Brain Matters: Translating Research Into Classroom Practice

Maintaining that educators need a functional understanding of the brain and how it operates in order to teach effectively and to critically analyze the vast amount of neuroscientific information being published, this book provides information on brain-imaging techniques and the anatomy and physiology of the brain. The book also introduces a model of how the brain processes information, exploring implications of this process for classroom practice, and presents examples of teaching strategies that match how the brain learns best. The chapters are: (1) "Opening the Black Box of the Brain"; (2) "Brain Anatomy--A Short Course: Neurons and Subcortical Structures"; (3) "Brain Anatomy--A Short Course: The Cortex"; (4) "How Neurons Communicate"; (5) "Sensory Memory: Getting Information into the Brain"; (6) "Working Memory: The Conscious Processing of Information"; (7) "Long-Term Memory: The Brain's Storage System"; (8) "Making Curriculum Meaningful through Problems, Projects, and Simulations"; (9) "Using the Visual and Auditory Senses To Enhance Learning"; and (10) "A Toolkit of Brain-Compatible Strategies." The book concludes with a glossary of relevant terms. (Contains 94 references.) (KB)