Brain-Based Learning Wins All

 Why Brain Based Learning? (coined in the 1990s, the decade of the brain)

Brain Based Learning improves cognitve functions that include focus and memory. (Many scientific research articles support this).We all desire this, but with so many quick-fix options on the market-place, we are at a loss with making a final decision.

Peruse my 45 years of data backed events, (four juried, award-winning, longitudinal reports) combined with recent YouTube videos. My websites memspan.com and memexspan.com offer many new insights.

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YouTube Videos

Your investigation is now a personal search that will lead to meaningful actions.

Cubistic, Wooden Faces for Focus

 

Attention spans often lapse in today’s volatile, digital screen world.

 The objective:  is to improve attention to visual detail and listening skills, the ability to comprehend technical information, and follow oral and written directions.

 When entering information to the brain exceeds your short-term memory span capacity, the mind will go on "overload." 

 The working mechanism:

Filmed wooden faces are designed to progressively build Short-Term Memory span length, strength, and capacity to develop listening and visual detail skills. 

Once the automatic looping, wooden facial process begins, cubistic faces are repeated within daily practice sessions.

 Automated Chunking Action:  Each memory span has a beginning and an end.  Like a bridge span, it can hold many units.  A span can be Right-Brain or Left-Brain. 

 A Right-Brain span is global, or a unit of one.  A Left-Brain span is sequential, or is comprised of several units.

 Subsequently, you should be able to process five bits of information at once.

 By the end of the eight-weeks, participants can rehearse strings of ten items in varying chunked formations. A long, strong, and resilient memory span forms mental toughness. 

The chunking starts with a series of three items and progresses in difficulty level to ten or more items. Participants rehearse three unrelated items within the categories of letters, colors, numbers and words, reciting with the character models through scanning rotations [i].    

You Tube Film

 The objective is to enhance encoding and decoding processes.  Memory strengthening also makes following complicated step-wise procedures easier.  Learning strategies are taught on how to follow complex directions easily.

How:

 1.                  New information begins to process into the brain.

2.                  It registers in the brain either in parts or its entirety
Many subconscious thoughts enter as whole patterns.  The   complexity of the information  interfaces with the length and strength of your Short-Term memory span.

3.                  Information enters Short-Term Memory, and settles according to your span length.

4.                  If it doesn't process correctly, because of a short, overloaded span length, it is forgotten.

5.                  If it continues to process, it is synthesized with other background knowledge, and then classified by topic and enters Intermediate-Term Memory.  Mental thoughts or concepts form.

6.                  Next, the Left-Brain sorts and categorizes the information.

7.                  It then requires ordering or visual or auditory sequencing to integrate.

8.                  The sorted information finally enters Long-Term Memory. Understanding and conceptualization develop, based upon the early pattern selection, with intuitive thought and feelings.

9.                  Reasoning and logic commence, which are dependent on the above factors.

      Unfortunately, weak attention spans coupled with wandering thoughts, hinder our daily lives, leaving us lost in a digital world.

 

 

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[i] Erland, J. K. (1980).  Vicarious Modeling, Using Peers and Puppets With Learning Disabled Adolescents In Following Oral Directions.  Unpublished Masters thesis, The University of Kansas.

Erland, J.  K.  (1990, 1988, 1987, 1986, 1981).  The Memory Retainer Mental Exercise Review Book.
Lawrence, KS: Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

Erland, J . K. (1992).  Reading and learning disabled students improve reading and math through video-taped analytical training.  Journal of the Society for Accelerative Learning and Teaching, 17, (3 & 4),  171-223.

Erland, J.  K.  (1994, 1991).  The Bridge To Achievement, Accelerated Cognitive Training System.  Lawrence, KS: Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

Erland, J.  K.  (1994).  Analytical skills training through video-tape instruction develops higher-order thinking skills capability.  Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching,  19, (2), 155-227.

Erland, J.  K.  (1998).  Cognitive skills and accelerated learning memory training using interactive media improves academic performance in reading and math.  Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching,  23, (3 & 4), 3-57.

Erland, J. K. (1999, Spring):  Brain-Based Learning Longitudinal Study Reveals Solid Academic Achievement Maintenance With Accelerated Learning Practice. Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching,  Volume 24,
(1 & 2).  (available for pdf download on www.memspan.com/jalt.html)

Erland, J. K.  (!999, Fall)  Brain-Based Accelerated Learning and Cognitive Skills Training Using Interactive Media Expedites High Academic Achievement  The Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching, 24, (3 & 4).  (available for pdf download on www.memspan.com/jalt.html)  In ERIC Clearinghouse  ED # 437 650. 100-page Jan K. Erland Monograph Scientific Report on Intelligences and Accelerated Learning Applications Documenting Treatment success with eleven classrooms and three control groups in all  ITBS academic subject areas. 

Erland, J. K. (2000, Fall)  Brain-Based Accelerated Learning Longitudinal Study Reveals Subsequent High Academic Achievement Gain for Low Achieving, Low Cognitive Skill Fourth Grade Students”. The Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching, 25, (3 & 4). 5-48.  (available for pdf download on www.memspan.com/jalt.html)

 Paivio, A.  (1986).  Mental Representation:  A dual coding approach.  New York:  Oxford University Press.

The Erratic Tik - Tok Brain Embraces Entertainment

To continue my ongoing discussion of “Solid learning factors”, including focus, many articles today discuss concerns about the current 1-minute Tik Tok brain instilling erratic focus for our young people. 

Poor focus interferes with listening integration sorely needed for sequencing, learning, retaining and applying new material.

 Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot compensate for learner cognitive deficiencies. Actually, AI can make matters even worse.

 Scrambling for Focus through Entertainment:

Historical Impact:

 No matter how poor an individual’s focus capability has become, one thing is certain: Entertainment will be embraced.

 What entertainment?

 Answer: Anything that excites the nervous system and brain, i.e. – video games or circus acts, and sporting events of all types. (Regarding the latter, erratic focus on the football game plays fails, when looking for Taylor Swift in the press box).

 Additionally, entertainment focus includes amusement parks, stage comedy, mime, ventriloquism, and magic tricks.

Subsequently, it stands to reason, that speaking, looping, puppet faces might provoke staring, leading to focus.

 The learning concept of looping, filmed faces emerged from a long puppetry/ventriloquism history.

 To begin – “The Entertainers”:

 1893 – Professor “Doc” Brown, living with a family of three, growing children, in rural Tonganoxie, Kansas, decided to carve some amusing vent figures. He liked to entertain rural area folks, who stared at the strange, wooden, talking faces. 

Professor Brown becomes a local “hit" for a few people, so decided to hike to the New York Stage with a backpack of puppets. 

Although it took him awhile to travel such a distance, he was well received on local city small vaudeville stages, making some income to feed his family. They have been surviving on buttermilk and popcorn in rural Kansas.

 

1923 - 1955 “Doc” Brown’s two sons, Fay and Foy E, are soon carving wooden faces like their father had done earlier. They perform for local Kansas folks and are well received at holiday organizational holiday events, needing entertainment.

1935 – 1955    Roughly in the same time frame, Ventriloquism was becoming a hit comedy act for night club entertainment on the East and West coast areas. Many tried to perform in Hollywood films but failed to succeed in that medium.

 1960 - 1972 – 1979    Jan, with a teaching background in Des Moines, Iowa, training children to emulate science, math, and reading units learning into writing poetry and comedy scripts for parental shows. Parents were thrilled with their children’s’ learning prowess obtained through the arts, science, and music.

 The Erland family now moves to Kansas City, and later to Lawrence whose school district finds arts and science creativity learning incompatible with their educational philosophy. The local district employs The University of Kansas’ “strategies,” paper and pencil methods. 

 Jan is applying the puppetry into her University of Kansas master's degree’s learning disabilities project “Following Oral Directions” with peers and puppets. 

The final outcome of the “Peers and Puppets” experiment was that team students’ TIED with the puppetry methods. Both groups focused on a peer role model and the teaching cloth puppet. All win-wins.

 Jan Erland is soon introduced to Foy Brown, the wood carver and former entertainer, who is a fire fighter, by trade. He carves, as a hobby, during –fire call lapses, at the fire station.

Jan meets with Foy, in 1972, purchases two ventriloquist dummies, and soon is applying puppetry comedy routines for advertising with her three children as musical and speaking performers. It becomes a summer activity for the three children, who are musical.

 Soon, Foy introduced Jan to Lucille Elmore, the noted 1940’s to 50’s stage performer. retired in Topeka, Kansas. Jan purchased her “Lily” (then called Snoopy) vent figure, and Lucille later bequeaths her 1935 carved “Butch O’Malley” puppet to Jan. Butch becomes filmed, as Lucille desired, for his final destiny.

 1980 – 1981 – 1996 Jan forms Mem-ExSpan, Inc. and Innovative Learning Stratagems, a 401 c3, nonprofit, as teaching/training entities for creative methodologies. Data collections become paramount in establishing creative puppetry for learning change.

 Milestone filming years: 1986 – 1988 – 1997 –2007 – 2012 – 2017 ­­­­– 2023 – converting wooden figures to a film format laced with data collections. (Five filming/audio recording generations applying puppet vocals).

 Foy E. Brown witnessed the film transfer just before he passed in 1988 and was astounded. What would our “Professor –Doc Brown” (Foy’s father) think if he saw his wooden figures able to transfer easily, streamed online, rather than walking to New York City?

 Do we have a valid conduit for focus and mental coding transfer applying the puppets’ looping faces and voices? Continuous data confirms that we do. But, will anyone apply it in a world of advancing technology forces with an erratic one-minute Tik Tok brain focus?

What is Common Sense and Logic? Why Do We Need It?

The term “common sense” always baffled me, as I was growing up;  individuals said I had amazing “common sense,” and tackled problems wisely. This leads me to the discourse, “what is common sense, exactly?”

A Basic Conclusion for “Common Sense” would be simply:  “Don’t step in front of an oncoming car.” “Avoid lightning strikes”, or Don’t eat strange reptiles,” as the outcomes are obvious to most people.

My Personal Conclusion “Common Sense”: It may be the ability to flood the mind rapidly, with a variety of options, and then make the best choice rationally, not emotionally, in any given moment. 

If it is an emergency, we are forced to think fast. Otherwise, we can carefully weigh in our personal options – pros and cons in a logical manner.

Impulsivity and “Common Sense”:  a fast, risky, choice is made without any deep thought. An individual may realize they made it, but cannot fathom how they reached that conclusion. or understand the eventual consequences.

Often, this line of thinking is habitual, and this decision-making pattern continues throughout their lives.

How the Brain is Involved

In trying to understand the role of “Common Sense” cognitively, we can realize that the cerebellum is the master or “muscle,” doing the brain’s work load, whereas, the cerebrum is the “thought control”. 

And, additionally, each individual has their own unique electrical synapse system created through their learning experiences.

Therefore, we should desire interconnecting them in concert for optimal whole brain thinking leading to logical thinking and decision making. 

Options and Choices

We can create “Choice Architecture” [1] In making decisions that permeate our wired brains. 

We can use tools, or options, to create common sense through logical thought processes, for making decisions with desirable outcomes.

Device Screen Options

We can apply a unique assortment of options with our devices’ screens to give us the answers we seek. 

Consider not being distracted by the constant advertising on our screens, so we can maintain our thought flow and make optimum decisions, or levels of thought operations.[2]

My former article on “Focus” reiterated the Tik Tok - UTube data findings[3] that many have developed a “one-minute” brain attention span. 

This recent article for “Family and Tech” in the Wall Street Journal, reveals that “UTube one- minute “Shorts” give kids short, thrill bursts, making it harder to pull away” Brains are being short-circuited, camouflaging any possible “Common Sense” or logic.

As many innovators spot this issue, they clamor to come up with immediate, money-making solutions. This data is rapidly absorbed into marketing advertisements.

This becomes a “Hay-Day” for marketing and screens, as our brains’ logical capabilities wither.

Takeaway, thought-provoking point to ponder:

If we have a uniquely wired brain, laden with experiential, ethics, and skills learning, making our formulated choice options based on this factor, yet, data mining shows that many can focus only for one-minute or so, what can (or will) alter this anomalous paradigm? 

Are we making choices based on a short-circuited brain, lacking logic?

 

 

 

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[1] Johnson, Eric (2021). The Elements of Choice. New York: Penguin Publishing

[2] Erland, J. K. (1989). Hierarchy of Thinking Model. Lawrence Kansas, Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

[3]  Julie Jargon. (August 15, 2023). “An Antidote for ‘Tik Tok Brain’ Has Also Become a Problem” The Wall Street Journal. New York City.