We′re Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create Today's Curriculum

`This author not only summarizes the theories and research regarding how the brain functions in the process of learning—natural learning—she also shows how she has continued to apply it in her own teaching and learning′ - Robert Pinney, Director, Extension Teacher Education Programs, Western Washington University `This is an important and useful book—readable, practical, and inspiring advice for the practicing teacher. This is a great translation of theory into practice, and Rita′s stories of her own work are especially compelling′ - Jean MacGregor, National Learning Communities Project, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington This book is intended to make it possible for all students to realize their potential as natural learners. It shows teachers how to make this possible - not with attention-getting activities that are more or less peripheral to the curriculum, but with the curriculum itself. Written for all teachers from K-12 through higher education, as well as future educators, this volume also provides information for parents, students in general, and everyone who wants to know how the brain learns. Chapters Two and Three discuss two areas of research related to learning: classroom/field research and neuroscience research. These two areas are brought together in Chapter Six, leading to principles for developing brain-compatible, natural-learning curricula for any subject at any level. The author provides examples of classroom-proven applications of the theory, and Chapters Eight and Nine, using guidelines and models, show how this research-based theory can be applied to the development of curricula for any classroom. Examples of how to develop lesson plans and curricula for a unit, course, or program will be useful for teachers in all subjects.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I: Research in the Classroom and in the Brain Lab 1. Learning and Teaching: Eye-Opening Experiences in the Classroom 2. How People Actually Learn: The Natural Human Learning Process (NHLP) 3. How the Brain Learns: The Brain′s Natural Learning Process 4. Emotions and the Brain 5. Motivation, Self-Evaluation, and Achievement: The Student Experience Part II: Theory and Application 6. Curriculum Development: Research and Theory 7. Elements of the Pedagogical Model Part III: Using the Brain′s Natural Learning Process to Create Curriculum 8. Brain-Based Learning Across the Curriculum: Sample NHLP Lesson Plans 9. Topics, Courses, and Programs: Curriculum Development From Beginning to End 10. Transfer of Complex Knowledge: What It Really Is and How to Do It 11. A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing and Teaching an NHLP Course Index

About the Author :
Dr. Smilkstein speaks nationally and internationally on brain-compatible education. She has taught in middle school through graduate school including 28 years at North Seattle Community College. Currently Professor Emerita North Seattle Community College and invited faculty in Educational Psychology at Western Washington University′s Woodring College of Education, Everett Campus. Publications include articles and books on brain-based curriculum and pedagogy. Author of We’re Born to Learn: Using the Brain’s Natural Learning Process to Create Curriculum (Corwin Press, 2003), which won the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society’s Educator’s Award of the Year, 2004; the second edition will be published in 2011. She is a co-author of Igniting Student Potential Using the Natural Human Learning Process (Corwin Press, 2007). M.A. (English, Michigan State University), Ph.D. (Educational Psychology, University of Washington). She has received many teaching awards, including the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development’s Excellence Award, 1991, 1995; the College Reading and Learning Association’s highest honor, the Robert Griffin Award, 2005; Induction as a Fellow of the American Council of Developmental Education Associations, 2006, the highest honor in the field of Developmental Education.

Review :
"This author not only summarizes the theories and research regarding how the brain functions in the process of learning—natural learning—she also shows how she has continued to apply it in her own teaching and learning." "The stunning correspondence between Rita Smilkstein′s research results and Piaget′s six stages validates this book. Smilkstein′s work grounds in brain research theories and assumptions that educators have worked with for years. It is as if a missing link has now been unearthed to connect all that we have observed in our teaching." "Being a community college English instructor who has used the Natural Human Learning Process approach for several years, I have had the opportunity to see the results it produces. There is no better way to experience the joy of teaching than to see students′ joy of learning blossom. There is no greater motivator than success, and that′s what all of us—students and teachers alike—experience in an NHLP learning environment." "A new theory more directly linking culture, information processing, instruction, and how the brain learns is needed to transform classroom practice for culturally diverse learners. Rita Smilkstein, the ranking scholar-practitioner-activist in the brain-based, natural learning movement, offers concrete, research- based classroom strategies for achieving this vision." "This is an important and useful book—readable, practical, and inspiring advice for the practicing teacher. This is a great translation of theory into practice, and Rita′s stories of her own work are especially compelling." "I would certainly recommend that developmental educators read this book and implement its findings. This work is [also] going to be particularly helpful to high school teachers. It summarizes vast amounts of research and experience in clear and practical terms. It offers a whole new approach to teaching and learning that is well grounded in fact and science."