Connecting Brain Function and Theories of Learning with Technology

Discernment in regards to how the brain learns facilitates you to employ teaching strategies that exploit the brain’s natural abilities and consequently maximizes scholarly learning (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).  Contemporary developments and advancements in technology have now made it viable to examine the brain in action and scrutinize how and where information is manipulated during the learning process.  Juxtaposed with theories of learning and intelligences, support for the use of educational technology in order to facilitate and enhance student learning is cultivated.

“Learning is a complex activity that can be explained differently depending on one’s perspective on how and why people do what they do…each of the different schools of psychology has its own view or perspective of learning” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p11).   Beyond these differences, however all factions agree that “environmental factors, psychological factors, and personal filters are among the many variables that affect learning”  (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p12).  In order to better appreciate the learning process, one must scrutinize the corporeal facets and processes that occur within the brain during learning.  Teachers teach the cortex of the brain, or the quarter inch thick layer that covers your brain and its folds; “the cortex is the part of the brain wherein lies consciousness, your ability to be aware of what you are thinking” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).  There are four major lobes, or parts of the cortex, that handle different aspects a human being functionalities: the occipital lobes controls vision, the temporal lobes handles hearing and allows you to hear, the frontal lobes are responsible for higher level thinking, and the parietal lobes facilitates the integration of sensory data (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).  Each lobe of the brain is made up of cells that have neurons. Neurons have dendrites that receive information from other cells and an axon that sends electrical impulses to axon branches, which releases chemicals called neurotransmitters during synapses.  According to Wolfe, learning is the making and strengthening connections between thousands of these neurons within the brain (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).  Conversely, “memory is the ability to reactivate a connection made earlier, but if you did not make a good connection, then you will not be able to remember it” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).  Wolfe elaborates more on the topic to illustrate that “the more you activate a connection, the more you increase the potential of that connection, and subsequently effectiveness, to fire again.  So when you teach something to children and have them practice it in various modalities and times, the stronger the synapse becomes and the stronger the memory becomes” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008a).

The brain is sculpted through experience called neuroplasticity.  Wolfe argues that teachers “are not just teaching children, [they] are literally and physically shaping their brains by what [they] have them do (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008b).  During the learning process, the brain seeks meaningful patterns;  therefore, the only way to really understand something is to relate it to prior knowledge or creating hands-on, concrete learning experiences that involve the five senses.  “The more avenues you use to put information into the brain, the more avenues they have to retrieve it” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008b).  Additionally, there are two types of memory: procedural and declarative.  Memory is a process that the brain goes through to store and subsequently retrieve information (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008b).  Procedural memory remembers unconscious processes wherein declarative memory remembers episodes and concepts.  Procedural memory requires rote rehearsal and repetition to develop, in opposition declarative memory necessitates elaborative rehearsal.  Effective implementation of technology provides both teachers and students with opportunities for both modalities of memory reinforcement.

Orey outlines that “understanding the theoretical base supporting teaching and learning can help [educators] make appropriate and successful instructional decisions for [their] students” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008c).  Instructional theories examines strategies for changing the learning environment to facilitate learning and although they all have “different perspectives about engaging learners” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008c) their commonalities necessitate active learners and participants.  

There are  essentially four branches of learning theory: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Social Constructivism.  Behaviorists view all behavior as a response to external stimuli.  A stimuli is the initial action directed to the organism, and a response is the organism’s reaction to that action.  “According to the behaviorists, the learner acquires behaviors, skills, and knowledge in response to the rewards, punishments, or withheld responses associated with them” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p14).  Additionally, “learning is essentially a passive process, that is, one learns as a response to the environment, not necessarily because of any specific mental activity” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p14).  Cognitivists focus on “learning as a mental operation that takes place when information enters through the senses, undergoes mental manipulation, is stored and is finally used…Although behavior is still considered critical, it is viewed as an indicator of cognitive processes rather than just an outcome of a stimulus-response cycle” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p15).   “Learning and problem solving, according to cognitivists, represent metal processes that are undetectable in mere observation” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p15).  For constructivists, “knowledge is a constructed element resulting from the learning process.  Further, knowledge is unique to the individual who constructs it…learning is a unique product for each individual based on the experiences within which those mental processes occurs” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p15).  Piaget, a noted constructivist, theorized that children construct mental maps as they encounter information.  “New knowledge is either assimilated (fitted into existing maps) or accommodated (existing maps are adjusted to accommodate the new information).  Thus, children maintain a type of mental equilibrium” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p16).

Conversely, the National Association of Secondary School Principals defines learning style as, "the composite of characteristic cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment." (Orey, 2001).  Or in other words, the conditions under which students learn best.  Each person is born with certain preferences toward particular styles, but culture, experience, and development influence these preferences. The four most common learning styles are visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic/tactile. According to Orey, “most people learn through all modalities, but have certain strengths and weaknesses in a specific modality” (Orey, 2001).

The definition of educational technology often varies depending on who is utlizing the term.  The Associate for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), defines it as the “theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p4).  In order to use technology effectively, the teacher must have a clear understanding of learning and the teaching strategies that will result in the intended knowledge transfer. “The teaching strategies [teachers] select will then determine the appropriate types of technological tools necessary to carry them out” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p10). 

There are many reasons why a teacher of student might chose to utilize one of the various modalities of  technology as a means of learning, teaching, or reinforcing knowledge.    “A teacher might employ a particular process or a specific technology to increase the likelihood that a presentation addresses a specific learning style or intelligence” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p27).  This might include: incorporating graphics, audio and video files within PowerPoint; exploiting a microscope mini-activity; or requiring students research the topic independently before lecturing.  “A teacher might use educational technology to enhance the quality and clarity of communication” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p27).  While there are ample possibilities for clarifying communication using technology this could be as simple as providing students with interactive note organizers within a word document that they manipulate during lectures,  presentations, or independent readings.  ”Some educational technologies can be employed to ensure the rewards and feedback that are critical to a behaviorist approach” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p27).  There are many popular educational games that employ this effective approach to educational technology: students work to earn points that are later used to unlock higher levels of the game.  Additionally, a “leaner might select a process or technology because it organizes and presents content in the manner that is most comfortable for his or her personal cognitive style” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p27).   Lastly, ‘other technologies encourage and support social exchange to construct new knowledge through cooperative interaction” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p27).  It is through this last modality, which included blogs and wikis, that many teachers lack courage and wherewithal to incorporate within their classrooms but is on the rise.

“Each learner in a classroom is likely to have a unique cognitive style, a unique learning style, and some parameters related to intelligence” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p19).  According to Lever-Duffy and McDonald, “to be effectively used, educational technology should not be segregated from the teaching and learning that it supports” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p2).   Juxtaposition of the theories of learning and intelligences and the physiological understanding of how the brain functions, supports the use of educational technology in order to facilitate and enhance student learning is cultivated.

Resources

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.  Retrieved October 30, 2010 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53036/CRS-CW-4603750/Ch1_Excerpt.pdf.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Program #: Brain Research and Learning with Patricia Wolfe. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology.  Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Program #: Understanding the Brain with Patricia Wolfe. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology.  Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008c). Program #: Instructional theory versus Learning Theory with Michael Orey. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology.  Baltimore: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved October 30, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page.