The Brain-Targeted Teaching® Model for 21st Century Schools

• The professional development content will begin with an overview of themajor themes in the new study of the science of learning. A variety of“neuro-myths” will be described (e.g. brain development is complete by age 3).The Brain-Targeted Teaching® Model will be introduced, and the six braintargets will be briefly described.
• Basic information about brain anatomy and cognitive functions will bepresented as foundational knowledge. 
  

• This session will focus on strategies to create a positive emotionalclimate in classrooms–an environment in which students feel connected to schooland motivated to learn. Through presentations, video, and simulationactivities, participants will learn techniques as well as underlying researchthat support promoting an emotional connection to content to increasemotivation for learning. Examples include classroom routines and rituals,specific praise techniques, ways to disengage and redirect aberrant behaviors,and strategies that engage students emotionally in content.
  

Sessions 5 & 6: The Physical Learning Environment; The Learning Unit Design

• Content will include how environmental factors influence attention learningconsistent with the tenets of BT-2. Participants will brainstorm ways to usenovelty and environmental factors such as lighting, sound, scent, and movementto promote student attending behaviors.
• Participants will identify ways they can change classrooms to align withcreating a stimulating environment that supports students’ attending behaviorsand engagement in learning.
• Participants will review underlying research associated with thecognitive processes of patterning and “big picture thinking” and will be ableto articulate how concept mapping improves understanding and retention ofcontent (BT-3).
• Participants will design concept maps and graphic organizers to be usedas the foundation for planning learning units to promote global understandingof key lesson topics and objectives. They will use Common Core State Standardsto design learning units that include all components of BTT, includingactivities to reinforce content through arts and technology integration. 

• Participants will engage in an in-depth examination of the research andbest practices associated with BT-4-- Teaching for Mastery. A wide array ofresearch findings related to memory will be presented, and practical implicationsfor the classroom will be described. The important role of arts integration inreinforcing memory for content will be outlined, as will the possibility of“transfer” from arts to non-arts domains. Technology innovations will also bediscussed as a way to reinforce classroom objectives.
• Participants will complete the BTT planning guide to describe andimplement BT-4 activities. Participants will reflect on how the activitiesenhanced instructional practice.

• Participants will be presented with research and best practicesassociated with BT-5--Teaching for the Application of Knowledge. Thepresentation will include research on executive function and the cognitiveprocesses of creative and divergent thinking. Through simulated activities,participants will explore ways that creativity is important for the kind ofreal-world problem solving that is important for preparing students to becollege and career ready.
• Participants will be able to design and use instructional strategiesthat promote rigor and deep understand of content through the application andextension of knowledge in real-world learning activities. They will extendstudents’ mastery of content by designing activities delivered in the BTTlearning unit that require higher-order thinking, divergent thinking skills,and problem-solving in authentic learning tasks.

• Participants will be able to use effective and appropriate techniquesfor evaluating students’ learning throughout each BTT learning unit. Evaluationis considered not only as a means of measuring student progress, but also as atool for increasing learning.
• Research will describe how feedback, active retrieval of information,and spacing of learning events influence both learning and retention ofinformation. Through demonstrations and simulated activities, participants willexplore the use of multiple probes to evaluate learning including performanceassessment, student portfolios and reflective journals. They will be able touse assessment data to modify learning activities. 

• Demonstration of BTT Learning Units: During this session, expertteachers who have designed learning units will demonstrate their field-testedBTT learning units. These expert teachers will present the process of learningunit design and assist participants in designing their own units. Techniquesfor arts integration will be demonstrated.    

• Individuals and/or collaborative teams will have developed andfield-tested BTT learning units, including instructional activities andevaluations.
• Each participant will be expected to turn in a learning unit and aPowerPoint presentation describing the unit, the implementation process, andstudent outcomes.
• Participants will have the option of providing feedback to other participants.Participants have the option of publishing their units on the BTT website.