Teaching with the Brain in Mind

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When the first edition of Teaching with the Brain in Mind was published in 1998, it quickly became an ASCD best-seller, and it has gone on to inspire thousands of educators to apply brain research in their classroom teaching. Now, author Eric Jensen is back with a completely revised and updated edition of his classic work, featuring new research and practical strategies to enhance student comprehension and improve student achievement. In easy to understand, engaging language, Jensen provides a basic orientation to the brain and its various systems and explains how they affect learning. After discussing what parents and educators can do to get children's brains in good shape for school, Jensen goes on to explore topics such as motivation, critical thinking skills, optimal educational environments, emotions, and memory. He offers fascinating insights on a number of specific issues, including
* How to tap into the brain's natural reward system.

* The value of feedback.

* The importance of prior knowledge and mental models.

* The vital link between movement and cognition.

* Why stress impedes learning.

* How social interaction affects the brain.

* How to boost students' ability to encode, maintain, and retrieve learning.

* Ways to connect brain research to curriculum, assessment, and staff development.
Jensen's repeated message to educators is simple: You have far more influence on students' brains than you realize . . . and you have an obligation to take advantage of the incredible revelations that science is providing. The revised and updated edition of Teaching with the Brain in Mind helps you do just that.

Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 66 votes)
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66 reviews All reviews
April 17,2025
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A lot of information on the brain and how we learn. I learned a lot, but wish there had been a guide to help teachers focus on a few really strategic things they could do in class, NOW. Students return in 15 days!
April 17,2025
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Learned a lot about the brain and how it learns and functions. Quick read filled with a lot of information.
April 17,2025
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This book has good information, but I agree with many of the other reviews in that it does not give very many practical examples of how to apply this research in the classroom. I think How the Brain Learns was much more interesting to read, had more information, and gave more examples on how to apply the information. If you are interested in just methods on applying these studies, Green Light Classrooms is the book for you. I teach at the high school level and both of these books changed my teaching style. I have seen remarkable differences in information retention in my students.
April 17,2025
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Fantastic read for educators! It was a required reading assignment in my graduate program, and it really changed my understand of how students process information. Helped me grow tremendously as an educator.
April 17,2025
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I am always looking to teach SMARTER, not HARDER. This book made me reimagine how things could be done in a classroom. I am excited to try some of the tips, and encouraged that some of the things that I do in the classroom are good for children.
April 17,2025
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Eric Jensen's books are mostly terrific, though I would love some more detail in the implementation aspect. As a neurophysiologist, I know the brain stuff, what I'm looking for is how to put the whole thing in action. I would like to see a style that more parallels the book Classroom Instruction that Works, where that team uses clear and detailed examples from a class in a variety of fields and levels so you can see how to put their stuff into action. Jensen has a lot of theory, but not a lot of practical way to put it into action. SO I thought the book was good, but not stellar. He has the brain research to back up his findings, however, and he knows that material well, and he does have good ideas, it just is lacking the detail that I would like. He does cover the gamut of brain research and how it affects learning. And he does give some ideas of how to help the learning process, the recall process and ways to improve students "getting it." He's clear, and any teacher can tell you, that material learned in one arena is often only recalled in that arena, so kids can't take what they learn in math to the science class unless specifically shown the new context. He gives ways to overcome that. And that the emotional state matters (duh), and for kids in poverty or other trauma-laden home lives (abuse, alcoholism) will have more difficulty in school, and gives so practical ideas, but again, no clear and detailed examples. He speaks about the need for physical exercise and movement, and the need for a good physical environment. Good luck with that. The value system in this country is not supportive of education, and doesn't seem likely to shift anytime soon. We give it good lip service, but we don't walk our talk. He also speaks about social interactions and the need for safety and how to mitigate peer pressure.
The most interesting chapters for me where the ones on motivation and engagement, and these ideas were useful. He had some intriguing ways to get the students motivated by prepping their emotions, hooking them with relevance to their lives, and giving them as much choice as possible in the curricular projects. None of this is new, but I liked the way he put it all together to show what it does on a physical brain level. I'll be writing up notes of the book if anyone is interested.
April 17,2025
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Solid book on the brain science behind many aspects of teaching. Scary how much our brains and our ability to learn are affected by the first five years of our lives.

Excellent continuation of my understanding of the brain and learning. I look forward to reading Jensen's next book.
April 17,2025
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Short and to the point, left me with more questions than answers, but that is what good books do.
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