How the Brain Learns is a course that presents information on how the brain processes information and how this affects how students learn. It presents suggestions on strategies to maximize student’s retention. The course is designed to help teachers answer questions like “How can I help students understand and remember more of what I teach?” and “What classroom strategies are more likely to appeal to the brain of today’s student?” This course explores new research on brain function and converts this information into effective classroom strategies and activities. The course introduces new evidence on how incorporating art into lessons can enhance cognitive processing and creativity. How the Brain Learns discusses integration of recent developments in neuroscience, education, and psychology into the classroom. The course also has updated research on how the explosion of technology is affecting the brain.

At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Understand the basic structure of the human brain and its functions. INTASC 2
• Environmental factors that influence the development of the brain. INTASC 2, 3, 10
• Understand how the brain processes information, the two temporary memories, long term storage, and self-concept. INTASC 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
• Understand what the types of memories are and how memory forms. INTASC 2, 3
• Determine what factors affect retention and how it varies with learning episodes. INTASC 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
• Understand how daily biological rhythms affect teaching and learning. INTASC 2, 7, 9, 10
• Understand the factors that affect retrieval of memories and how to lesson plan accordingly. INTASC 1, 2, 3, 7, 9
• Understand the principle of transfer and factors that affect transfer. Teachers will learn how to use past learning effectively to enhance present and future teaching. INTASC 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
• Understand how some regions of the brain are specialized to perform certain tasks. INTASC 2, 3