Brain Based Learning? Problem Based Learning? It's All Starting to Run Together.

Studying the learning process has left me somewhat confused and in need of additional examples to illustrate each theory. This confusion has left me questioning the validity of whole learning theories as well as how to go about implementing instructional programs that incorporate key theoretical principles. Sources have both honored and rejected brain based research. Some believe due to its history in animal testing, the results are irrelevant if applied to human learning processes. Other sources embrace the learning theories, as they provide somewhat of a foundation for understanding the human learning process. Ruth Palombo Weiss's, Brain Based Learning: The Wave of the Brain explains why educators should take advantage of the knowledge of how humans learn that can be gained from brain-based research.

The article begins by providing an illustration of how neuron research has proven that no two humans are alike. Every nerve cell serves as a relay station, and the chemical communication that takes place serves as the foundation of all human behavior. This information is relevant to educators and instructional designers simply because it validates the theories that support differentiated instruction. Additionally, this research has helped scientists explore how human brains process memory, emotion, attention, patterning, and context. Although it does not provide definate answers to the remaining questions of brain- based research, it does provide scientists and educators with a firm foundation in the area of brain exploration. Weiss provides an explanation of the elements of brain-based research that if taken into consideration while designing an instructional program will lead to an effective strategy.

Chapter 1 of Problem Based Learning: An Instructional Model and its Cognitive Framework by John R. Savory and Thomas M. Duffy, goal is to establish a connection between the constructivist theory, the practice
of instructional design, and teaching. They begin by clarifying their interpretation of the constructivist theory and what they believe to be the central principles in learning and understanding. They move on to identify and explain eight instructional principles for designing a constructivist learning environment, and an examination of what they consider to be the best elements of the constructivist learning environment. Chapter one concludes with the idea that problem based learning is not a socratic process, nor is it a limited learning environment. The learner has ownership of the problems in such an environment, and instruction is based on metacognitive processes. The link established by Duffy and Savory provides a thorough explanation of a problem based learning environment, as well as highlights the key principles of the constructivist learning theory that are relevant to the fields of instructional design and teaching, thus demonstrating how one should go about applying key elements.