It's a new school year in Australia and New Zealand with students and teachers heading back to start Term 1.
In this first edition of the Learning Brain News for 2021 you can read some new research about the benefits of a music education on other learning, and how to use “Fan Fiction” to help reluctant writers.
Plus, check out “What’s On” to register for the Dr Michael Merzenich webinar this week. And register for other online events in the webinar series: Pushing The Boundaries of Achievement - the Latest Evolution of Applied Neuroscience.
Stay safe,
Devon Barnes Learning Brain News
Latest Research
Strong links between music, maths and reading
Researchers studied 1000 students to see if there was any link between music education and performance in maths and reading. They expected to find none. But they found a strong link - learning music appeared to make students better at maths and reading.
Ineffective 'learning styles' theory persists in education
A majority of teachers believe they should match their teaching to students’ learning styles (such as visual, auditory, read-write or kinesthetic), according to a study by Swansea University, UK. Almost 90% of 15,045 educators surveyed worldwide believed individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style.
Lead researcher, Professor Phil Newton, says there is no evidence for the learning styles belief and spending time trying to match a student to a learning style could be a waste of valuable time and resources.
Edutopia has reviewed hundreds of educational studies in 2020 and then highlighted 10 of the most significant—covering topics from virtual learning to the reading wars and the decline of standardized tests. Check it out here.
Pushing The Boundaries of Achievement - The Latest Evolution of Applied Neuroscience” Webinar Series
In case you’ve missed our emails, there is still time to register for one or more of the remaining free, weekly online webinars in the “Pushing The Boundaries of Achievement - the Latest Evolution of Applied Neuroscience” series hosted by our partner Elite Performance Solutions.
Next up is Neuroscience: The Importance of Understanding the Brain - Dr Michael Merzenich - 12 Noon AEDT, Thursday, 4 February.
Advances in Technology Today: Best Practices with Elite Focus - Dr Steve Miller - 12 Noon AEDT, Thursday, 11 February.
Elite Performance Outside of the Classroom - Tom Nugent - 11PM AEDT, Thursday, 18 February.
These engaging webinars include a panel discussion (with someone from LearnFast and Asian educators) and an opportunity for Q&A. They feature leading neuroscientists and education specialists who will explain:
how to understand and extract the untapped potential in everyone
ways to recognise and develop often hidden strengths, and
how to give everyone the tools to gain that competitive edge in their lives
Staring at a blank page can be daunting for many students with a writing assignment. Introducing them to “Fan Fiction” can get them started writing about a subject they are interested in. Fan fiction is a type of writing that builds on or takes liberties with existing stories such as Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Marvel comics and movies.
A unifying explanation of the cause of autism and the reason for its rising prevalence has eluded scientists for decades. Now a theoretical model published in the journal Medical Hypotheses describes the cause as a combination of socially valued traits, common in autism, and any number of co-occurring disabilities.
Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School have taken a decisive step in the quest to understand the biology of long-term memory and find ways to intervene when memory deficits occur with age or disease.
Brain Games to Improve a Student’s Focus & Attention
Playing games designed to activate different parts of the brain is a good way for students to work on their attention span and sharpen their minds.
Luckily, there are hundreds of interesting and entertaining brain games for all ages to keep students busy. Everything from basic jigsaw puzzles to online brain games can help them grow their minds for their future academic endeavours.
Do you know how the brain reads? It’s a more complex process than you may think. The science of reading is the interdisciplinary body of research on the cognitive, biological, linguistic, and social-emotional processes involved in reading. You can apply this important research to help all your students achieve their reading potential.
Here's what's inside this seven page guide:
Quiz: do you know how reading works?
3 skills you might not know are important to reading (and how to build them)
Cross-out list: avoid these debunked common classroom practices.
Do you want to help your child read, but are not sure how to?
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a step-by-step program that shows parents how to teach their children to read. The author claims 20 minutes a day for 100 days will have your child reading on a solid second-grade level.
The Google Arts and Culture App contains a wealth of information on museum collections, artists, theatre and performing arts, historic figures, and events.
It is a resource for 12+ year olds who are assigned research projects, as it can provide in-depth information that includes text, images and videos.
