Movements that:

Cross the midline of the body

Spinning

Balancing

Jumping

Prepare the brain for learning

Preparing the brain for learning

incorporates specific brain-compatible movements

improves neural connections in the brain

Goals of Brain Compatible Classroom

establish a brain friendly learning environment

Ways to establish a safe, supportive learning environment

• establish safe and supportive surroundings
• offering a rich, stimulating atmosphere
• providing a community approach
• creating opportunities for group learning
• allowing the brain to make connections while purposefully using transfer
• incorporating rehearsal and practice
• working within memory time and capacity limits
• incorporating movements that facilitate cognition

Excerises that Cross Midline of the Body

• stimulate the vestibular system
• improve spatial awareness
• both prepare the brain for learning
• include spinning, jumping, balancing and combination challenges
• open channels in the brain for improved communication

Hemipsheres of the Brain

Right Brain

• Right Brain Functions
  • art awareness
  • creativity
  • imagination'intuition
  • insight
  • holistic
  • thought
  • music awareness
  • 3-D forms
  • left-hand control

Hemipsheres of the Brain

Left Brain

• Left Brain Functions
  • controls the Right Side of the body
  • analytic thought
  • logic
  • language
  • reasoning
  • science and math
  • written
  • numbers and skills
  • right hand control

Goal of the Brain-Compatible Classroom

Establish a Brain Friendly learning environment.

Characteristics of a Brain-Friendly Learning Environment

• establishing safe and supportive surroundings
• stimulating atmosphere
• providing a community approach
• creating opportunities for group learning
• allowing the brain to make connections while purposefully using transfer
• incorporating rehearsal and practice
• working within memory time and capacity limits
• incorporating movements that facilitate cognition

Exercises that Cross the Mid-line of the Body

• stimulate the vestibular system
• improve spatial awareness
• include the following types of activities:
  • spinning
  • jumping
  • balancing
  • combination challenges
• open channels in the brain for improved communication

Brain Hemispheres

• two hemispheres of the brain
• connected by 250 million nerve fibers called the corpus callosum
• connection allows the two hemispheres to communicate
• activities in which students cross the mid-line of the body are forcing the two hemispheres to:
  • work together
  • assist in energy and blood flow
  • decrease musle tension
  • stimulate and focus the brain for better concentration

The Eyes

• move in various pathways
• called visual tracking
• ability of the eyes to follow an object
• brain hemispheres that do not efficiently communicate with each other show results in difficulty of reading and writing

Students with Learning Disabilities

• have trouble crossing the midline of the body
• have difficulty with reading and writing
• use of cross-lateral movements may help improve skills in reading and writing

Dominant Side

• Most people have a dominant side (right or left)
• cross-lateral activities can help these students use both sides of their brain
• can help improve skills in which they are lacking
  • learning to read or write
  • think clearly
  • problem solving activities involve both hemispheres of the brain

Vestibular System

• provides the brain with meaningful information
• this visual system is related to motion or the position of the head and body in space
• accomplishes two tasks:
  • contributes to an individual's sense of equilibirum and conveys information to the muscles and posture
  • controls eye movements, so images remain steady and in focus
• connection between vestibular system and academic skills

Vestibular System

• most critical for cognition and is the first sensory system to develop
• serves as an organization tool for other brain processes
• key role in perception
• balance problems hinder brain function

Spatial Awareness

• allows us to sense both objects in space around us and our body's position in space
• without this awareness, students may have trouble with:
  • reading
  • organizing written work
  • understanding abstract math concepts
  • reproducing patterns and shapes
• there is a connection between abstract thinking and a well-developed sense of spatial awareness

Spatial Awareness

• the developing brain needs to activate the vestibular system adequately
• movement and cognitive growth develop for both spatial awareness and vestibular system
• activities to use:
  • spinning
  • balancing
  • jumping
  • rolling
  • turning
  • combination of the above

Thoughts:

• movements that stimulate the inner ear alert the brain to sensory stimuli
• the more senses used for learning, the more likely information will be stored and easily retrieved from memory