New perspectives from current research in neuroscience and education.

1. EMOTIONS GET ATTENTION 
* Your emotional and physical environments shape the CONTEXT for all learning. 
* Positive emotions, an exploring atmosphere and social interaction help your brain get ready to learn better.
* Negative emotions, threat, unreasonable goals and deadlines actually weaken your ability to think and prioritize. 

2. MOVE YOUR BUTT to MANAGE YOUR RUT 
* Your mind and body go through two low energy points every day: midway through your nightís sleep and again 12 hours later (afternoon rut). 
* Minimizing your energy ebbs with short bursts of walking or stretching is healthier and a more efficient brain booster than caffeine or sugar. 

3. GET SYSTEMATIC about TRIAL & ERROR LEARNING 
* Eliminate the wrong answers and what obviously doesn't fit, first. 
* Train your brain to go beyond the first right answer. 

4. FLEX YOUR FOCUS OF ATTENTION 
* Short bursts of intense focus are the best support for maximum learning. 
* Interval-train your brain. 
* Too much attention for too long can be counterproductive or maladapted. Max length of any learning session is equal in minutes to your age in years. 
* Focus wide or focus deep, never both, in any single learning session. Practice shifting your focus of attention to fit the task. 
* Learn in chunks and nibbles over time to build broader brain connections.

5. MANAGE YOUR STATE OF MIND 
* Curiosity, anticipation and challenge help your brain create a unique and memorable mental address for new information. 
* Fear, threat, trauma and excessive emotions actually DOWNSHIFT and inhibit your brain’s ability to think rationally. 
* Manage your mood and influence your IQ; a shift of ± 20 points is possible. 

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*Adapted from 'How Julie's Brain Learns,' by Eric Jensen, Ph.D. (jlcbrain@connectnet.com).
Source: Educational Leadership 56(3) November, 1998. 

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Last Updated: Saturday March 09, 2002. 
©2002 A & C Bercovitz, Vista CA