THE BRAIN-FRIENDLY

CLASSROOM
Brown Bag Event
November 16, 2011, 12:00 p.m.
Discussion Leader: Lisa Ebert, Reading Instructor
SIX WEEKS TO A BRAIN-COMPATIBLE
CLASSROOM
 Janet N. Zadina, Ph.D.
 This brownbag is the result
of the riveting seminar
given by Dr. Zadina at the
October 2011 Midwest
Regional Association of
Developmental Education
(MRADE) conference.
 She is now a rock star in
Lisa’s world, by the way.
WELCOME!

 Your Job: As you arrive, socialize, and

maybe eat your lunch, take a moment to
write down on a scrap piece of paper what
you plan on getting out of this session.

 Yes, really. I actually want you to write

something down.
WHY IS LISA MAKING US WORK?
 You as educators have a profound, almost
spooky power to influence how much your
students learn, and it can be as simple as
telling them to learn.
 Making you write was my way of activating
your brain and preparing you to learn.
 You don’t believe me? Okay, fine. I’ll make
you focus on a task. Watch this…
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
HANDOUTS
 Someone wearing black will hand out Dr.
Zadina’s “Multiple Pathways Model” packet.
 Someone wearing a jacket will hand out Brain
and Learning Resources on the Web, including
contact information on Dr. Zadina so you can buy
her book. 
 Whoever is still eating lunch will get the first
look at the book Six Weeks to a Brain Compatible
Classroom. The diner will then pass it to the
person to the left.
 The person sitting closest to the door will hand
out A quick guide of things you can try today.
 Quick discussion of each handout.
YOUR BRAIN IS GETTING TIRED
 You’ve been working hard discussing that list of
ideas.
 Your brain may be doing the Charlie Brown “wah
wah wah wah” teacher voice by now, so it’s time
to give your brain some candy. If you need an
activity, stand up.
 This involves item #10. You can sit down now.

 You’re about to see a list. As you look at each

item on the list, call out the color. Not the word.
The color. Nice and loud so we can hear how
badly you’re about to mess up.
NOT SO EASY, WAS IT????
 Lisa will read the following to you, word for word.
Some students with cognitive overload CANNOT
comprehend a power point that you’re
summarizing. Slides with technical content
should be read exactly. So here goes…
 The “colors” activity is an example of how
cognitive load can interfere with your ability to
do a task. You quickly learned how to overcome
it, yes?
 The famous "Stroop Effect" is named after J.
Ridley Stroop who discovered this strange
phenomenon in the 1930s.
 More….
THEORIES ON WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO
YOU…

 The words themselves have a strong influence

over your ability to say the color. The
interference between the different information
(what the words say and the color of the words)
your brain receives causes a problem.
 Speed of Processing Theory: the interference
occurs because words are read faster than colors
are named.
 Selective Attention Theory: the interference
occurs because naming colors requires more
attention than reading words.
REFLECT
 What did you just learn? Someone summarize it.
 Does your brain feel better now that we broke up
the discussion with an activity? With some brain
candy? Someone answer.
 At this point in the classroom, your students
would be primed for more learning.
 Let’s get back to discussing that list of Quick
Tricks that you can use in the classroom to
manipulate, er, instruct your students…
THANKS FOR COMING TO THIS BROWN BAG
DISCUSSION!

 If you’re dying for more

brain babble, I could
lobby to bring Dr. Zadina
here for an inservice
seminar ($$$$).
 Keep these ideas in mind
as we move forward to
improve learning and
literacy for our entire
student body!