional design? Don't just assume it can, but critically consider the evidence and how it might be used in practice?"


It seems intuitive that an instructor’s knowledge of the brain and its functions would help him or her to design more effective instruction. In situations where learners have damaged areas of the brain, I believe an understanding of neurons, synaptic connections, neurotransmitters, and the four brain lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal) could inform an instructional designer’s selection and modification of methods and materials. Designers could draw from a repository of teaching strategies to compensate for vision, speech, hearing, as well as information processing deficits.

The brain and its structures will not function optimally if an individual is malnourished, dehydrated, or exhausted. From an educational standpoint, teachers in my district typically monitor students to ensure that their basic needs are met. As far as adult learners are concerned, I can not guarantee that someone in my training class is not hungry, thirsty or tired. The company can provide lunch or I can provide brief coffee/snack breaks, but I do not have much control over this issue.

I also considered how medications and illegal drugs could impair neurotransmitters’ ability to send, receive, and interpret messages; I have a file full of teaching strategies for ADHD students on Ritalin or other medications. In adult education, however, I will not have any idea if students are taking medications or illegal drugs that impede the learning process. Imagine this: an adult
learner informs me that he or she is a recreational drug user and needs differentiated instruction to compensate for his/her inability to process information effectively. Not a very likely scenario!

I also thought deeply about teaching strategies that pinpoint different areas of the brain, yet none came to mind. Even more importantly, I could not really articulate what the benefits of stimulating one area of the brain over another would be. So, I tried to locate two resources to shed light not only on the benefits of brain-based teaching but also specific strategies inherent in this approach.

After sifting through more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles in Academic Search Premiere, I became frustrated by the lack of current research (within ten years) as well as application to adult learners. Finally, I located a 2006 journal article in New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education titled “Brain Function and Adult Learning.” The author posits that “learning is always about memory, that is, about creating lasting neural connections (p.72). In order to forge these lasting connections, Taylor emphasizes the importance of connecting new
information with learners’ prior experiences and knowledge, and suggests that the brain naturally searches for prior experiences to connect with new data. She asserts that experiential learning--personal narratives and writing-to-learn activities—utilize both hemispheres of
the brain and encourage students to negotiate their personal experiences as well as beliefs with new data to generate a new level of comprehension. Blogging is an example of writing- to-learn, because it allows students to explore new topics through writing and negotiating meaning internally—with learner’s own experiences-- and externally with other bloggers’ insightful contributions. Please peruse this website to learn more about research supporting the benefits of blogging: http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/ewic_hc07_sppaper1.pdf

Taylor also probes the difference between fact based learning (veridical) and problem based learning (non-veridical). Fact based learning occurs in the frontal cortex and challenges students to memorize data rather than manipulate it to construct new knowledge (p.78). In contrast, problem based learning occurs in the back cortex and challenges learners to analyze, compare, and interpret information.

She also suggests the important role that emotions play in long term memory. Strong emotions tend to imprint experiences well into our LTM while anxiety can impede the brain’s processing abilities and ability to recall information (p.81).

While I agree with many of Taylor’s assertions, which also resonate with chapter three of our text, I am not completely convinced that brain based learning and strategies are the magic bullet of instructional design. I would argue, however, that this area of research is informative and can contribute to a dynamic instructional plan.

References:

I placed Taylor's article in the docshare folder:
Taylor, K. (2006). Brain function and adult learning: Implications for practice. New Directions For Adult & Continuing Education, (110), 71-85.

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/ewic_hc07_sppaper1.pdf