Brain Basics 101 Reptilian Brain The Preverbal Brain

Brain Basics 101

Reptilian Brain: The “Preverbal Brain” Brain Stem Oldest and smallest region Controls life itself Governs basic, but critical survival needs Heart actions Digestion Circulation Breathing Deeply instinctual and ritualistic Executes the flight, fight, or freeze response Oxygen to the brain and body is the primary function of the reptilian system.

The Limbic Brain: the "Emotional" Brain • Common to all mammals ·Brain's emotion factory ·Activated by imagery, music and colors ·Stores all memory information Retention of information can be significantly increased when it's presented in an emotionally charged context!

The Neocortex Brain: the "Thinking" Brain • Constitutes five-sixths of the total brain mass • Controls such high-level processes ·Logic ·Creative thought ·Language ·Abstractions ·Planning ·Integration of sensory information ·Slower under pressure This is the “motherlode”

So… . . . who cares?

The Triune Brain Theory and Education • Traditional education was designed for Neocortex functions • This misses a basic brain fact: • Reptilian brain is an interconnected pathway to the Limbic brain which is an interconnected pathway to the Neocortex Brain-based learning experiences pay attention to the power of the whole brain by simultaneously: • Responding to the learner's physical and sensory needs • Creating activities that link emotions to the acquisition of new information • Designing curriculum that requires students to form their own knowledge/meaning

Check-In

Check-in Tell somebody next to you two things you have learned thus far that you didn’t already know.

The Brain as a Computer The brain, when it is operating with healthy reptilian and limbic centers, can focus on new information for an average of 12 -15 minutes. Like a computer, during that time, it “gathers information” on the “desktop” of short-term memory. After 12 -15 minutes, the brain needs “downtime” to “organize” the new information it has received into “file folders” that make sense to the receiver based upon previous experiences and perceptions of reality. This means that you need to get up and moving every 12 -15 minutes when studying and learning.