Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain: Energizing and Enhancing Instruction

by Janet Zadina

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.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Tony Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Multiple Pathways to the STUDENT BRAIN, here are a few things I will do differently:

More pictures with lyrics in PPTs
say "One person speaking at a time."
Deep breathing before singing
Games, Challenges and timed activities (Ungraded) to create positive stress.
Praise effort/performance-Stop praising results/person
Tell more stories
Find more experts on videos teaching/demonstrating what is in my lessons
Have students write what they have accomplished (in class, in unit, this year.)

Even if I just implement one of these, my teaching has improved. Yeah!

[Cathleen Bonville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating science. Well-written for the lay-person.