Brain-based Learning Strategies
Brain-based learning strategies are about teaching in the way the brain learns. Continue reading for Tips, Facts, & Strategies about how to incorporate Brain Based Strategies into your next therapy session and watch videos demonstrating our 4 favorite techniques.
We have used these strategies in therapy and have seen that they work to improve children’s engagement in the activities (therefore improving their focus and ability to learn), retention of story elements, ability to learn new vocabulary, and just enjoy therapy more!
Goals at the Beginning of a Session Video
Syllable Slap
Instruct one child to put her palms up and another child to lightly slap the other child’s palms, 1 time per syllable, while both practice saying the target word.
Reenact a Story
Have the children reenact the story, acting out the different characters and action words from the story (e.g. heaved, pulled, find).
Story Grammar Jump
Print off the visuals for the different story elements. Lay them out on the floor (like a hopscotch board) OR draw the story grammar elements on butcher paper as a group. Have each child jump from 1 story grammar element to the next and explain each one.
Music
Music is a core component of brain-based learning due to direct access to the auditory cortex and inclusion of movement. Play calming or upbeat music (depending on your children) and do one of the following activities:
- Move to a different corner of the room
- Pass a ball
- Play musical chairs
When the music stops, have the child in a certain corner/ with the ball/left standing, do the desired task. Some ideas include:
- Explain 1 story grammar element to the group
- Describe a story event
- Describe the size or color of an animal from the story
- Answer a wh- question
- Produce 10-20 productions of an articulation target
- Etc. Use your creativity!
Jumping
Hand a child one picture and have them jump across the room to add the picture to the activity being completed. Continue until the activity is complete. This strategy is great for:
- Puzzle
- Sequencing
- Color matching
Gross motor movements
Any kinesthetic movement increases the positive effects of brain-based learning. Have children jump, clap, give high fives or any other fun gross motor movement to correspond with the number of animals, number of syllables in a word, number of words in a sentence, or produce an articulation target.
Big/Small body movements
When describing the animals, sing and have the children extend or retract their arms to indicate the size of the animal (Ex. “The (animal) is smaller than the (other animal).”).
Story songs:
Story Grammar “Rap”: Use a chant/song for each story grammar element to help your child remember each element’s meaning.
Sing a Story Song
Sing the story song along with sequencing cards for visual support. Repeat, repeat, repeat until the children are signing the song independently.
I work with a regional day school program for the deaf so 98% of my caseload are students with auditory impairment. We started using the story grammar rap this week and the kids LOVE it. They’re so excited to learn the whole thing to make their own music video! I’ve used literacy based intervention since the beginning of the school year and have talked about the meaning of story grammar elements but it was not until I used a brain-based learning activity that I saw a student 1) be able to give me a definition of character and 2) tell me that a character is WHO is in the story. I did not use the word “who” in my description of character for that whole session but she used the rap and put it together herself. They haven’t even taught these vocabulary words in class yet this year. I can’t wait to see what happens as the “rap” finally helps the concept stick in my students’ minds. Thanks Bilinguistics!!