Scavenger Hunt Our journey into the right brain

Scavenger Hunt Our journey into the right brain Educational Symposium Proposal Dianne Miller

Let’s start exploring our brains…

Do each of the following activities in order 1. Visualize a place you’d like to be, anywhere. Create the image of that place in your mind and hold it for a minute or two. 2. Listen to the sounds in the room around you. Really listen. What do you hear? The cracking of someone’s gum? The low buzz of music humming in the background? See how many sounds you can differentiate. 3. Silently tap your fingers, one tap, one finger at a time, in succession. Then reverse the order of tapping. Then tap each finger twice, in succession, then in reverse. Then three times… 4. Starting at 100, count backwards by 7’s. 5. Remember some event from your past. The first time you rode a bike all by yourself; your grandmother baking your favorite cookies. Put yourself back in that place, and recall everything you can about it: Who was there with you? What were you wearing? What emotions were you feeling? 6. Now pinch yourself. Pick a tender spot on the inside of your elbow, and pinch the skin just hard enough to feel pain. **reproduced from Dana Sourcebook of brain sciences ( Balog, D. , 2006)

What just happened?

Brain Activation Task #1, visual imagery, lights up the visual cortex in the back of the brain, as well as pathways leading to it from the eyes, along the optic nerve. Task #2, differentiating individual sounds around you activates the auditory cortex and associated areas. Task #3, Tapping your fingers stimulates your motor cortex, which is involved in movement and muscle coordination. Task #4, counting backward by 7 s is a complex cognitive task, and calls upon the brain’s center for higher thoughts in the prefrontal cortex. Task #5, recalling a memory from the past will likely activate the hippocampus, an inner-brain structure involved in memory, as well as other areas of the brain that correspond to this type of memory. For example, remembering the first time you rode a bike, a motor task, will light up the motor area of the brain; recalling the smell of Grandma’s cookies would activate the olfactory center. **reproduced from Dana Sourcebook of brain sciences ( Balog, D. , 2006)

Lastly, when you pinched yourself, pain receptors in the nerves of the skin sent signals back to the brain to alert it to the location and intensity of the pain. Then the brain releases endorphins, natural hormones that block the transmission of pain signals. This brief tour of the brain gives you some idea of its complexity. I’m guessing you can’t wait to learn more!

Imagine a world where educators, armed with ground-breaking knowledge about brain development, design environments that enhance the critical learning years. We have advanced our understanding of how the brain works and now we are at a point where we can leverage that knowledge to reform educational institutions, one leader at a time…

Scavenger Hunt: Our Journey Into the Right Brain Rationale for Educational Symposium ** formal literature review available as appendix

Overall Concept: a unique, collaborative, interactive one-day workshop offering college educators the opportunity to gain knowledge about brain-based learning and embrace a growing movement toward leading and teaching with the right hemisphere.

Orga nizat ion a nd A v op gend a tima l bra learn in-fri ing e endl xper y ience v ex. cept iona their l res field earc hers in v ex perie crea tivity nce firsth , exp and holis l the tic in orati o tegra acco mpa tion n, and that nies think right ing. -brai n

JUDY WILLIS, MD, MED qneurologist and experienced teacher qauthority in the field of learning-centered brain research and teaching strategies qauthored six books in this area, contributed broadly to educational journals

cognitive scientist and psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University. MARSHA LOVETT, q q director of Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. She has developed innovative, educational technologies that promote student learning and metacognition combining pedagogy, technology, and cognitive science. q She has published How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (2010). PHD q

DONNA WILSON, PHD q lead developer of the Brain-based leadership program at NOVA Southeastern University has co-authored 15 books on learning, teaching, and the brain q q president of Brain. SMART and has developed effective tools for increasing student achievement

Scavenger Hunt Symposium Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel Phoenix, Arizona (selected due to location on light rail line) Time: 8: 30 am check-in and brain-smart breakfast Sessions: 9: 00 am-9: 50 am keynote speaker in main ballroom 10: 00 am-10: 50 am guest speaker: engaging right-brain strategies 11: 00 am-2: 30 pm city-wide scavenger hunt and lunch with interdisciplinary team 3: 00 pm-4: 15 pm inter. teams double up to discuss and receive awards 4: 20 pm-5: 30 pm discipline specific teams process with facilitator and brainstorm classroom application

Attendees: Faculty from Maricopa Community College District (maximum of 100 people) Interdisciplinary teams will be given a light rail pass, a city map, and a list of items that must be “found” during the scavenger hunt. Additionally, the team will be given a digital camera with which to document examples of each right-brain theme. Scavenger hunt: active, collaborative, the rapid and creative responses possible with right-brain thinking Goal: seek out examples of the key concepts addressed in the morning sessions that can be documented. Awards Given!!

WHAT DON’T YOU SEE? Sometimes seeing what we are looking for is just a matter of shifting our perspective…

Why is this symposium needed at this time? � Teacher’s role shifts from “sage on the stage” to facilitator orchestrating selfdirected learning. We are moving into a new era that requires a shifting paradigm and educational reform. Daniel Pink (2006) hypothesizes that the singular focus on left brain thinking will no longer be sufficient as we move forward in the 21 st Century. � � The next 50 years- the Conceptual Age- demands right brain thinking, including the ability to create, empathize, and focus on “high concept” and “high touch”.

Failure to Move

Why is this symposium a good change initiative model? � Radin (2009), knowledge of brain research builds conceptual framework. Learning these brain-compatible teaching principles helps educators better serve their students. � Educators’ focus: developing creativity and innovation among students. Instructional practices: focus on cooperative learning, empathy, exploring alternative perspectives and inventive solutions. � The scavenger hunt model for the Symposium is an example of this type of learning activity modeled for the educators present at the conference.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE You’ve come this far…can you make it all the way to the end!

Be part of the solution! ☻ You can be a member of this education revolution. ☻ Support this professional development opportunity ☻ Say yes! Change starts with one…