Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain

From an award-winning neuroscience researcher with twenty years of teaching experience, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain uses educator-friendly language to explain how the brain learns. Steering clear of “neuro-myths,” Dr. Janet Zadina discusses multiple brain pathways for learning and provides practical advice for creating a brain-compatible classroom.

While there are an abundance of books and workshops that aim to integrate education and brain science, educators are seldom given concrete, actionable advice that makes a difference in the classroom. Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain bridges that divide by providing examples of strategies for day-to-day instruction aligned with the latest brain science . The book explains not only the sensory/motor pathways that are familiar to most educators (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), it also explores the lesser known pathways--reward/survival, language, social, emotional, frontal lobe, and memory/attention--and how they can be tapped to energize and enhance instruction.

Educators are forever searching for new and improved ways to convey information and inspire curiosity, and research suggests that exploiting different pathways may have a major effect on learning. Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain allows readers to see brain science through the eyes of a teacher—and teaching through the eyes of a brain scientist.

Acknowledgments ix

Preface xi

Introduction 1

1 How the Brain Thinks and Learns 9

2 The Sensory Motor Pathway 35

3 The Emotion Pathway 63

4 The Reward Pathway 89

5 The Attention and Memory Pathways 109

6 The Language and Math Pathways 133

7 The Frontal Lobe Executive Function Pathway 165

8 The Social Pathway 187

9 The Big Picture 211

Bibliography 239

The Author 259

Index 261

JANET N. ZADINA, PHD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine. A former classroom teacher, Dr. Zadina won the Society of Neuroscience's 2011 Science Educator Award for her work training educators in brain processes.

MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TO THE STUDENT BRAIN

From an award-winning neuroscience researcher with twenty years of teaching experience, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain uses educator-friendly language to explain how the brain learns. Steering clear of "neuro-myths," Dr. Janet Zadina discusses multiple brain pathways for learning and provides practical advice for creating a brain-compatible classroom.

While there is an abundance of books and workshops that aim to integrate education and brain science, educators are seldom given concrete, actionable advice that makes a difference in the classroom. Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain bridges that divide by providing examples of strategies for day-to-day instruction aligned with the latest brain science. The book explains not only the sensory/motor pathways that are familiar to most educators (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), it also explores the lesser known pathways—reward/survival, language, social, emotional, frontal lobe, and memory/attention—and how they can be tapped to energize and enhance instruction.

Educators are forever searching for new and improved ways to convey information and inspire curiosity, and research suggests that exploiting different pathways may have a major effect on learning. Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain allows readers to see brain science through the eyes of a teacher—and teaching through the eyes of a brain scientist.

Praise for Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain

"Janet Zadina masterfully bridges the world of neuroscience and education. With this book, she provides educators with a toolbox of practical, scientifically supported ideas that can be used in the classroom immediately."
—Ursula Sohns, Professor of Developmental Studies, Lone Star College-North Harris, Texas

"Finally, a book that integrates brain research and how to apply it with practical strategies to maximize student achievement! Janet Zadina's chatty, conversational tone makes this a quick, easy read. It will be a resource I refer to often."
—Karen Solis, K-12 ESL Teacher, Gastonia, NC