FFLC Workshop #3- The New Science of Learning

The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain Alabama A&M University June 27 - 28, 2018

Todd Zakrajsek, Associate Professor Department of Family Medicine University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill 919-636-8170 toddz@unc.ed

Learning and Memory

What I have learned from 31 years of teaching psychology and information processing‌.

Learning is an Interconnected Process

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Value/Interest

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Understanding Attention

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Value/Interest

Understanding Attention

Attention

In order to learn it is necessary to attend to that which is to be learned.

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Attention What can you do secure and maintain attention to the course and the course content?

What’s your hook?

Ban Laptops???

Understanding What can you do when lecturing to stimulate connections to prior knowledge?

What group activity might you set up to promote connections to prior knowledge?

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Value/Interest It is important to determine ways to increase value or interest of course material.

Students/novices are not expected to see the value we see in course material.

- Attention Grabber - Social Contagion

Value/Interest

How might we help students to see the value of course information?

Value/Interest

Understanding Attention

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Cognitive Load Sweller 1988

Intrinsic Load – inherent difficulty of the content Extraneous Load–additional external stimuli Germane Load – processing of information; construction and automation of schema

Multi-tasking Multi-tasking Task Shifting Managing multiple tasks

Cognitive Load Sweller 1988

Intrinsic Load – inherent difficulty of the content Extraneous Load–additional external stimuli Germane Load – processing of information; construction and automation of schema

What can we, as instructors, do to make learning easier, without reducing academic rigor?

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Value/Interest

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Understanding Attention

Repetition

Long-term potentiation is the physical process by which we learn through repetition.

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Karpicke & Roediger, 2007 SSSS SSST STTT Proportion of ideas recalled

.80

.70

.60 .50 .40

5 Minutes

1 Week

Retention Interval For Final Test

Elaboration

New information is best recalled when it is connected to other information.

Approximately 86 billion neurons and up to 10,000 connections per neuron.

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Elaboration

1. Think of an item 2. Name three things related to that item 3. Name 2 things related to the middle item listed

Value/Interest

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Understanding

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Sleep and Rest Sleep and Rest – Researchers at the NYU’s Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science have found that rest directly after learning increases retention

A NASA study found astronauts who napped for 27 minutes in the afternoon improved their cognitive functioning on later day tasks by 34% over nonnapping astronauts(Medina, 2008).

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Exercise Ratey (2008) has shown that exercise increases the production of vital neurotransmitters important for:

Focusing and Attention Motivation Patience Mood

Hydration

Food Food (glucose) --- Complex carbohydrates (vegetables and whole grains) MUCH better than simple sugars

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Value/Interest

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Understanding Attention

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Levels of Concern vs. Degree of Learning

Yerkes–Dodson Law

Anticipatory Outcome Value/Interest Re pet it i S le ep/ H2 Em o

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Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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Discussion

How can we impact the sleep, exercise, and nutrition of our students?

Teaching is the Profession that Makes All Professions Possible --Todd Whitaker

Todd Zakrajsek, toddzakrajsek@gmail.com 919-636-8170

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