Approximately 86 billion brain cells are twitching inside your teenager鈥檚 skull, communicating via 150 trillion synapses. So, what鈥檚 the excuse? Why can鈥檛 high 黄色appers remember the Treaty of Versailles, conjugate Spanish verbs, or decipher the periodic table? Well, the new science of brain-based learning is helping explain what’s wrong, and why your teen’s silly neurons won’t cooperate.
The problem, say learning scientists, isn鈥檛 that teens are lazy or not bright. Instead, it may have far more to do with how they are being taught. Consider what the typical high 黄色app class looks like: Students sit passively in rows while they listen to teachers lecture in the front of the classroom. Then they go home to cram for a test. Once the test is done, they forget the majority of the material in a few days. Rinse and repeat. What鈥檚 the point if they鈥檙e not really learning what they鈥檙e being taught?
The science of learning, based on our understanding of neuroscience, argues that many traditional teaching strategies don鈥檛 take into account how a teen鈥檚 brain works. Recent discoveries about brain-based learning are proving not only to energize high 黄色app students, but to help teens absorb and retain information.
Teens zoning out during Euclidean geometry or citing TikTok influencers in an expository paper doesn鈥檛 always mean they are bored or lazy, argues neurologist and teacher Judy Willis, co-author of . 鈥淭he demands on students are squishing their natural curiosity and joy of learning,鈥� Willis says.
Brain scientists suggest that students absorb information best if they work in what鈥檚 known as the flow state. This mindset is reached when their consciousness is fully 鈥渋n the zone,鈥� entirely focused on activities they find so pleasurable that time flies and all distractions disappear. Try these brain-based learning strategies and study skills that can help teens enter this open state of more productive and enjoyable learning.
6 brain-based learning strategies and study skills
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Interrupt the lecture
Long lectures, an indigestible staple of high 黄色app academic diets, are one of the best examples, and worst offenders, of how old-黄色app teaching methods don鈥檛 work for the teenage brain. What, exactly, is so wrong with uninterrupted lectures that have no pauses or participation, aside from a 10-minute Q & A right before the bell rings? A conducted at University of Washington discovered students in long-lecture classes were 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in active-learning classes, and exam scores were 6 percent higher in the active-learning classes.
Long lectures impede student comprehension because after 10 minutes, the human brain鈥檚 ability to remember facts and concepts declines rapidly. Teens need a 鈥渂rain break鈥� when they鈥檙e overstimulated, says neuroscientist Willis. The stress, frustration, and boredom of listening to and trying to grasp a humongous amount of new information in a long lecture often shuts down the teen brain, blocking further absorption and learning.
Eric Jensen, author of , advises teachers to strategically interrupt their lectures with what he calls 鈥渢ools for engagement鈥� to keep their students attentive and energized. To be effective, he says, engagement tools should be used every three minutes, employing 鈥� 鈥� everything from eye-opening demonstrations and props to call-and-response games and classmate interactions.
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We won鈥檛 forget… what?
Memorizing is necessary for learning, but many old-黄色app methods don鈥檛 work, according to learning scientists. concluded that students rereading textbooks and notes is an ineffective memorization technique.
Far better strategies are using flashcards and self-quizzes, such as asking yourself potential essay questions or inventing math and science problems to solve. Scientists also advise students to use diagrams and flow charts to associate new information they鈥檙e learning with material they already understand. New and old knowledge should always be connected, Willis says, because familiarity increases recall. How does this happen? The brain’s recognition of even a single word activates and reheats memory patterns in the cerebral cortex, creating the 鈥淚 remember this鈥� feeling that reduces stress.
Willis believes in-class, no-stakes, non-graded practice tests also encourage memorization because successful test-taking gives students a 鈥渞eally good dopamine release, bathing the brain in deep satisfaction so they want to do it again.鈥�
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Practice makes brain-based learning
Repetition is often viewed as the most coma-inducing method for remembering information. Even so, learning the same material over and over and over (and over and over) again keeps the brain interested if done correctly. The trick, , is to use novel memorization methods that make learning stick. 鈥淭he brain鈥檚 hippocampus [which has a major role in learning and memory] gives priority to discovering and processing new information,鈥� Willis explains. 鈥淎nd then, once you鈥檝e heard it, you want to connect the new info to what is already known.鈥�
Turn the material into a rhyme or song, have students create posters, or work on their own or with a partner to create fun memory devices. Rewards like prizes and positive call-outs are also wonderful ways to encourage students to put effort into rote memorization. The science? Like a video game, the rewards make their brains light up with a satisfying 鈥渂ingo鈥� dopamine hit.
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Break it down and get active
Two additional successful and active learning. Chunking is, quite simply, a technique that breaks down large amounts of content into smaller categories, making each 鈥渃hunk鈥� easier to process and remember.
As the name implies, is an instructional approach that actively engages the student in their education. A at UC Santa Barbara discovered that those who were enrolled in the active learning curriculum had consistent and statistically higher test scores. Examples of active learning include role-playing, group projects, peer teaching, debates, and student demonstrations followed by class discussion.
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Our brains can grow like muscles
Growth mindset, first written about by Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, is the recognition that our brain鈥檚 ability to learn is not static, nor destined to be smart or not smart. Rather, a brain鈥檚 plasticity enables our cognitive powers to grow stronger the more we use them.
Teachers who emphasize , by building their understanding that learning will make them smarter. In , author Eric Jensen describes how a growth mindset has been shown to be especially beneficial to students from impoverished families.
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Use body brain boosters
Brain scientists know the body is closely linked to the brain. Playing music, exercising, eating well, and meditating all enhance the brain鈥檚 capabilities. 鈥淏ucketloads of recent research especially point to a stronger case for physical activity and sports,鈥� Jensen says. 鈥淥ur challenge, though, is that many teachers say they don鈥檛 have time for those.鈥� Advice to parents? Encourage your high 黄色apper to take part in those brain-boosting activities outside of the classroom, which will enhance their academic performance.
Sleep is another mind-boosting activity that is especially helpful. (But not recommended at 黄色app!) 鈥淓ight to 10 hours daily is good for adolescents,鈥� says Willis, who stresses that more sleep is crucial for healthy cognitive function. 鈥淭he early sleep cycles are superficial. It is the later sleep that鈥檚 most important. That鈥檚 when memory gets embedded.鈥�
Teens often resist slumber, but parents can help by gently separating them from their electronic devices, tucking into bed earlier themselves, and rapping quasi-Ben Franklin: 鈥淓arly to bed makes us bright when we rise. My teens will be healthy, wealthy, and wise.鈥�
This article is part of our Transforming High School series, a collection of stories, videos, and podcasts exploring the practices that prepare students for success in college and beyond.
