Factors in learning

Jazmin L. Medal
EDU417: Cognitive Studies Capstone
Dr.: Maureen Lienau
March 5, 2015

Neurotransmitters

Learnin
g

Emotions
Memory
Movement, sleep, technology

NEUROTRANSMITTERS ARE
CHEMICAL MESSENGERS THAT
CROSS THE SYNAPTIC GAPS
BETWEEN NEURONS WHEN
RELEASED BY THE SENDING
NEURON, TRANSMITTERS
TRAVEL ACROSS THE SYNAPSE
AND BIND TO RECEPTOR SITES
ON THE RECEIVING NEURON.

Acetylcholine
Dopamine
Serotonin

NEUROTRANSMITTERS, LEARNING, AND MEMORY.

Transmission of
information within the
neural system
requires
neurotransmitters.
Common
neurotransmitters,
such as serotonin,
glutamate and
dopamine, show
changes in the aging
brain. This makes
them possible
candidates
responsible for
cognition changes

Serotonin

Dopamine

Serotonin is a mood enhancer.

It affects moods by calming the
brain. It is also involved in
control of appetite, sleep, the
regulation of body temperature,
and memory.

Controls conscious motor

activity and enhances
pleasurable feelings in the
brains reward system.

Acetylcholine
Enhances random eye
movement , sleep, and
memory.

performance of tasks requiring

frontal functions (e.g. mental
flexibility, working memory,
attention and inhibitory control)
is associated with reduced
dopaminergic activity Ren &
Wu (2013) pg 21.

It is important for
teachers and
parents to
understand that
maturation of the
brain influences
learning readiness.
For teachers, this
is especially
important when
designing lessons
and selecting
which strategies
to use.

Children learn in different ways. And

although the maturity of the brain is an
important factor when it comes to learning
differences, the real story is more
complicated than that. The way children
learn depends on age, level of
development and brain maturity. Learning
differences are also related to genetics,
temperament and environment. Clikeman (2015).

the high-level cognitive skills taught in schools,

including reasoning, decision making, and processes
related to language, reading, and mathematics, do not
function as rational, disembodied systems, some- how
influenced by but detached from emotion and the
body, Fischer & Immordino-Yang(2008) pg. 184.
emotions and feelings affect students performance
and learning, as does the state of the body, such as
how well students have slept and eaten or whether
they are feeling sick or well, Fischer & ImmordinoYang(2008) pg. 184.
evidence from psychophysiological and other studies
of brain-damaged and normal people has allowed us to
pro- pose specific neural mechanisms underlying the
role and operation of emo- tional signaling in normal
and abnormal decision making. (Bechara, 2005;
Bechara & Damasio, 1997; Damasio, 1996).

What does
emotion
have to do
with
learning?
emotion plays a
vital role in helping
children decide
when and how to
apply what they
have learned in
school to the rest
of their lives.

Emotion drives attention, and attention

drives learning, Robert Sylwester (1995).
Our students are going to
learn what most catches their
attention or what they think is
most important because the
brain is biologically
programmed to attend first
to information that has strong
emotional content. Emotion
can be affected by the
environment, what is going at
home, memories, music,
desires.

Attention and learning

Powerful retention aids can be

Engaging activities, movement
in the classroom, role playing,
projects, outdoor activities, field
trips,
Visuals, colorful pictures,
graphs, maps, visual
presentations
Music, poems, instrumental
music, rhyme, songs, tone of
voice (for example character
voice in storytelling).
technology

LEARNING AND
TECHNOLOGY

Technology has changed the way

people pursue knowledge. This is now
a tool that is used in learning and
teaching.

From math games that adjust the level of

difficulty as players progress to electronic
books that talk and respond to the tap of a
finger, products that personalize the learning
experience for students often benefit their
understanding. An interactive game can be
engaging than a book, so technology often
promotes more practice and review in areas
requiring memorization, such as spelling, math
and geography.

 Sleep plays a vital role in memory and learning.

It is important that our students get enough sleep before school.
During sleep our brains are relieved from processing the continual
input that occurs while we are awake, and continues to work through
the experiences during the day. Through this course, the brain is
storing information which becomes a part of the memory process.
According to the 2015 National Sleep Foundation, Children agedsix to
13 need 9-11 hours of sleep. At the same time, there is an increasing
demand on their time from school (e.g., homework).

Memory
Memory is the ability to
recall past experiences,
and a locus of
information storage and
retrieval. Memory is
crucial for cognitive and
motor activities. Similar
to other cognitive
functions or abilities,
memory is multifaceted
Ren & Wu (2013). pg. 20.

References
Clikeman, M (n.d). Research in brain function and learning: The importance of matching instruction to a childs
maturity level. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/brain-function.aspx
Fischer , K. W., Immordino-Yang, M. H., & , (2008). The jossey-bass reader on the brain and learning. (1st ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
National Sleep Foundation (2015, January 1). Children and sleep. Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep?page=0,2
Ren, J., Wu, Y. D., Chan, J. S., & Yan, J. H. (2013). Cognitive aging affects motor performance and
learning. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 13(1), 19-27.
Sylwester, R. (1995). A celebration of neurons: An Educators guide to human brain. Alexandria, VA: Association
for supervision and curriculum development.
Wolfe, P. (2010). Brain matters: Translating research into classroom practice. (2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA: Association
for Supervision & Curriculum Development.