Welcome to the June 2017 edition of The Learning Brain.There’s a lot about how to improve learning in the newsletter this month.

You can read about how music lessons can help children and the importance of sleep for learning. And the new Make Learning Maths Easier ebook is now available to help your students get more from the Maths Skills Booster worksheets.

I’m intrigued how the Educating with Neuroscience 2017 conferences have been attracting overseas attention, from as far away as Thailand and South America. The conference organisers have had to say no to offers from some interesting speakers because the agenda is already full. You can see it below.

 

Devon NL signature jpeg..jpg

 

PS: Fidget spinner toys - they seem to be everywhere, but are they positive or negative for learning? See the item at the foot of the newsletter.

What's On?

ENS 2017 signature image.png

 

Tanya_Vaughan_20170330.jpgEvidence-Expert Dr Tanya Vaughan speaking at ENS2017

Dr Tanya Vaughan will present her workshop on the Teaching & Learning Toolkit.

The Toolkit, originated in the UK, and supported by the Victorian Department of Education & Training, synthesizes some 10,000 international & Australian research papers. It presents a wide range of educational interventions with the strength of the evidence supporting them. Read more.

Agenda for Educating with Neuroscience 2017 Conference

  • Advances in Biotechnology to Accelerate Learning
  • Young Minds Under Stress – Effects on Learning
  • Evidence for Learning – To Help Great Practice Become Common Practice in Education
  • The Current Disruption in Learning Difficulties Interventions – Helping Some But Not All
  • The “Movement” Brain and its Impact on Learning
  • A Look into the Future – Elite Student Learning in 2025

See the Agenda

Latest Research

ipad screen.jpgHow Do Toddlers Learn Best from Touchscreens?

Despite some parents banning their children from devices, many youngsters, including toddlers, frequently interact with touchscreens. New research reported in The Frontiers of Psychology Journal says the way children interact with screens can help or hinder their learning.

“Our experiments are a reminder that just because touchscreens allow for physical interaction, it doesn’t mean that it’s always beneficial,” said Dr. Colleen Russo-Johnson, lead author of the study. Read more.

girl_sleeping.jpgDeep Sleep Maintains the Learning Efficiency of the Brain

For the first time, researchers in Zurich have demonstrated why deep sleep is important to the learning efficiency of the human brain.

They achieved this breakthrough by using EEG technology to monitor brain activity during deep sleep in a targeted region of the brain. Read more.

 

 

What's New

Maths eBook cover.jpgMake Learning Maths Easier eBook

Almost 3,000 people have downloaded the free Maths Skills Booster, since maths expert David Stanley shared it. Now he has written an eBook, Make Learning Maths Easier – Maths Success in 10 Minutes a Day. His new book is for parents and teachers wanting to help children succeed with maths.

You can get the eBook from the LearnFast Shop.

As always, additional worksheets are available in this Newsletter under 'Free Downloads'.

The Learning Success Blog

Paying Attention: It's Harder Than You ThinkThe Learning Success Blog

Musical Brains and Where they Can Take your Children

Young man playing music with a sax outdoors.jpegLearning a musical instrument changes our brains and can improve cognitive functions such as motor skills, auditory processing, emotion and social skills.

Researchers at Mexico City’s Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez found 23 children showed dramatic changes in their brain function after 9 months of training with percussion instruments.

The musical training made physical changes in the students’ brains. The two hemispheres of the brain communicated better. And the overall functioning of the children’s brains improved, not only the brain regions related to music. Read more.

Free Download


Maths Skills Booster – June Worksheets

Thanks again for sending through your Maths Skills Booster feedback. It is always great to see how students are benefiting from this simple tool. Here are a few of the comments we received last month:

  • The word maths and hand showing chalkboard against pupils raising their hands during class.jpegRepetition building confidence.
  • Being able to rely on my leaning difficulty students to complete homework, they see the results for effort immediately.
  • Used them in the past and they are superb.
Ready for your new set of Maths Skills Booster Worksheets? You can download the June worksheets here.

Did you miss out on the original Maths Skills Booster? You can get it here.

 

The Warning Signs of Bullying: Download

cool school - playground3.pngCan you recognise the warning signs that a student is bullying others or is a victim of bullying?

The Warning Signs of Bullying checklist has 8 indicators that a student may be bullying others and 11 ways to recognise a victim of bullying.

Take the first step to combat bullying by learning to recognise the signs. Get your copy.

helping children succeed.jpgBook of the Month

Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why

In Helping Children Succeed, Paul Tough takes on a set of pressing questions:

What does growing up in social or economic deprivation do to children’s mental and physical development? How does adversity at home affect their success in the classroom, from preschool to high school? And what practical steps can parents, teachers and policy makers take to improve their chances for a positive future?

App of the Month

5 dice.jpg5 Dice: Order of Operations Game

5 Dice is an iPhone and iPad app that provides students with a place to practice and develop their understanding of the order of operations (what do you do first: plus or multiply?).

The 5 Dice app presents students with a number for which they must write an equation by using all the dice presented to them. Plus, teachers can get immediate feedback of their students’ progress by email.