Educational Psych

Parietal lobe

processes sensory input, motor skills, and spatial processing

Frontal lobe

judgement, planning, working memory, decision making

Occipital Lobe

processes visual information

corpus collosum

connects the 2 hemispheres of the brain

temporal lobe

explicit memory, words, and pictures

cerebral cortex

higher thought, language, sensory processing, movement

Axon

carries electric signals to other parts of the body

synapse

the gap between two nerve cells, allows neurons to send/receive signals

dendrite

receive and process neurological signals

brain stem

connects the brain to the spinal chord- breathing, heart rate blood pressure

cerebellum

Movement, balance, order, and speech

thalamus

sensory input, motor control, consciousness/sleep/alertness

amygdala

memory of emotions- fight/ flight response to fear

hippocampus

the filing system, spatial memory

1. Environment

where learning begins. Everything that students see, feel, hear, experience, etc. —reduce clutter, clarify directions, make the important thing most noticeable

2. Attention

gateway to learning. information must receive attention before it can enter the working memory and be learned. —- have cues, routines, understanding checks, use novelty, emotion, and relevance to catch attention.

3. Working Memory

thinking about new information and connecting it to background knowledge. only a small amount can be processed. if a student seems lost they may be at capacity

4. Learning/ Encoding

new information is processed and stored in the long-term memory.

Learning improves when students make meaning, connect w/ background knowledge, and practice feedback

Long term memory (storage)

Stores knowledge, vocabulary, skills, and experiences for future use. makes new learning easier- reduces working-memory load. build on background knowledge by connecting ideas

6. Retrieval

Bringing memory from long term storage back to working memory for immediate use. — keep stakes low, give meaningful feedback, mix question types

Why do people forget?

They didn’t pay enough attention

they overloaded working memory

they didn’t retrieve information over time

Cognitive load

the mental effort working memory uses to process new information

Cognitive overload

too much new information makes learning difficult

retrieval

bringing information back into working memory so it can be used

background knowledge

helps you learn and understand new information by connecting ideas to what you already know. BUILD KNOWLEDGE SYSTMATICALLY

spaced practice

reviewing information over time helping memories to last longer.

benefits of a positive attitude

drives motivation, builds resilience, lowers stress for clear thinking.

learning

lasting change in long-term memory that lets us use and remember information later. Performance does not equal learning.

Behaviorism

rewards/punishments for behaviors. teachers reward students for good behavior

understanding why students act in certain ways

stickers, points, behavior charts, etc.

Social-cognitive theory

students learn by observing others in their environment. Learning is influenced by interaction between a person and their environment.

Modeling, observational learning— think aloud,

Information processing

how students take in, store, and use information

chunk information, repetition, songs, mnemonic devices,

complex cognitive processes

Acquiring, storing and using new information through human reason.

project based learning, problem based learning, concept maps, transfer/application of knowledge

Constructivist approaches

active engagement in learning, learning is mutually built

scaffolding, ZPD, Jigsaw activities, classroom discussions, think pair share