Mem-Neuroscience

Transcript

1. WORKSHOP NEUROSCIENCE & ENGLISH LEARNING www.englishpriority.com
2. THE ADULT BRAIN & NEUROPLASTICITY WHAT CHANGES IN THE BRAIN AFTER 25?
3. Synaptogenesis, or the creation of new synaptic connections, is most active during early childhood and adolescence. After about age 25, this process slows down, but: Experience-based rewiring continues throughout life. This is neuroplasticity in action. 🧬 Scientific Concepts & Data 🧠 Dr. Tara Swart notes: "You can rewire your brain at any age by forming new connections. But it takes focus, repetition, and emotional relevance." Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt by forming new connections and strengthening existing ones. Every time you learn something new or repeat a task, you’re reinforcing a neural pathway. What happens in the brain after 25?
4. Hebb’s Law (Donald Hebb, Canadian psychologist, 1949): “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Meaning: Repetition builds stronger, faster circuits in the brain. Dr. Wendy Suzuki (Neuroscientist, NYU): “Every time you repeat a behavior, you’re strengthening the associated neural pathway, like deepening a groove in a ski slope.” Dr. Bruce E. Wexler (Yale School of Medicine): “The adult brain can reorganize itself with proper stimulation, especially when learning includes rewarding experiences.” 🧬 Key Scientific Principles: NEUROPLASTICITY
5. Focused practice Frequent repetition Emotional engagement (learning that matters to you) Meaningful use (using language in real or imagined contexts) Of course, you can learn languages after 25— You just need to be deliberate about it: 🧠 Dr. Tara Swart notes: "The brain is not designed to multitask well. Attention is a limited resource, and what you focus on, you strengthen." Implications for Language Learners Multitasking while learning English reduces effectiveness. Focus = stronger wiring.
6. Dr. Joseph LeDoux (NYU Neuroscience): “Repetition builds permanence. Without it, neural changes are temporary.” Dr. Maryanne Wolf (Author of Proust and the Squid): “Language learning recruits multiple areas of the brain. The more sensory and emotional connections we make, the stronger the learning.” Dr. Barbara Oakley (Author of Learning How to Learn): “Chunking information, spaced repetition, and active recall—these are neuroscience-based tools that help the learning process.” 🧬 Key Scientific Principles: Implications for Language Learners
7. 🎯 Objective: To create strong neural connections through personalization, emotion, multisensory engagement, and repetition—all principles supported by neuroscientific research on learning and memory Neuroplasticity Exercise Anchor the word ✅ Step 1: Choose a new word or phrase ✅ Step 2: Create a Personal/Emotional Anchor ✅ Step 3: Reinforce Through Sharing and Repetition
8. Neuroplasticity Exercise Why it works?
9. Neuroplasticity Exercise To wing it - To improvise - Informal expression ✅ Step 1: Choose a new word or phrase It can be real, unusual, formal, informal, etc. Hopefully you’re interested in it.
10. Neuroplasticity Exercise ✅ Step 2: Create a Personal/Emotional Anchor Link the word to a personal memory, imaginary scene, or emotional reaction. Use humor, surprise, or emotional color to deepen the association. Visualize and/or physically act it out. “I didn’t prepare for the meeting. I just winged it—and somehow it worked!” Now, think of a time in which you had to wing, write a short sentence and share int he chat.
11. Neuroplasticity Exercise ✅ Step 3: Reinforce Through Sharing and Repetition Share your sentence or story in the chat. Repeat the word multiple times with gesture or emotion. Emphasize multisensory input: see it, say it, feel it, move with it. “Emotion is the fast lane to the brain. If you feel something about the content, you’re more likely to remember it.” 🧠 Dr. Judy Willis (Neuroscientist & Educator):
12. HOW MEMORY WORKS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
13. Sensory Memory: Captures raw input (sounds, sights, etc.) for a brief moment (milliseconds to 1–2 seconds). Example: You hear a new English word in a conversation but forget it instantly unless you focus on it. Working Memory (Short-Term Memory): The conscious mental space where we manipulate information. Capacity: 7 elements Duration: Roughly 15–30 seconds. Highly susceptible to overload, especially when multitasking. Long-Term Memory: Stable storage system where vocabulary, grammar rules, and idiomatic expressions are consolidated. Requires active engagement, repetition, and emotional relevance for transfer. 🔬 Memory Systems in the Brain
14. 1. Chunking; Break longer expressions or word groups into smaller, meaningful parts. Example: “By the way” becomes one unit, not three separate words. Encoding Strategies that Enhance Language Retention 🧠 Dr. Richard E. Mayer notes: "Chunking reduces cognitive load and enhances comprehension in complex learning.."
15. 2. Spaced Repetition: Revisit information at increasing intervals to interrupt the forgetting curve. Uses the brain's natural memory decay patterns to optimize recall. Encoding Strategies that Enhance Language Retention 🧠 Dr. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885): Developed the Forgetting Curve ”We forget over 50% of new info within an hour unless it's reviewed." 🧠 Dr. Barbara Oakley: Developed the Forgetting Curve ”Spaced repetition leverages the brain’s memory consolidation process—helping shift knowledge from working to long-term memory efficiently." Tools: Anki, Quizlet, Memrise
16. 3. Elaborative Encoding: Link new information to existing knowledge or personal meaning. Example: Connect the English word “clumsy” with a personal memory of dropping something. Encoding Strategies that Enhance Language Retention 🧠 Dr. Fergus Craik Levels of Processing Theory: ”Deeper processing (e.g., using imagery, emotion, or personal relevance) leads to better retention than shallow repetition."
17. Key Takeaways
18. THE ROLE OF EMOTION & MOTIVATION IN LEARNING
19. 🧠 How it works: Dopamine is released when we achieve a goal, solve a problem, or experience a small success. In language learning, positive feedback, progress tracking, and challenges trigger dopamine release. Dopamine increases attention, motivation, and learning retention by engaging the brain’s reward circuits. Dopamine and Motivation: The Brain's Reward Chemical 🧠 Dr. Tara Swart: “Dopamine is the brain’s way of saying, ‘Yes! That worked—do it again!’ It’s essential for forming habits and reinforcing behaviors.”
20. Dopamine and Motivation: The Brain's Reward Chemical Tips: ✅ Break learning into small, winnable goals ✅ Celebrate tiny wins (e.g., “I remembered that word!”) ✅ Use gamified tools (e.g., Duolingo, LingQ) for bursts of dopamine
21. Amygdale in your throat help fight infections. The Amygdala: Learning Under Stress Amygdalae in your brain help process emotions—especially fear and anxiety.
22. 🧠 What this means: The amygdala, part of the limbic system, controls emotional responses like fear, anxiety, and threat perception. Under stress (e.g., fear of speaking, being judged, fear of making mistakes), the amygdala activates the “fight or flight” response, shutting down critical thinking and memory recall. The Amygdala: Learning Under Stress 🧠 Dr. Judy Willis (Neurologist & Educator): “When the amygdala is in a state of high stress or fear, it blocks access to the prefrontal cortex—essentially hijacking the learning process”
23. The Amygdala: Learning Under Stress Implication: ✅ Create safe learning environments ✅ Normalize mistakes as part of the learning process ✅ Use relaxation techniques (breathing, humor, positive framing) to deactivate the stress response
24. Intrinsic motivation: Doing something because it’s personally meaningful or enjoyable Extrinsic motivation: Doing it for a reward or external pressure (e.g., test scores, job promotion) Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation 🧠 Dr. Edward Deci & Richard Ryan (Self-Determination Theory): “Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the keys to sustaining motivation.” Implication for learners: ✅ Connect English to personal goals (travel, connection, independence) ✅ Build self-confidence through mastery (competence) ✅ Foster belonging (community, peers.
25. Who was Kato Lomb? Hungarian polyglot who mastered 16 languages—many after age 40 She developed a practical and psychological understanding of language learning Kato Lomb’s Fluency Formula ✍️ Fluency = (Time + Motivation) / Inhibition 🧠 Why the formula works (scientifically): Time = repeated exposure → long-term potentiation (Hebb’s Law, LTP) Motivation = dopamine-fueled attention and consistency Inhibition = fear, anxiety, lack of confidence → activates amygdala, reduces access to working memory
26. Kato Lomb’s Fluency Formula Implication for learners: ✅ Connect English to personal goals (travel, connection, independence) ✅ Build self-confidence through mastery (competence) ✅ Foster belonging (community, peers. ✍️ Fluency = (Time + Motivation) / Inhibition
27. Dr. Stanislas Dehaene (Neuroscientist, How We Learn): “Motivation isn’t just psychological —it’s neurochemical. It determines whether your brain prioritizes what you’re trying to learn.”
28. Reflection: “What are your current sources of motivation?” “What factors might be increasing your inhibition (fear, doubt, hesitation)?”
29. Key Takeaways
30. OVERCOMING INHIBITION & FEAR OF SPEAKING
31. Neural Basis of Inhibition Fear of failure is not just psychological—it’s neurological. 🧠 The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and Overthinking: The PFC is responsible for self-monitoring, decision-making, and error detection. When activated by fear of judgment or failure, it can become over-engaged, leading to menta paralysis or freezing during speaking tasks. 🧠 Dr. Ethan Kross (University of Michigan): “The prefrontal cortex can be your best friend or worst enemy. It helps with self-control but can also trap you in cycles of rumination.”
32. Cortisol & Speech Fluency 🧪 What is Cortisol? Cortisol is the primary stress hormone. When you're anxious or afraid (e.g., public speaking), cortisol floods your system. 😨 Impact on Speaking: High cortisol impairs: Working memory (you “forget” words) Access to vocabulary (tip-of-the-tongue moments) Fluency and spontaneity 🧠 Dr. Amy Arnsten (Yale School of Medicine): “Excessive cortisol shuts down the prefrontal cortex and impairs speech, focus, and learning.”
33. 🧠 Brain Areas Involved: Amygdala: Detects threat and triggers fear responses Broca’s area: Involved in speech production Under social pressure, amygdala overactivation disrupts Broca’s area, causing speaking blocks. Social Anxiety and Language Production 🧠 Dr. Mark Leary (Social Psychologist): “Fear of negative evaluation is one of the strongest predictors of speaking anxiety—especially in a second language.”
34. ✅ 1. Visualization: Mentally rehearsing successful conversations primes the brain. Activates mirror neurons, reducing fear during real speech events. Brain-Based Tools to Reduce Inhibition 🧠 Dr. Tara Swart: “The brain doesn’t distinguish much between real and imagined experience—visualization rewires belief systems.” 💡 How to Apply: Imagine yourself giving a confident presentation in English. Picture the smiles, the nods, your posture. Do this daily for 1 minute.
35. ✅ 2. Safe Practice Environments Learning in supportive, low-stakes environments reduces cortisol response and increases risk-taking. Brain-Based Tools to Reduce Inhibition 🧠 Dr. Judy Willis: “Psychological safety is essential for activating curiosity and deactivating the fear system of the brain.” 💡 How to Apply: Use pair work, group discussions, and fluency games where errors are seen as learning moments—not failures.
36. ✅ 3. Mindfulness & Breathing Slow, controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest), lowering cortisol levels. Helps shift brain from threat mode to learning mode. Brain-Based Tools to Reduce Inhibition 🧠 Dr. Daniel Siegel (Neuropsychiatrist): The breath is a remote control for the brain.”
37. Key Takeaways
38. SMART PRACTICE: HOW TO ALIGN LEARNING WITH THE BRAIN
39. Why Cramming Fails: The Forgetting Curve 🧠 Forgetting Curve Insight: Memory decays rapidly without reinforcement. Cramming = High volume in short time = Poor retention over time. It activates short-term memory without giving time for consolidation in the hippocampus. ✅ Better Alternative: Spaced Repetition Review material at increasing intervals (e.g., 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, etc.). Promotes long-term potentiation (LTP) and solidifies neural pathways. 🧠 Dr. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885): “We forget over 50% of what we learn within an hour unless it is reviewed.”
40. 🚫 Blocked Practice: Example: Studying 10 new verbs in isolation, one after another. Feels easier but leads to weaker retrieval in real-world contexts. ✅ Interleaved Practice Mix different types of content or skills within one session. E.g., mix vocabulary, grammar structures, pronunciation drills, and real use cases. Blocked vs. Interleaved Practice 🧠 Dr. Nate Kornell (UCLA): “Interleaved practice feels harder, but results in better retention and transfer.” Brain Benefit: Forces the brain to engage active retrieval and pattern recognition, creating more adaptable knowledge.
41. ✍️ Speaking while Writing: Activates: Broca’s area, motor cortex, auditory cortex, and visual processing areas. Reinforces verbal memory through dual encoding: written + spoken. Students can narrate what they're writing to themselves (or aloud) for stronger imprinting. Active Learning = Whole-Brain Learning 👨‍🏫 Teaching Others: The Protégé Effect: Explaining a new word or grammar point to someone else improves understanding, retention, and confidence. 🖐️ Multisensory Input Engaging more senses = more neural networks activated = stronger memory. Combine sight, sound, touch, and movement: Watch + say + write a word Use gesture, draw a symbol, or build a story
42. Key Takeaways
43. Build your own Brain-Based Language Toolkit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXhEEAe6dZAQB8IQ05yrB v2mg1fLX0qSFEcLAqH1ntE/edit?usp=sharing