Unravelling the mystery of the brain for classroom teachers
The brain is a complex organ. For many years, scientists have been trying to learn more about it. It is only recently, with the help of scientific research and technology, that they have been able to study the brain very closely.
Understanding the mechanisms of how a brain functions, can help educators make a shift from teaching to the complex process of learning. Many teachers find it hard to give specific reasons as to why they choose a certain strategy. Today, with the help of scientific research, educators are able to adjust their teaching to suit the learners' individual needs and provide a sound explanation for their actions.
Let us look more closely at the brain.
The brain weighs approximately 3 lbs or 1360 Gms! It requires 10 times more oxygen than the rest of the body, and uses 25% of the energy produced by the body. It is a very demanding organ!
The brain is divided into 4 major lobes:
1. Occipital lobe - located at the back of the brain, this region is associated with interpreting visual stimuli.
Damage to this area can result in a students' inability to recognize objects and words, and identify color. The ability to recognize these types of problems will help teachers adjust instructions or scaffold activities in order to help students overcome these hurdles.
2. Temporal lobes - located at the bottom section of the brain, this region is associated with hearing. The hippocampus is also situated in this area; it is associated with formation of memories.
Damage to this area can result in problems with memory, speech perception and language skills. Classroom teachers will need to collaborate with SEN teachers in order to create appropriate lessons which help address these issues. Teachers will help the students to reactivate connections between neurons and strengthen synapses.
3. Frontal lobe- located at the front of the brain, this region is associated with reasoning, motor skills and higher level cognition. At the back of the frontal lobe lies the motor cortex. It controls voluntary body movements.
Damage to this area can result in students not being able to socialize and pay attention in class. Creating engaging activities in order to hook their attention and teaching them basic collaboration skills, are some ways teachers could address these problems.
4. Parietal lobe- situated in the middle of the brain, this area integrates sensory data.
Damage to this area may result in students' inability to control eye gaze. They usually have poor verbal memory and problems with language. Collaborating with ESL teachers and designing lessons that focus on vocabulary retention is one way of addressing this issue. The child must be seated in from of the class in order to get a good view of the board.
Brain cells are called neurons. These are highly specialized cells that use electrical impulses and chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) to relay information. Learning can be defined as making thousands of connections between these nerve cells.
Understanding the mechanisms of how a brain functions, can help educators make a shift from teaching to the complex process of learning. Many teachers find it hard to give specific reasons as to why they choose a certain strategy. Today, with the help of scientific research, educators are able to adjust their teaching to suit the learners' individual needs and provide a sound explanation for their actions.
Let us look more closely at the brain.
The brain weighs approximately 3 lbs or 1360 Gms! It requires 10 times more oxygen than the rest of the body, and uses 25% of the energy produced by the body. It is a very demanding organ!
The brain is divided into 4 major lobes:
1. Occipital lobe - located at the back of the brain, this region is associated with interpreting visual stimuli.
Damage to this area can result in a students' inability to recognize objects and words, and identify color. The ability to recognize these types of problems will help teachers adjust instructions or scaffold activities in order to help students overcome these hurdles.
2. Temporal lobes - located at the bottom section of the brain, this region is associated with hearing. The hippocampus is also situated in this area; it is associated with formation of memories.
Damage to this area can result in problems with memory, speech perception and language skills. Classroom teachers will need to collaborate with SEN teachers in order to create appropriate lessons which help address these issues. Teachers will help the students to reactivate connections between neurons and strengthen synapses.
3. Frontal lobe- located at the front of the brain, this region is associated with reasoning, motor skills and higher level cognition. At the back of the frontal lobe lies the motor cortex. It controls voluntary body movements.
Damage to this area can result in students not being able to socialize and pay attention in class. Creating engaging activities in order to hook their attention and teaching them basic collaboration skills, are some ways teachers could address these problems.
4. Parietal lobe- situated in the middle of the brain, this area integrates sensory data.
Damage to this area may result in students' inability to control eye gaze. They usually have poor verbal memory and problems with language. Collaborating with ESL teachers and designing lessons that focus on vocabulary retention is one way of addressing this issue. The child must be seated in from of the class in order to get a good view of the board.
Brain cells are called neurons. These are highly specialized cells that use electrical impulses and chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) to relay information. Learning can be defined as making thousands of connections between these nerve cells.
The brain is thus constantly being sculpted and teachers play a very important
role in this process. We change and reshape the student’s brain!
During early childhood years, the brain retains much of its neuroplasticity. This is the time educators can make the most impact.
In order to learn, students need to make connections with their surroundings. They need to be able to see, touch and play around with objects in order to make sense of the universe.
The teacher's role is to create neuroconnections in their brain. Before they do so,
they need to know what their students know. They should be able to identify
misconceptions and help recreate a new neurological pathway in order to correct
any misconceptions. Pre-assessments and regular formative assessments will guide the teachers. Based on the data collected from these assessments, they will need to design appropriate lessons which scaffold students' learning.
In the video below, students are engaged in an activity called the nine-post its. In groups of 2s and 3s, they generate as many questions about a topic. They select 9 questions and order them in the following pattern: 1, 2, 3, 2, 1. the top most question is, according to them, the most important. This activity allows for collaboration, communications, and critical thinking skills. The purpose of this activity is to help students learn good questioning skills. This will help them during their research work.
role in this process. We change and reshape the student’s brain!
During early childhood years, the brain retains much of its neuroplasticity. This is the time educators can make the most impact.
In order to learn, students need to make connections with their surroundings. They need to be able to see, touch and play around with objects in order to make sense of the universe.
The teacher's role is to create neuroconnections in their brain. Before they do so,
they need to know what their students know. They should be able to identify
misconceptions and help recreate a new neurological pathway in order to correct
any misconceptions. Pre-assessments and regular formative assessments will guide the teachers. Based on the data collected from these assessments, they will need to design appropriate lessons which scaffold students' learning.
In the video below, students are engaged in an activity called the nine-post its. In groups of 2s and 3s, they generate as many questions about a topic. They select 9 questions and order them in the following pattern: 1, 2, 3, 2, 1. the top most question is, according to them, the most important. This activity allows for collaboration, communications, and critical thinking skills. The purpose of this activity is to help students learn good questioning skills. This will help them during their research work.
Another way to connect with students' prior knowledge is by using realia in the classroom.
Any new concept can be introduced by using something the students can relate to.
For instance, if the teacher wants to introduce natural disasters and how people cope and prepare for them, they would start the lesson by asking the kids to talk about a disaster that happened at their house. The students will use this lesson as a stepping stone in order to understand more complex concepts such as natural disasters.
The second stage of the learning process will involve reinforcing concepts. The brain seeks to make meaningful patterns in order to understand something. Here is an example of students trying to sort out famous personalities. The purpose of this activity is to figure out whether they know the difference between a celebrity and a hero.
The hands-on nature of the lessons ensures that they remain engaged.
Emotions play a critical role in learning. They can either impede or enhance the learning experience. The amygdala, an almond-shaped object that lies within the brain, holds emotional memories which are important for survival. If a child has a negative learning experience, she will not be able to engage in the classroom. A very exciting activity which simulates reality can have the opposite effect. Children remember fun and engaging activities which involve real-life application. Here are a few classroom activities:
Why do students sometimes forget what we teach them? This can be very frustrating for teachers.
The ability to remember thoughts and feelings is called Memory. Memory can be short-term and long-term.
Short-term memory can become long-term memory through the process of association and rehearsal. (Cherry, K, 2012)
Long-term memory can be categorized into two types:
1. Procedural (implicit)- This involves memories of body movement and how we use everyday objects. For example driving a car or brushing our teeth.
2. Declarative (explicit)- these memories are present in the consciousness and can be 'declared'.
Both these procedure use different parts of the brain. Teachers are required to select different strategies accordingly. For example, if they want a child to remember something, they will ask them to do it repetedlt. This will not involve creativity or higher level thinking skills. A PE teacher would make her students practice throwing the ball through the hoop many times.
Declariative memory requires well thought out strategies which could involve team teaching, hands-on activities, using visuals, simulations, making comparisions, role play and many more. Teachers also thrive on mistakes made by their students as these provide perfect opportunity to correct misconceptions.
Here is a classroom activity where students team teach. The 'expert' students get to teach their peers.
Here is another example of students pretending to be archaeologists in the process of excavating a site:
Reference:
Cherry,K.
(n.d).Retrieved from About.com.Psychology.The Anatomy of the
Brain
http://psychology.about.com/od/biopsychology/ss/brainstructure_2.htm