The Brain's Primary Input Pathways to Learning

Learning starts when students' brains are triggered by an outside stimulus, and once we have their attention, there are four main types of input that will activate their brain for impactful learning. Each of these primary input types create different learning experiences, but when utilized for engaging instruction, your students are primed for long-lasting and meaningful learning experiences.

The first primary input is pre-existing input. Brainstorming what students already know on a topic is a great place to start new learning, because they can build upon their existing knowledge. KWL charts and group brainstorm activities are quick and easy ways to accomplish this. An example of using this in my classroom is when we begin learning about the Holocaust. I have students silently make a bullet list of anything they know or have heard about the Holocaust or World War II. As they are writing, I call out a couple words I see on papers: “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” Hitler, Jewish people, etc. These shares give students the opportunity to tap into knowledge they have stored away from fifth grade, and bring them back to mind. Struggling students may copy the words I say and write them on their list. After creating their own list, I have groups share in a Round Robin format - each student shares one word on their list, going around the group until all their words have been shared. We finally collaborate as a whole group, creating the K (know) part of the class KWL chart.

The next type of primary input is sensory. Teachers used to believe there were three types of sensory learning: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic; however, they have since discovered that “learning is improved when students receive input through multiple sensory channels” ((Jensen & Liesl Mcconchie, 2020). Because of this understanding, I include multiple sensory activities during The Holocaust unit. When introducing the historical event, I use a combination of video clips, photos, art, poetry, and articles. Each activity that goes with the lessons is different - four corners question and answer, quiz-quiz-trade, reflective journaling, summarizing, and guided discussion prompts. When reading “The Diary of Anne Frank,” students participate in a readers theater day during the Hanukkah scene. The desks are arranged in a circle, with a Menorah video burning on the SMART board, latkes catered for tasting, costumes for speaking parts, and each of the gifts that Anne made the family members in the Annex. This activity is a multi-sensory activity because it appeals to all five senses: hearing (oral reading), smell and taste (latkes), touch (gifts), and sight (Menorah, costumes, and desk arrangement). This lessons has always been engaging, fun, and memorable for students.

The third primary input is explicit/declarative, which can be subcategorized as episodic or semantic learning. Episodic learning consists of the “where” of learning, which also involves the sensory experiences of the academic input. When my student engage in the readers theater of the Anne Frank Hanukkah scene, they are also receiving episode input, because of the layout of the classroom and the participation in “acting out” the scene. Semantic learning involves word- or picture-based input. Students explore this type of input when they memorize vocabulary, annotate text, or use flashcards to remember facts. Though I use all these skills in my ELA class, the lesson that comes to mind is my “I see, I think, I feel” activity. I’ve done this in a variety of context, but I will continue with The Holocaust unit. For this activity, groups are given a piece of Holocaust-era art of a photograph. They have one minute of quiet observation where they view and write down all that they see in the image. Next, group members share their observations in a Round Robin format, adding to their list anything that their group mentioned that they didn’t previously note. Next, they have several minutes of reflection to write what they think is happening in the photo or what message the artist is trying to convey. They also share this with their group mates before the last step: I feel. After discussing what they see and how they interpret the photo or art, they reflect on how it makes them feel. They make connections to the information they’ve learned about The Holocaust and reflect on the emotions that are provoked by the photo/art.

Finally, the fourth type of primary input is implicit/non-declarative, which is, simply put, how students pick up cues from their environment as a way of learning. Academic games are the best way to achieve this type of learning. Jensen & Liesl Mcconchie (2020) claim that games that activate learning are a powerful way to make learning impactful. I know that the brain stores information into long-term memory when positive emotions are evoked. Therefore, I strive to engage students in a variety of activities that have them interacting, laughing, and participating in friendly competition. This may look like using Kagan learning cubes to review vocabulary, playing a review game through SMART/lumio learning games, or challenging groups to solve an escape room with Breakout Edu resources. Activities like these have always been a favorite of students, and the learning or review sticks with them far longer than when they take “the test.”

Engaging students in learning that evokes the four primary input pathways is not only a fun way to learn, but its impact last longer than any traditional teaching methods.

Source: Jensen, E., & Liesl Mcconchie. (2020). Brain-based learning : the new paradigm of teaching. Corwin Press.