iNeuron®

The Pedagogy Behind iNeuron

Adam Gordon Director, Educational Outreach

Katrina Schleisman, PhD Educational Neuroscientist, UMN

iNeuron®

• Each challenge in iNeuron builds on the one before it

• Key terms and concepts are introduced within a logical framework, in a memorable context

• Difficulty level increases incrementally so that students stay motivated

Scaffolding

iNeuron®

• Students learn in a self-directed manner, progressing as they answer questions and perform actions to complete the levels of iNeuron.

• Circuit-building challenges present a problem to solve, leaving strategy and timing open-ended. Students use the tools at hand to investigate real-world problems.

Inquiry-based Learning/ Active Learning

iNeuron®

• Research* demonstrates that testing-while-learning results in better long-term retention of information relative to other study methods

• iNeuron is peppered with low-stakes quiz questions to bolster students’ ability to retrieve and reinforce new knowledge acquired during game play.

Testing with Feedback

*Roediger & Butler (2011) Trends in Cognitive Sciences

iNeuron®

• Over a century of research* has shown that learning is improved when it is spaced over time.

• iNeuron presents the same concepts in different ways and across multiple challenges to ensure that students benefit from distributed practice.

Distributed Practice (Spacing)

No more cramming!

NYC #9, by Thomas Leuthard

*Rohrer & Pashler (2010) Educational Researcher

iNeuron®

• The social environment in which learning occurs is a powerful motivator for student achievement.

• iNeuron’s Group Play enables high-performing students to reinforce their own learning by helping others make progress, and low-performing students make better progress by learning from their peers.

Peer Learning (Collaboration)

“Science takes place in a community that shares norms, practices, and a common language…”

National Academy of Sciences 2011 report on Learning Science Through Computer Games

iNeuron®

Aligned to Science Standards

Challenge 1: Welcome to your brain!

key terms! NGSS standards!MS-LS-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells."!The brain has over 86 billion cells called neurons. Different types of neurons include motor, sensory, and interneurons. The special function of all neurons is to process and communicate information by sending signals.!"MS-LS-3: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function."!The parts of the neuron are specialized for different aspects of communicating signals. Dendrites receive input from other neurons. The cell body sums together the input coming from each dendrite. The axon carries the outgoing electrical signal, and is long or short depending on how far the signal needs to travel. The axon terminals at the end of the axon change the electrical signal to a chemical one and pass it on to the next neuron. !!

The nervous system:!central nervous system (CNS)!peripheral nervous system (PNS)!brain!spinal cord!nerves!neuron!!Parts of a neuron:!dendrites!cell body!axon!axon terminals!!Types of neurons:!Motor neuron!Sensory neuron!Interneuron!!How neurons communicate:!signal!circuit!!!!

Everything we do depends on the brain. In this challenge, your students will first choose a personalized goal to accomplish that requires coordination between the brain and body: to play the flute, play basketball, or paint a picture. Then they will learn some basic facts about how the brain and body work together. In challenge 2, they will build a circuit of neurons to accomplish that goal.!

challenge goal!

cell body!axon!

dendrites!axon terminals !

information flow!

iNeuron©!

!!What are the different functions of the nervous system?!!What is a signal?!!Why do different types of neurons have different shapes?!!

key questions!

Sample Learning Targets: • Identify and explain the functions

of different neurons. • Explain the electrical/chemical

process of neurotransmission. • Demonstrate the different ways

the brain uses motor and sensory neurons.

iNeuron®

Supported by Grants from the NIH

• Won Phase I and Phase II awards to create innovative neuroscience educational tools for K-12 that would:

A. Enhance public understanding of the nervous system, and

B. Stimulate interest in and motivation for neuroscience learning and careers

• Developed in collaboration with neuroscience researchers and teaching experts at the University of Minnesota.

iNeuron®

Thank You!

Adam Gordon Director, Educational Outreach

adam.gordon@andamiogames.com

@AndamioGames

Download today: http://bit.ly/try-ineuron

Katrina Schleisman Coordinator, BrainU

schl0299@umn.eduwww.brainu.org