Brain-Based Learning Explained

The second article in our series regarding popular learning approaches focuses on brain-based learning, a scientifically-driven teaching paradigm that aims to adapt to the brain’s natural way of learning! It’s a pedagogical methodology that uses findings from other science fields in order to optimize educational practices for young learners. 

Because of this, brain-based learning is not something you can easily point at – it encompasses most, if not all learning theories based on scientific knowledge about the human brain. But, don’t worry! By the end of the article, you’ll be equipped with all the knowledge and resources you need to use the benefits brain-based learning has to offer. 

And speaking of benefits, in education, brain-based learning is typically used as a foundation in early childhood development. Advocates for brain-based learning believe that a young child’s brain has an incredible potential for learning and growth, and if we understand it better, we can tap into its potential – something that can dramatically affect the trajectory of the child’s educational journey. 

On the other hand, skeptics would say that these claims are blown out of proportion. Some believe we can’t truly make such leaps from hard science to the classroom because there’s still so much we don’t know. 

So where does brain-based learning stand? Is it just the latest educational fad? Let’s find out. 

What is Brain-Based Learning?

The concept of brain-based learning was first introduced by Leslie Hart in Human Brain and Human Learning (1983) but didn’t get much attention, mostly because there were still so many things we didn’t know about the brain and didn’t have the technology to study it profoundly. 

In 1991, Caine and Caine talked about brain-based learning in their book, Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain. These were the beginnings of what we now know as brain-based learning today. 

To define it formally, brain-based learning is an educational approach to teaching that purposefully engages principles derived from solid scientific research mainly in the field of neuroscience and psychology, but also psychoimmunology, behavioral genetics, psychobiology, cognitive science, and computational simulations. 

In simpler terms, brain-based science is designing teaching strategies based on our understanding of how the brain works in the context of education. 

Equally important is what brain-based learning is not. To avoid misconceptions, keep in mind that this approach is not a superior and magical solution for most issues in education. Just like other paradigms that we’ve presented and will present, it will work wonderfully for some types of students, and not so much for others. The reason for this is that one size doesn’t fit everyone, and there’s so much more to learn about the brain. Maybe in the future, we’ll discover the ultimate teaching strategy, but for now, we should learn to harness the advantages of today’s paradigms.  

Brain-Based Learning Theories

We’ve said that brain-based learning is a teaching strategy that uses knowledge about the developing brain and uses it in education. Well, what is this knowledge that teachers and homeschooling parents can use? There are a lot of theories, findings, and hypotheses, but we’ll cover the 5 most popular ones!

Neuroplasticity

Until recently, scientists believed (and many people still do) that functions in specific brain areas were pre-programmed, that damage was irreplaceable, and development followed a fixed path. However, new studies found that the brain rewires itself after damage, that is influences in the environment can stimulate growth and reorganization on the neural level. Of course, this is still very limited and it’s not our intention to downplay the severity of brain injuries or other impairments. However, the implications of neuroplasticity are great! The capacity of the brain to be modifiable by experience, especially in early childhood, highlights the importance of exposure and cognitive stimulation in the early years. 

Nutrition and the Developing Brain

Another striking finding is just how much nutrition affects the human brain. For instance, several studies have found that breastfeeding promotes IQ, brain size, and white matter development. Others have found that iron deficiency has severe consequences for neurodevelopment, especially in the hippocampus (memory). These consequences can result in long-lasting abnormalities. While this cluster of theories is not directly related to specific teaching practices, they’re vital to the children’s health and cognitive abilities. Moreover, educational institutions can use these findings to improve food services, while parents can consult with nutritionists to improve common learning difficulties. 

Language and Memories

Over the years, both language and memory have been heavily studied, only apart. However, recent studies have brought out new evidence to light that shows these two phenomena are heavily interlinked on a neural level. What does this mean in the context of education? Well, it seems like language can affect the way children store information, how much they will remember, and how easily they can retrieve it later. For instance, children with a larger technical vocabulary might be able to more easily remember the lecture. In addition, there are findings that bilingual kids’ memories are closer to one or another language, which will affect the retrieval process. 

Beliefs Predict Achievement

Not long ago, we wrote an article on growth mindset, a concept developed by Carol Dweck. Carol is an American psychologist who has done a lot of research in the field of intelligence, motivation, personality, and development. Insights from these fields culminated into a new approach to personal beliefs and how they affect the course of our life. Dweck coined the term “growth vs. fixed mindset”, which highlights how thinking that intelligence is either malleable or fixed turns into an advantage or obstacle for achieving academic success. Kids who believe that they can improve through hard work don’t give up easily and are not discouraged by temporary setbacks, as opposed to those who believe that intelligence is innate and defines their identity. 

Social Development of Learning

The social development of learning is a classic theory that has influenced a lot of classrooms by now. It’s not a new theory, but nonetheless, it wonderfully illustrates the effectiveness of brain-based learning theories in the classroom. The social development of learning theory was proposed by Lev Vigotsky who back in the 1860s found that social interaction profoundly impacts cognitive development. He believed, which was later proved, that biological and cultural development do not develop separately from one another – they both interfere and enhance or completely impair children’s progress. Thanks to Vigotsky, today social interactions are considered a fundamental part of the learning process.

Other popular brain-based theories with a large influence in the classrooms: 

•  Memory  Storage  and  Retrieval  Strengths  Theory;
• Communicative  Language  Teaching  Theory;
• Family  Influence  Theory;
• Zeigarnik  and  Interleaving  Effect Theory;
• Perceptual Discrimination Theory; 
• The Theory of Disuse.

How to Implement Brain-Based Learning in the Classroom?

Information about the human brain is never-ending. There’s always something more to be learned. But, there’s another challenge to brain-based learning and that is how to implement the knowledge we already have. In other words, how to take the leap from neuroscience to meaningful teaching strategies? 

In addition, we’ll give you some general guidelines and more comprehensive resources where you can dive deep into the topic of brain-based learning application in education. 

Prepare Students for Independent Learning

One of the first steps to take when transitioning to brain-based learning is to prepare students for independent learning. The first aspect is to make sure that kids’ physiological and emotional needs are met. This will make learning more effective, as they won’t be distracted by more fundamental needs. The second aspect is to help kids develop good listening and concentration skills. These two aspects can be covered through the following steps: (1) organize the classroom keeping brain-based learning techniques in mind (example: pieces of card and paper of various colors and sizes for mind maps); (2) do research on how children learn to pay attention and cultivate their attentional skills; (3) teach time-management and concentration skills (example: the Pomodoro technique for longer assignments); (4) use affirmational language (read more: groundbreaking study titled “The Thirty Million Word Gap”).

Develop Brain-Based Techniques

Once the children have the capacity and discipline to learn independently, use more advanced brain-based learning techniques. 

To give you specific techniques, we used examples from Nicola Call’s book titled “The Thinking Child: Brain-based learning for the early years foundation stage.” 

1. Mind Maps – For young children, exploring the world around them comes naturally as they’re biologically set to learn how to get around. For these reasons, mapping is a very powerful skill that can enrich and accelerate learning. Mind maps are really similar to a spider diagram or a flow chart. Read more in the book by Tony Buzan titled “Mind maps for kids.”
2. Play – Playing with a purpose or game-based learning and gamification are actually teaching paradigms with a scientific foundation to back them up. If you want to read more about them, follow the links we’ve included. 
3. Music – Another powerful tool for accelerating learning, according to science, is to use music. Since Don Campbell’s book The Mozart Effect, music has been heavily associated with IQ, higher spatial reasoning, and other cognitive abilities. Today, we know that while this was blown way out of proportion, music can indeed improve academic achievements when used in the right way. 
4. Movement – Science has spoken – movement is essential to learning! Early curriculums should provide enough space for kids to freely explore; organize outdoor learning lessons and field trips, and use physical activity to motivate students and make learning more fun. 
5. Technology – We should prepare kids for the world and equip them with practical skills they can use to find a job, stay safe, or get along in any other aspect. To achieve this, we have to implement technology in the classroom. 

Teaching Resources for Brain-Based Learning

Many valuable teaching resources are already linked throughout this article, but to help you even further, we composed a list of books that every teacher or parent interested in this topic should read! 

• Brain-Based Learning: The New Paradigm of Teaching by Eric P. Jensen.
• Brain-Based Learning: Teaching the Way Students Really Learn by Eric P. Jensen and Liesl McConchie.
• Brain Rules by John Medina
• The Teenage Brain by Frances Jensen and Amy Nutt
• The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
• Teaching With the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen
• Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
• Brain-Based Teaching With Adolescent Learning in Mind by Glenda Beamon Crawford.
• Green Light Classrooms: Teaching Techniques That Accelerate Learning by Rich Allen.

Before You Go

Brain-based learning is a broad concept that applies to many classic practices in the classroom. However, the practice of keeping up with relevant scientific research in education and early childhood development is a vital habit that will make you a wonderful educator, regardless of which method you decide to use. Best of all, you’ll feel confident in your practice, while your students receive the benefits. 

To learn more about the other learning strategies, head over to our blog! And while you’re there, click the subscribe button to make sure you receive notifications when we upload new content. 

Finally, we would like to remind you that on our main website you can find interactive, high-quality worksheets, which you can use in combination with these learning approaches. They’re affordable and ready-to-use, so you don’t have to worry about putting in extra work.