Brain Based Learning

Brain Based Learning
As a physical education teacher, I would be very adamant about incorporating brain-based learning strategies into the curriculum.   Brain based education is essentially the engagement of strategies based on principles derived from an understanding of the brain (Jenson, 2008, p. 4).   This form of learning is learning in accordance with the way the brain is naturally designed to learn.   And, I believe that is through experience.   Not only mentally experiencing an assignment but brining movement and action into that lesson, helps the brain better retain information by making it significant.   The way this works is information is gathered visually, spatially, or by other means.   For example, this information is routed to its corresponding lobe and also processed in the thalamus simultaneously.   The frontal lobe holds new data in short term memory.   Much of this information is filtered, dismissed and never stored.   However, if this information is work second consideration, it is routed to and held in the hippocampus where if it is deemed important it is organized and indexed by the hippocampus and stored in the cortex.   Our goal is to make information relevant enough to the student for it to be processed and stored in long term memory.   Not only does physical movement give the brain more information to process and store when learning it also is healthy for the brain.   Exercise is not only good for our bodies; it also does wonders for our brain.   One of the first things of notice that it does is provide ample blood flow to our brains.   This gives individual neurons more nutrients and oxygen so they can perform better.   It can also encourage the production of nerve growth factor (Jenson, 2008, p. 38), this hormone improved brain function.