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In this episode, Dr. Sarah McKay dives into debunking common brain myths and explores what’s really holding you back from change. She also discusses willpower and how it isn’t the magic bullet for behavior change. This conversation is all about separating fact from fiction when it comes to understanding your brain and how it works. Key Takeaways: [00:06:40] Neuromyths and neuroscience understanding. [00:09:31] Lizard brain myth debunked. [00:12:37] Constructed emotions vs. hardwired reactions. [00:16:24] Language and emotional understanding. [00:18:55] Change and brain plasticity. [00:24:41] Willpower and self-control dynamics. [00:30:36] Addiction vs. Habit Distinction [00:33:21] Aging versus dementia distinction. [00:38:24] Cognitive testing for memory concerns. [00:40:43] Alzheimer’s disease research trends. [00:44:47] Hearing loss as a risk factor. [00:49:24] Sleep’s impact on brain health. [00:51:20] Social connections and mental health. For full show notes, click here! If you enjoyed this episode with Sarah McKay, check out these other episodes: Understanding How the Brain Works with Lisa Feldman Barrett Eating for Brain Health with Lisa Mosconi How to Harness Brain Energy for Mental Health with Dr. Chris Palmer Connect with the show: Follow us on YouTube: @TheOneYouFeedPod Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Follow us on Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Video version available at DecodingLearningDifferences.com Gretchen Wegner, a former classroom teacher, is the founder of The Anti-Boring Learning Lab. This is a wonderful resource for all educators to check out, including home educators! In this conversation, Gretchen will share her knowledge of neuromyths, why they are not accurate, and why we need to bust them! Check out Gretchen's blog article about Neuromyths here! This article is what led me to invite Gretchen on the podcast! Also be sure to check out Gretchen's FREE resources!
A widely held belief about brain function is that very little is truly understood in modern science. Unfortunately, most people probably know even less than they think! Amy and Mike invited education professional Gretchen Wegner to explore and debunk the most common neuromyths. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What exactly is a neuromyth? 2. Is there one neuromyth that stands out over all the others? 3. What are some other common neuromyths? 4. Why is it so destructive to believe and teach neuromyths? 5. How do we eliminate neuromyths in education and instruction? MEET OUR GUEST Gretchen Wegner is the founder of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, where educators obsess over discovering the best science-backed study skills and executive function strategies every student needs to thrive. A former classroom teacher and academic coach, she now specializes in consolidating the science of learning into fun, digestible, actionable, executive function-friendly nuggets for educators and their students. Gretchen is also a tireless learner, consistently and transparently modeling the Anti-Boring Study Skills Toolkit in her speaking presentations and throughout her courses and community. Gretchen previously appeared on this podcast in episode 34 to discuss How to Teach Students to Study Effectively and in a spotlight in episode 542 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Anti-Boring Learning Lab. Find Gretchen at www.antiboringlearninglab.com. LINKS Neuromyths: What Science to Ditch (or Defend?!) When Coaching Students Expand your academic coaching toolkit The Role of Meta-Analysis in Scientific Studies RELATED EPISODES DEBUNKING LEARNING STYLES DOES GROWTH MINDSET MATTER? MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett debunk some of the most popular myths about how the brain works. If you take a sip of coffee every time Susanna says “pigeon-hole” throughout this episode, you will end up well caffeinated for the day! We encourage you to look up these neuromyths on your own! Below are just a few articles (and a video) to start your research: Show Notes: Research: Persistence of Neuromyths in Educational SettingsMyth 1: News Article: Right brain/left brain, right? Via Harvard Health PublishingFull Research Study: An Evaluation of the Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Hypothesis with Resting State Functional Connectivity Magnetic Resonance ImagingMyth 2: News Article: Debunking the Learning Style Neuromyth Via ForbesRound-up of Research: Learning Styles as Myth via YaleMyth 3: News Article: Why There is No Such Thing as a Normal Brain via BBC Research Article: The Myth of the Normal Brain: Embracing Diversity via The AMA Journal of EthicRethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education by Susan Wise BauerMyth 4: Article: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart via Yale School of ManagementVideo: The Dark History of IQ Tests via TedEd (00:00) - Debunking Learning Myths (02:24) - Left-brained vs. right-brained (05:01) - The power of figures of speech (10:34) - Break (12:11) - Matching instruction to learning style (22:32) - Learning discorders (28:11) - IQ scores (35:29) - Outro
In episode 161 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk with Veronica about different neuromyths that are popular in the education world. We discuss learning styles, dyslexia, how much of our brain we use, and so much more. > Find Veronica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mme_doyle/ > Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314/full > Teaching to Diversity by Jennifer Katz: https://amzn.to/45q9pWM > Sometimes Reading is Hard by Robin Bright: https://amzn.to/3YCdfK3 > Building Brains Together: https://www.buildingbrains.ca/ > Building Brains free online courses: https://www.buildingbrains.ca/courses > Brain Story free course: https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/training/ To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on: Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Kindergarten Instagram: @creativekindergartenblogontpt Facebook: www.facebook.com/creativekindergartenbyamanda Blog: creativekindergartenblog.com
The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy
What is Our Fascination with Anything Vaguely Neuroscience? Curt and Katie chat about our profession's fascination with neuroscience. We explore the myths about the brain, why therapists lean on neuroscience (even when they really shouldn't), and how “neuro” is misused and can actually be harmful to our clients. Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com! In this podcast episode we talk about neuroscience Curt has started to get frustrated with all of the ways that neuroscience is misused. Curt is frustrated with the ongoing use of “neuro” information that may be myth. What are the most common neuromyths? Humans only use 10% of our brains Left/Right Brain preference Learning style (i.e., auditory, visual, or kinetic learners) If you don't drink enough water, your brain will shrink Why do therapists often privilege “neuroscience” over everything else? The fascination with brain scans The belief that explanations including neuroscience are more effective (even if they are not) Interest in data and the scientific explanations The Misuse of “Neuro” to increase the credibility of other concepts The “neuroscience” of the power of attraction Overusing neuroscience explanations for interventions that don't help The potential for clients to feel incompetent due to trying to access parts of the brain versus understanding the interventions in a basic and complete manner Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode: We've pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance! Article: The Seductive Allure of Neuroscience Explanations by Deena Skolnick Weisberg, Frank C. Keil, Joshua Goodstein, Elizabeth Rawson, and Jeremy R. Gray Article: Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths by Kelly Macdonald, Laura Germine, Alida Anderson, Joanna Christodoulou and Lauren M. McGrath Article: Brain Images Make Cognitive Research More Believable Article: Neuroscience and education: myths and messages Article: Brain images make the article seem more reliable The manifested article that has not been vetted for scientific accuracy, but I can't believe I found it: The Neuroscience of The Secret Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement: Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Modern Therapist's Survival Guide Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/ Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/
Julia McCabe returns to the podcast with our second installment about neuroscience. She shares some neuromyths and then we discus them under the lens of Yoga and Neuroscience.
Discussions about education tend to focus on those who do the teaching. Let's not ignore, however, the abundant opportunities for improvement possible at the point of learning. Amy and Mike invited educator Patrice Bain to explain the importance of feedback-driven metacognition. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why doesn't study time always equate to commensurate learning? How can we discriminate between what we know and what we still need to learn? How are retrieval, spacing, and metacognition connected? Who is ultimately responsible for learning outcomes? How can teachers and learners both harness feedback-driven metacognition? MEET OUR GUEST Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., is a veteran K–12 educator, speaker and author. As a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright Scholar in Russia, she has been featured in national and international podcasts, webinars, presentations and popular press, including NOVA and Scientific American. In addition to Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, she also co-authored an essential practice guide for educators, Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Bain's latest book A Parent's Guide to Powerful Teaching reinforces the “Teaching Triangle'' of student, parent, and teacher collaboration. Patrice was one of two U.S. teachers on the working task group: Neuromyths vs. Neurotruths, sponsored by (IES) and the National Commission of Educational Research (NCER). In addition, she was a contributor to the United Nations UNESCO ISEE (International Science and Evidence-based Education) Assessment, outlining the vision for world education by 2030. Find Patrice at www.patricebain.com. LINKS Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning A Parent's Guide to Powerful Teaching www.powerfulteaching.org www.retrievalpractice.org Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve RELATED EPISODES THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Can you separate brain facts from brain fiction? In this episode I cover how several brain myths, or neuromyths, won't go away and have led us to ineffective or even counterproductive strategies as parents, teachers, and students. Don't fall for them! Challenge yourself to think logically as I walk you through 5 Neuromyths that persist - even when debunked years ago! So why do misconceptions about the brain continue? Most people simply want to believe - it's an easy, quick answer to personal challenges or when faced with a child who "beats to a different drum."Yet, research indicates that most of what teachers are 'sure they know about the brain' is simply wrong - even when faced with limited evidence. In this episode, I share some possible reasons behind this persistence and how parents can weed through the noise.Legitimate science results get oversimplified by the media to generate sensationalized headlines Complex science results are misinterpreted and Word-Of-Mouth carries them through schools, teaching methods, parent coaching, and personal growth programs.Results are over-generalized and seem to take hold into everyday interactions - AND policies, programs and trainings are created around weak, general assumptions.I admit, it can be confusing - especially since researchers themselves can't even agree on how best to study the brain ... BUT that doesn't mean we don't question such broad sweeping statements, such as "we only use 10% of our brain's capacity." I promise after listening to this episode you will feel more empowered to ask questions, listen to your intuition and begin to let go of misconceptions that don't serve your children. As always, if you get value from this episode, please subscribe so you do not miss out, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and share with me when you're listening! Screenshot where you are in the episode, and tag me, @erin.hyer, on Instagram. www.HyerLearning.com
Neuroscience coach trainer Ann Betz joins Mark Walsh to discuss using brain science for validation, “neurobunk”, stress, efficiency, states vs stages, triune brain theory, brain scans, gender differences, cultural differences and the extended mind. A clarifying geek out. You can find out all about Ann Betz here: Website www.beaboveleadership.com Socials LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-betz-a6b31018/ / Twitter: @beabovecoach Read Ann's articles and books here: www.yourcoachingbrain.wordpress.com / https://www.amazon.com/Integration-Power-Being-Co-Active-Work/dp/178279865X
This week we’re joined by Mary Jacob, as we chat about our quintessential pop culture zombos, using them to pick apart neuromyths – and in particular the biggy – Learning Styles! Before the wickerman gets erected, we’re not conflating these with learner preferences, or learning requirement/needs/delivery/accessibility reqs – we’re focusing on the VARK psychometric guff.… Continue reading Are learning styles the boss level zombie of neuromyths?
This season, we are diving into the research to practice gap, exploring why it is that ineffective teaching practices continue to hang on despite growing evidence that it's time to let them go. We are so excited to welcome to the podcast Dr. Judy Willis - a board-certified neurologist who made a dramatic switch into classroom teaching, where she taught in elementary middle school for 10 years. Today we talk with Dr. Willis about about common misconceptions about learning, including teaching to learning styles, and ways to promote use of research-based practices among educators. Co-Host: Sarah Egan-Reeves, SST8 Educational Consultant About Our Guest: Dr. Willis is an expert on learning and the brain, has served on the adjunct faculty of the University of California Santa Barbara Graduate School of Education, and travels nationally and internationally giving presentations, workshops, and consulting. She recently revised and expanded her 2006 book, Research Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning, in which she helps educators understand how to select teaching strategies based on how the brain works and learns best. She shares many great resources on her website, RADteach.com, and an article we love called The High Cost of Neuromyths in Education.
Research into developmental disorders such as Williams and Down's Syndromes sounds niche, but aids understanding of how learning happens in general, thus improving education for all. We hear about work to uncover neuromyths, and how to make maths learning less daunting. Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2022/feb/uncovering-neuromyths-and-wide-applicability-neurodevelopmental-research-rftrw-s13e02
In this podcast, Dr Weston talks with brain scientist, Dr Duncan Astle, about how to consolidate learning in our memory and finds out some actionable and evidence-based revision tips. They debunk some common neuromyths and explore why we need to change the way we think about intervening to help children who struggle with learning.
Our researcher of the month, Dr Jo Van Herwegen, talks to Dr Weston about her recent paper, which examines the prevalence of neuromyths surrounding common neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly among educators. They discuss the detrimental impact that neuromyths can have on young people and why it's important for parents and school staff to understand more about neuromyths and for teachers to receive more training in this area.
Ginny is a neuroscience expert and science communicator. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, but her main passion and expertise is in psychology and neuroscience, so she focuses on helping kids and adults understand our complex minds. Ginny says that “Science is fun and fascinating and ever changing, and I want to help everyone share in the joy of curiosity and exploration.” Some of the things that Ginny said in this week's chat that stood out for me:“I find it amazing how much we still don't understand about this thing that controls everything we do”“Science can come across as something that's finished – it's this body of facts that we know about the world and I think telling kids and adults that there's so much more to be discovered can be really inspiring.”“It's actually behavioural change that can have a bigger impact on our lives at the moment than neuro science but it feels like neuroscience is the sexier option so anyone who is selling something tends always badge it as neuroscience. And balance your hormones, take this supplement, we're going to retrain your brain. Just take anything that makes big claims on neuroscience needs to have big evidence and a lot of the time if they're trying to sell you something there's not.” The second edition to my award winning book Defining You – Build Your Unique Personal Profile and Unlock Your True Potential is now out: https://bit.ly/DefiningYou2ndEdIf you are curious about who you are, your brain and the influences in your life then please dip into my more recent book Mirror Thinking – How Role Models Make Us Human. https://bit.ly/MirrThinkhttps://bit.ly/MirrorUSACanhttps://bit.ly/2ylrc7HFollow on:Instagram: www.instagram.com/fiona_murdenTwitter: https://twitter.com/fionamurden Facebook: https://facebook.com/fionamurdenAnd for Ginny: ginnysmithscience.comSocials: @GinnySmithScibraintasticscience.comSocials: @BraintasticSciAmazon Book link: Overloaded: How Every Aspect of Your Life is Influenced by Your Brain Chemicals: Amazon.co.uk: Smith, Ginny: Books Links to non-amazon shops here: www.ginnysmithscience.com/overloaded
You may have heard time and again about how people use only ten percent of their brain; and you also may have wondered what if our brain could fulfil its potential. If we managed to develop the remaining 90 %, we could certainly levitate, walk on fire without getting burned, or perhaps we could even walk through walls. But is this information true or is it just a myth?
Do we really only use 10% of our brains? Will using technology in my course improve my students’ learning and motivation? Are students nowadays “digital natives”? In this episode, we tackle these questions and others with Michelle Miller, Professor of Psychology at Northern Arizona University and author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology. Miller talks about her research and experiences with misconceptions about the mind, brain, and learning, with a focus on neuromyths related to teaching with technology. Learn more at ctl.columbia.edu/podcast.
In this episode, we talk to Ingra du Buisson-Narsai, the co-founder and Director of NeuroCapital Coaching and Consulting, which consults to some of South Africa's leading and most admired companies. She has 20 years of executive-level experience in corporate South Africa and is a Registered Organisational Psychologist in private practice.She is also the author of the best-selling book “Fight, Flight or Flourish: How neuroscience can unlock human potential”. Ingra actively pursues the increasing visibility of neuroscientific methods and diagnostics in the study of organisational behaviour.To get your copy of Fight, Flight or Flourish or #chooseFlourish resources visit the website www.neurocapital.co To buy the book locally:http://bit.ly/2QkrhOEOr on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/FIGHT-FLIGHT-FLOURISH-NEUROSCIENCE-POTENTIAL-ebook/dp/B085QM4LN2/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=fight+flight+flourish&qid=1594555259&sr
In Episode 30 we have the privilege to speak with Spring CUE 2020 Keynote Speaker, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa! TNT EdTech Podcast and CUE are excited to introduce the Spring CUE Featured Speaker Series showcasing Spring CUE 2020 Conference speakers. To find out more about the featured speakers and register for the Spring CUE 2020 Conference in Palm Springs March 19th - 21st visit the CUE or featured speaker page. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa - CUE is proud to announce one of the two keynotes for Spring CUE 2020, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, a world-renowned leader and speaker – education expert who leads by example and her practical expertise will inspire. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa is the author of eight books on mind, brain, and education science, and dozens of articles related to this nascent field. Her most recent works are Neuromyths (2018) and The Five Pillars of the Mind (2019). She currently conducts educational research with the Latin American Faculty for Social Science in Ecuador (FLACSO) in Quito. She is a former member of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) expert panel to redefine teachers’ new pedagogical knowledge due to contributions from technology and neuroscience. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa has taught kindergarten through university and works with schools, universities, governments, and non-governmental organizations in over forty countries around the world. She is the former director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning (IDEA) and director of online learning at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and founding dean of education at the American University in Quito (Universidad de las Americas). Her office seeks to improve the quality of education through research, teacher training, and student support. Her current research focuses on the integration of mind, brain, and education science into teachers’ daily practice and professional development; changes in preschool math and pre-literacy skills based on neuroconstructivism; multilingualism; and the leveraging of technology to enhance learning outcomes. You can hear more from Tracy on Phi Delta Kappan’s podcast: https://www.kappanonline.org/podcast-what-we-know-about-learning-brain/ We are the TNT Edtech Podcast, and we are powered by CUE (@cueinc), www.cue.org! Follow TNT EdTech Podcast on your favorite podcast player of choice, on the web www.tntedtech.com and on Twitter @tntedtech - we thank you for listening!
TNT EdTech Podcast and CUE are excited to introduce the Spring CUE Featured Speaker Series showcasing Spring CUE 2020 Conference speakers. In this teaser, we introduce Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa and what she will be presenting on during the Spring CUE Conference. Be sure to check out the full episodes to these featured speakers in the upcoming weeks leading up to this not to miss educational conference in Palm Springs. To find out more about the featured speakers and register for the Spring CUE 2020 Conference in Palm Springs March 19th - 21st visit the CUE or featured speaker page. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa - CUE is proud to announce one of the two keynotes for Spring CUE 2020, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, a world-renowned leader and speaker – education expert who leads by example and her practical expertise will inspire. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa is the author of eight books on mind, brain, and education science, and dozens of articles related to this nascent field. Her most recent works are Neuromyths (2018) and The Five Pillars of the Mind (2019). She currently conducts educational research with the Latin American Faculty for Social Science in Ecuador (FLACSO) in Quito. She is a former member of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) expert panel to redefine teachers’ new pedagogical knowledge due to contributions from technology and neuroscience. Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa has taught kindergarten through university and works with schools, universities, governments, and non-governmental organizations in over forty countries around the world. She is the former director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning (IDEA) and director of online learning at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and founding dean of education at the American University in Quito (Universidad de las Americas). Her office seeks to improve the quality of education through research, teacher training, and student support. Her current research focuses on the integration of mind, brain, and education science into teachers’ daily practice and professional development; changes in preschool math and pre-literacy skills based on neuroconstructivism; multilingualism; and the leveraging of technology to enhance learning outcomes. You can hear more from Tracy on Phi Delta Kappan’s podcast: https://www.kappanonline.org/podcast-what-we-know-about-learning-brain/ We are the TNT Edtech Podcast, and we are powered by CUE (@cueinc), www.cue.org! Follow TNT EdTech Podcast on your favorite podcast player of choice, on the web www.tntedtech.com and on Twitter @tntedtech - we thank you for listening!
The FitMind Podcast: Mental Health, Neuroscience & Mindfulness Meditation
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the Founder of Ness Labs, a venture studio dedicated to products that help people be happier and healthier. Previously Anne-Laure worked for Google on their digital health products team, and she is currently completing a Master of Science in Applied Neuroscience at King's College London. Her work has been featured in WIRED, Forbes, The Rolling Stone. Anne-Laure is also a certified Mental Health First Aider and member of the Society for Neuroscience. In this episode, we discuss burnout, imposter syndrome, neuromyths, the cobra effect, overcoming cognitive biases, joy triggers, FOBO, time anxiety and more.
Faculty design their classes based on their perceptions of how students learn. These perceptions, though, are not always consistent with the science of learning. In this episode, Dr. Kristen Betts and Dr. Michelle Miller join us to discuss the prevalence of neuromyths and awareness of evidence-based practices in higher ed. Kristen is a clinical professor in the online EDD program in Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Management in the School of Education at Drexel University. Michelle is the Director of the First-Year Learning Initiative, Professor of Psychological Sciences and the President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University. She’s also the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology and a frequent guest on this podcast. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.
Nigel Paine and Martin Couzins discuss the report Neuromyths and Evidence-Based Practices in Higher Education (https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/read/international-report-neuromyths-and-evidence-based-practices-in-higher-education/) .
Are you left or right brained? Tackling "neuromyths" plus some epic bad karoake (Def Leppard/Queen), tune in for great mind over matter fodder sure to tap all 100% of your brain power.
Are you left or right brained? Tackling "neuromyths" plus some epic bad karoake (Def Leppard/Queen), tune in for great mind over matter fodder sure to tap all 100% of your brain power.
Troy and Steve have a heavy duty waffle about the things we have been led to believe are true but are not in fact supported by research. Troy brings up the example of the myth that we only use 10% of our brain, but a more interesting waffle is about the myth of VAK, then even more interestingly a waffle about MI, and we touch on learner strategies, and then we get onto the myth that Steve actually knows anything much at all. But hang on, are these really all myths and should they all be thrown out with the baby?
Claudia busts some myths in neuroscience. She meets scientists attending the British Neuroscience Association's Christmas symposium on Neuromyths. She talks to Professor Chris MacManus about myths around left and right and how we use the different sides of our brain. She discusses with Duncan Astle from Cambridge University about the brain myths that have been used in education in primary schools. Cordelia Fine from Melbourne University discusses the myths about the differences between male and female brains. Anne Cook from the BNA talks about some historical myths which have been busted but why others still persist. Emma Yhnell from Cardiff University talks about whether brain training really works.
Renowned researcher, author, and former teacher Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa joins CPRE Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss "neuromyths," those false or misinterpreted facts we continue to believe about the human brain. She also shares insights from her new book "Neuromyths: Debunking False Ideas About the Brain," her new interview in Kappan Magazine, and offers suggestions for teachers, education researchers, and policymakers hoping to move past debunked theories and bring the latest brain science to the classroom. Part of the CPRE Knowledge Hub and Kappan Magazine's 'What We've Learned About Learning" podcast series. To read more, pick up the Dec/Jan 2018 issue of Kappan Magazine or visit https://www.kappanonline.org/
There are some commonly held misconceptions in the general public about how the brain works and how it affects how we learn - these are often called "neuromyths." We know that the general public can fall prey to these much of the time, but what about our educators? And if teachers believe in these neuromyths, what does it mean for how they teach, or how schools allocate their resources? And can we protect against falling for these neuromyths by better training? Join me as I talk with Kelly Macdonald - doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Houston, and Asst Professor Dr Lauren McGrath at the University of Denver - both in the USA - as we talk about their paper exploring belief in neuromyths by educators and the general public, and how we can change things. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarb-johal/message
Carol Lethaby is an English language teacher, teacher trainer, ELT consultant and author who has coauthored Just Right Second Edition (Cengage Learning) and English ID (Richmond Publishing) as well as articles on Neuroscience in IATEFL Voices and Neuromyths in the Teacher Trainer Journal.Tracy: Hello everyone. Welcome back.Ross Thorburn: Today, we've got a special guest on our podcast. That person is Carol Lethaby.Tracy: Carol is an English teacher, trainer, author, and a ELT consultant. She has spent a lot of time in Mexico and in Greece. You probably have noticed her name in our ITEFL podcast.Ross: Both 2018 and 2017. Today, we are going to speak to Carol about what neuroscience can do for language teaching. As usual, we've got three broad areas that we're going to speak to Carol about. The first area we are going to look at is what myths about language teaching are there.Tracy: The second main area is what teachers can apply from research and neuroscience, and the last one...Ross: ...is why findings from research often don't get applied in language teaching.Myths about language teachingRoss: Hi Carol. Thanks so much for taking the time to come on the podcast.Carol: Hi Ross.Ross: How are you doing?Carol: Well. Thank you.Ross: Carol, do you want to start off by telling us about some common myths that exist about language learning?Carol: The first one is we only use 10 percent of our brain, which gets perpetuated so much in the popular media. Then, of course, there's the idea that you're right brain or left brain dominant, again, something which neuroscientists grimace every time someone says that.The idea that accommodating learning styles will create learning and the idea that we can ignore learner's first language when they're learning a new language.Tracy: It's really interesting. How did this myth change what teachers do in the classroom?Carol: Yes. That's what's really important for us as teachers. The first thing is the idea of left brain, right brain. You are either analytic or you're creative. People taking this into consideration and saying, "Oh well, there's nothing you can do about it."When really they're denying the role that education plays, your preferences, the same with learning styles. We identify them. We have these formal and informal assessments.We try to teach to the preferred learning styles to enhance in learning. We teach people on initial and in‑service training courses that is of utmost importance when there's absolutely no evidence that it helps.I think there it's more like wasting time, money, resources on things that don't work. Then with the English‑only idea, the idea that the L one shouldn't play a part in second language learning. I'd just been working with a group of teachers last week.I was talking about different ways that the first language can help us learning a second language or another language and the reaction from some of the teachers I could still see there the [inaudible 03:17] and the kind of disbelief. This idea, I think, is pretty firmly entrenched in many places.Ross: Is it almost like we could put that research into two categories then? Research that shows that what we're doing at the moment is wrong, or doesn't work, or isn't as effective as it could be. Then research that might show why things like common practices that teachers do now do work perfect.Carol: Yes, I think that's a good way to think about how neuroscience can help us. One of the things that it can help us to do is to think about things that our intuitions might tell us are true, but which evidence tells us are not true. It can also the other way around, as you've just mentioned, show us something that we do do in the classroom is actually a good idea.The big one here for me is taking into consideration prior knowledge. This is something that studies of the brain and looking at MRIs. There is something going on physically in the brain when we are learning about something we already know something about.The part of the brain where old information and new information connect is a part that has been identified. We have to say, at the same time, we do have to think too about how can we actually apply these ideas both from neuroscience and from evidence‑based teaching practice. How can we apply this to English language teacher?A lot of the studies that have been done have been done in the area of math teaching or content teaching. Language teaching is a little bit different in terms of the language itself being the content.Ross: Another theory like this that we've mentioned before on this podcast and one that I've also heard you mentioned before, is cognitive load. I always find the easiest way to visualize this is to think of the brain as being like a smartphone or a computer.The idea is that if your phone or your computer, you've got a lot of apps running at the same time, then the computer runs much more slowly. If you only have one app running at once, then it runs faster.This is similar to the brain that if you give students, for example, a task that includes a lot of higher order thinking skills and a lot of speaking, students are going to speak a lot more slowly.In other words, it's like a language app on their brain's going to be running a lot more slowly because of the increased processing power that they need to do that higher order thinking. Do you want to tell us a bit more about cognitive load and some of the things that you've spoken about with that before?Carol: Yes, that's it in a nutshell, but that's a nice little analogy with apps, etc. In language learning, we started looking at it related to the idea of overloading learners in terms of their different senses. People thinking, we're going to present this piece of language. You have to listen to it, you have to read it, and you have to look at pictures all at the same time.That, in actual fact, you think you're helping the learner, but in fact, you're making it harder for the learner because, maybe, the visuals don't support the text in some way. When are we overloading the learners?How could we avoid overloading the learners? By doing the opposite. Actually, help them using visuals that support their learning rather than actually overload the learner.What teachers can apply from research and neuroscienceTracy: We talk about teaching. We talk about neuroscience. Do you want to tell us some researching findings that from neuroscience, for example, the teachers can apply in their classes to make them more effective or, maybe, something that teachers commonly do in the classroom that neuroscience has shown benefits teaching or learning?Carol: Well, obviously, the first example is going back to the mother tongue again, using what you already know about your first language and what you already know about your second language to help you to learn new things. I'm thinking too of things, like practice testing. Just say, a quick vocabulary test after you have learned some vocabulary.Just the idea that practicing retrieving things from your memory actually strengthens those connections that you have and makes it easier to be able to do it in the future. It's just things like this that we're doing in the classroom, recycling material. We say we're recycling, but why are we doing that?Well, because it's going to help learners to actually learn new things if you remind them of what they know already. Then you add something new to it, doing pre‑tasks before we do reading or listening.That's a reason for doing that. You help learners to remember what they know already about the topic. In the case of the beginner learners, you're probably going to have to do more work for actual making up for their comprehension gap.Ross: You mentioned distributed practice there, which is something that we've also spoken about before in the podcast. Maybe, the easiest way to think about distributed practices, it's the opposite of cramming, which I think is something that we all know doesn't work very well.In the long‑term it might work OK if you've got an exam tomorrow, but it's not going to help you very much in the long‑term. Can you tell us a bit more about why distributed practice helps students remember things better?Carol: Yes, so most evidence‑based studies they call that distributed practice, but the idea of not cramming everything all at once to try and learn it, but the idea of spacing it. You start it on one day. Then you come back to it at another time. Every time you come back to it, you're adding something new so it becomes a cumulative process.Then it's really helping you, hopefully, with your neuroconnections. We could say that, doing some distributed practice with me. First of all, we do some work on a particular grammar and function structure. Say, we're working with simple past tense. We may say one day, we're going to learn some words to talk about the past.Maybe, we often do it first with the regular verbs, etc. We don't say, "Here are all the irregular verbs to learn all in one go." We say, "Next time we return to this." In the meantime, we do some other stuff.We're into leaving our practice. Perhaps, we go back and do some more vocabulary on a particular theme, for example. Then in the next class we come back to learning some verbs again, and perhaps work on more irregular verbs, learning more of them, again, in a theme, but relating them to what we did the day before.Ross: Obviously, with this podcast we're trying to get teachers to learn more about learning strategies and neuroscience. Do you think that teachers also have a responsibility to tell students about what learning strategies work?Carol: That's a great question. It's helpful to tell students why you're doing the things that you do. The idea of practice when students complain that. "Oh, we've already seen this and we practiced it." Well, why do we practice things again and again and again? Because we know that that helps you to learn it.Tracy: Can we also use them with young learners?Ross: Or is it something that works for adults?Carol: That's a good question. In terms of the cognitive strategies, that's something that needs to be dosified a little bit, depending on the cognitive level of the learner.It's very hard to talk about cognitive strategy, like making a conclusion from patterns if you don't have the cognitive abilities yet to be able to do that. That's going to depend on age, but there are some things definitely we can start working on with young children.Why findings from research often don't get applied in language teachingRoss: We've spoken a little about neuromyths, Carol. Why do you think it is that the neuromyths that you mentioned at the beginning of the show, things like, we only use a small percentage of our brain power, left brain, right brain learning‑selves. Why do these things still persist? Why is it people still believe in these? Why do they still get taught on teacher training courses?Carol: That's a good question. There are a few reasons. One of them is that going back to the women's and men's brains, for example, there's so much over reporting of studies that purport to find differences when the majority of studies actually don't find any differences, but those studies aren't reported. Why not? Because nobody's interested in them.In terms of learning styles right brain left brain, people love that stuff in the popular media, don't they? It's like you love to read a little quiz. Are you like this, or are you like this? It's very hard when that is passed on in the popular media as truth.Secondly, I think that's related to this, that a lot of the evidence for those things. The reality is a lot of it's hidden in a neuroscientific journals, for example. It's quite hard for us to access it unless there's someone helping us to read it and make sense of it and say, "Well, what this really says is this."Then the third reason, some neuromyths or ideas about the brain are actually untestable because they're black box theories, if you like. The multiple intelligences theory, for example. You can't test that because it's not something that we can look at if you like. It's a black box theory.It's a combination of those things. Probably the main one in language teaching is the idea that the myths are often not challenged.Tracy: A lot of teachers, including myself, just felt they're a lot of things going on in terms of research about learning from neuroscience. How can we make sure that we keep up‑to‑date? You just pointed out actually articles in a lot of popular media is probably quite unreliable. What can we do as teachers?Carol: Another good question. Something that I find very helpful is trying to find blogs by neuroscientists, who, in the blog, they will often explain themselves in normal person's language that we can understand.If you read the blog first, then you can go back to the actual study and make sense of it much more. I like Daniel Willingham's blog. He talks about, particularly, education and evidence based on ideas and education.More from Carol LethabyRoss: Carol, for any listeners that want to visit your website or learn more about your work and what you do, your website is www.clethaby.com That's C‑L‑E‑T‑H‑A‑B‑Y.com. Is that right?Carol Lethaby: Yeah. That's my website.Tracy: Really nice talking to you today.Ross: Thanks again, Carol.Carol: Thank you to you. It's been so nice to meet you and talk to you.
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Education Neuromyths Many teachers are interested in the workings of the brain and how neuroscience might help their students to learn. But new research suggests that like the rest of the us, teachers have picked up many myths about the mind. Common neuromyths in wide circulation are that children have to be taught in their preferred learning styles in order to absorb information; that we only use 10% of our brains and that doing special co-ordination exercises helps the two hemispheres our our brains work together. Paul Howard Jones, reader in Neuroscience and Education at Bristol University, tells Claudia Hammond why he believes neuromyths are so widespread in the classroom. Prisons and Psychosis Prisoners are supposed to have exactly the same access to healthcare as everybody else, but in reality, there are big gaps in the service. When it comes to mental health care, the need for specialised care is clear to see. 5.2% of prisoners (compared to 0.4% of the general population) experience psychosis. Now a project in South East London aims to identify and treat prisoners before their illness escalates into a full-blown psychotic episode. Lucia Valmaggia of the Oasis in Prison project talks to Claudia about the sucess of this world-first project. The case of "H.M." and emerita Professor Of Neuroscience, Suzanne Corkin H.M., or Henry Gustave Molaison, is the world's most famous neurological patient. A case study in any neuroscience or psychology text book, Henry had amnesia, caused by an operation in 1953 to cure his serious epilepsy. His seizures were cured but the removal of a part of his brain left him unable to form new memories. For the next fifty years until his death in 2008, he was studied and researched, his condition revolutionising what we now know about memory. Emerita Professor of Neuroscience, Suzanne Corkin, at M.I.T. in the USA, and author of a new book, Permanent Present Tense, studied him for almost four decades. All in the Mind listeners get to hear original interviews, recorded back in 1977, whith Henry himself and Suzanne describes to Claudia, Henry the man and Henry's contribution to science. Producer: Fiona Hill.
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