For Maximum Learning, Follow These 6 Brain-Based Principles

“Brain-based learning” has been a catchphrase in education for decades—but what does it actually mean? All learning, by definition, takes place in the brain. But when we talk about “brain-based learning,” what we’re really referring to is leveraging cognitive science to design instructional strategies that tap into the way the brain naturally works and processes information. When we align instruction with the way the brain prefers to receive information, we can reduce the “cognitive load” of learning and help students maximize understanding, retention and recall. These six brain-based strategies can help educators improve learning outcomes and make learning more fun and efficient.

1. Make It Visual

The visual cortex is the largest system in the human brain and the best equipped for processing and remembering complex information. Making information visual helps us store, retrieve, analyze, and convey information more efficiently.

2. Use Patterns

Our brains are natural pattern seekers; patterns help us make sense of the world and make predictions for the future. Engaging the pattern-seeking centers of the brain helps students remember and assign meaning to information.

3. Activate Core Cognitive Processes

No matter the subject area, the brain uses a few basic cognitive processes to organize and analyze information. These include Defining, Describing, Comparing and Contrasting, Classifying, Whole-to-Part Relationships, Sequencing, Cause and Effect, and Analogies and Relationships. Teaching students to recognize the type of thinking required by a learning task and activate the right cognitive process helps them learn more effectively.

4. Build Automaticity

Repeated practice in a skill builds automaticity: the ability to do something automatically and fluently without having to think about it on a conscious level. Building automaticity in lower-order tasks (such as sounding out words or basic addition and subtraction) frees up brain power to concentrate on more complex tasks (such as making meaning from text or solving a word problem).

5. Tap into Emotion and Meaning

The brain is optimized to pay attention to information that is meaningful (that is, connected to something relevant for the student) or activates emotional centers. That’s why creating a positive learning environment, building in natural rewards for learning, and helping students find meaning and relevance are so important.

6. Activate Higher-Order Thinking

Activating critical and creative thinking allows students to engage with content more deeply and build true understanding. Rather than focusing on recall of basic facts, learning tasks should require students to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information in complex ways. 

For maximum impact, these brain-based strategies should not be applied in isolation or only for certain tasks. Rather, all of these principles work together to create a learning environment that maximizes outcomes for every student. By aligning instruction and learning tasks with cognitive science, we can help students build meaning from content and activate the thinking skills they will need for lifelong learning.

By VP of Consulting Sarah McNeil

For more information, join us for next week's webinar The Building Blocks of Brain-Based Learning: The Research Base for Thinking Maps.