Thursday, February 4, 2010

50 Brain Facts

The brain is perhaps the most fascinating organ in the human body. It controls everything from breathing to emotions to learning. If you work with children, here are some facts that you might find helpful, from how the brain affects learning to facts about memory to interesting facts about the brain that you can share with your students.


1.Read aloud. Parents and teachers who read aloud and talk often to young children are promoting brain development.

2.Bilingual brains. Children who learn two languages before the age of five have a different brain structure than children who learn only one language.

3.Child abuse and the brain. Studies have shown that child abuse can change the way the brain develops and can negatively affect learning.

4.New neurons. Throughout life, mental activity promotes the production of new neurons in the brain.

5.Handedness. Those who are left-handed or ambidextrous have a corpus collosum that is about 11% larger than those who are right-handed.

6.Brain growth. The human brain continues to grow until about age 18.

7.Stimulating environment. If a child is in a stimulating environment, she has a 25% greater ability to learn . Conversely, if she is in an environment with low stimulation, she has 25% less ability to learn.

8.Creative vs. methodical. Scientists have shown that creative thinkers’ brains work in different ways from the brains of those who think more methodically.

9.Food and intelligence. One study looked at students in New York and showed that those who ate lunches that did not include artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes did 14% better on IQ tests than the students who ate lunches with these additives.

10.Boredom. Humans have an innate curiosity, but when they have a lack of stimulation, boredom sets in.

More brain facts here.

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