Long-term memory
is scatttered over the
cerebrum
Visual imaging is important
for understanding and
stored images are to
be considered as vital
clues to the memory.


Until 1995 it went without words that instructing a class was done best when some good displays where used to support a story.
Now possibilities have become endless, so the first requirement is, that the teacher has a clear
view on how to proceed.

‘Brain friendly teaching’ – diagnosis
for your lessonplan and the
proper use of teaching equipment
 
Recent research on the workings of the brain shows a dynamic relation between the short-term memory in the think-centre and the long-term memories scattered over the brain. Visual imaging is important for understanding and stored images are to be considered as vital clues to the memory.

Instructing effectively:
Bear in mind: Students are only able to learn something new when it fits into a framework and becomes interwoven with already existing knowledge. Consider two things:
1 Animations and video images offer quick insight: the short-term memory is specifically developed to process such information streams efficiently in feedback reactions with the long-term memory.
2 A large stationary image activates larger areas of the brain more intensively: more existing knowledge in the long-term memory is accessed and hauled in, allowing existing misconceptions to be reviewed and corrected and new insights added. In other words, the neural network of the brain cortex - the long-term memory - is reached more effectively and memory anchors can be created.

 
The three basic questions

1 Is proper image material used to support the memory?

2 Is the short-term memory used to convey desired insights
quickly and efficiently?
       If so, is a follow-up planned to compensate for the short-time effect?

3 Is the long-term memory helped enough to store new
knowledge and insight?

For example, are large stationary images planned (e.g. on chart, black board, or on projector) with the essentials of the teaching goals introduced at the proper moments. Or are other activities planned for processing? Which memory anchors are created to steer the students in the right direction when put to work independently?

With this simple diagnosis, structural shortcomings can easily be traced to lesson plans and the teaching equipment in the classroom. Efficiency in teaching only occurs when it is in line with the neurological processes of the ‘learning’ brain. Loss of time and effort can be simply reduced in our days of endless possibilities. 


The interactive whiteboard.
How is over-show to be prevented?
Until 1995 it went without words that instructing a class was done best when some good displays where used to support a story. The booming possibilities of the media age with computers and the internet allong with the shift from teaching to more independent learning has led to a common loss of this healthy understanding of teaching.

The three basic questions relate to ‘normal’ classes and offer the didactic foundation for effective use of video, the overhead projector and also the interactive whiteboard with its' ENDLESS possibilities.