Blog 2

We can best engage students' brains to help them better understand big ideas by giving them visual connections. The best way to use visuals with students is by making it interactive and engaging. By using visuals like this it allows students to create more connections. 

Other ways to present information using more than one neural or sensory pathway are by igniting all of the other senses such as touch, smell, hear, and taste. By having students use all of their senses it reinforces the information they are trying to learn. This also provides teachers with others ways to help students learn. This is important because it gives teachers and students a mutual understanding that all emphasis does not need to be placed on visual learning. 

Brain Research Blog Post 2

There are many effective ways to engage a person's brain to help understand things better. One way is to associate pictures with the things we are trying to describe. This helps to bring meaning to the things that are being taught. Its also effective to make the images interactive to engage the person watching. Videos are a very effective resource in capturing a student's full attention. We learn best when our senses are engaged in what we are learning. The most effective way to learn is to engage not only our visual senses, but also our hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Post 2 Module 6

Wujec’s said that cognitive scientist are finding that the brain isn’t seeing the world as it is but builds sets of mental models after big “aha” moments. As a teaching, it is not only fulfilling, but we strive to see students have their “light bulbs” go off of understanding a concept. Vision is very dynamic, with the eye it uses the brain to interpret and sort what is important, and what to store.The ventral stream is responsible for recognition, which is the primary sense of learning material. The dorsal recognizes the object in physical body space. Limbic system is feelings, or emotions. These are essential in teaching to know how to communicate and make what you teach count. Engaging students to be interactive to create something that is within the material that is taught could be beneficial to the student as Wujec says. Though vision is critical, other neural pathways that have to do with touch or sound could be stimulated as well to have a really positive effect, especially when it is done all at once. With more stimulations, the brain is using more connections to process the information.

Blog 1

The main ideas discussed in this chapter were the different functions of the brain, how the brain develops, and how the brain functions during teaching and learning. The brain develops throughout life and goes through critical stages which can be effected by a variety of factors. Pruning of the brain is when we gradually get rid of the unnecessary information that it stored in our brain from birth such as different sounds that are not in our language. There are many factors that effect brain development such as environment, the plasticity of our brains, nutrition, etc. All aspects of life effect the way that our brain develops. As we learn, our brain forms new connections. This can help us hold memories as well as learn new information such as playing a sport or learning an equation. It is important to know how the brain works while teaching because we will better be abe to understand how our students learn. 

One question I had about the reading was how emotion would effect brain development? In the chapter it talked about how emotion would effect learning, which I understand, but how would our emotions effect the way our brain develops?

According to a brain scientists, development is the act of our brain actually making the connections and the synaptic connections. This is when the brain is growing. Learning is what we do with our information and how we make sense of it all. Our connections are strengthened when we learn. The brain itself changes when it develops. 

Repetition is thought of as a good way to remember something according to brain research, but is not thought of as a good method of learning through the IP theory. According to brain research, when we repeat something over and over again we are likely to remember it more easily. Through the IP theory, it says that we do not hold that information in our long term memory so we are not actually learning the information. 

Post 2

According to Tom the best way to engage students minds is through visionary. The eyes are the main thing to help students better understand big ideas. The eyes see basic shapes and is pretty much asking what am I seeing here and the brain responds to the eyes. We can use almost any other type of sensory. People who cant see learn and respond by touch and sound. People who cant speak learn from visual and touch. People who cant hear learn from touch and vision. It's important because you will always have humans who can't just use one neural or sensory pathway to grasp and learn new ideas in life.

Brain Research Blog Post 1

This chapter is based how the brain works and how information is processed. It starts by explaining the different parts of the brain. The parts of the brain that are the most critical to information processing are the brain cells, or neurons. Neurons are responsible for sending information to other cells. They send chemical messages through a gap between the cells called a synapse. These chemical messages are called neurotransmitters. Over time the information that is stored in these neurons get pruned away if it is not used frequently.

The difference between brain development and learning is in what happens to the brain is both situations. During development, the brain is growing and the brain is making connections. Learning can be thought of as the process in which these connections are strengthened.

Repetition is thought to not be effective according to IP theory. This is because it argues that the things being repeated will not really be encoded into long term memory because it does not make a personal connection to other things in a person's life. When regarding the brain and how myelination occurs, it seems that repetition would  help to strengthen the memory that is being repeated.

Through the chapter, the major ideas were the basic foundation of the brain, and how the different areas of the brain played specific roles in function. The brain isn’t just “left” or “right” sided, but uses various regions to complete even the most common tasks. Research has shown that kids have neurons functioning than adults, making more connections to the world. The brain activity of a 6 year old is actually higher than a 20 year old. Pruning begins to clear the information that the brain wasn’t using. Because of this, it leads to the development and the “plastic” of the brain. The “plasticicity” is how fast the brain can bounce back from a brain injury or surgery. A 3 year old would recover quicker with much better results than a 60 year old because of it.

A brain scientist would explain development of which myelination happens. With different experiences, the brain increases as the amount of knowledge increases. Childs have various neurons that specialize into specific functions or instructions. The more the person uses these neurons, the stronger the connection becomes. Development is more of how our brains are designed to take in information and store it, and learning comes from the experiences being put in.

The picture illustrates the various synaptic connections in the brain. These start developing before you are even born, and then with experience as a baby and toddler, your brain develops more connections with networks as shown in the picture at six year. If these connections are not revisited or used, such as a trip to the beach when you are four, the memory and connection may be pruned away. In the picture at 14 years, it shows how some of the connections have already been pruned away though some of the connections are stronger which is explained by repetition.  

Brain Research #2

     According to Wujec, meaning is created through visual connections. He suggests, first of all, that a visual be presented to students, or whoever is learning. It is important for this visual to be interactive, and for the learners to actively engage with it, whether in its creation, changing, etc. This visual can then be reused and further create connections.

     Wujec talked entirely about learning visually, and almost ignored that any other way is possible. This is an offensive notion, as many great minds are found in bodies that cannot see. Even for those of us with vision, there are other ways to learn.

     To best learn, all senses should be engaged. This means that we not only see, but also feel, smell, hear, and taste. The more senses are involved, the more engaged the learner can be. This also is a more inclusive form of instruction.

Brain Research #1

   This module explains the basics of brain research and its importance in education. Knowledge of the workings of the brain can help teachers to understand how their students learn.  It outlines the parts of their brains and their functions. There is a lot of emphasis of how connections are made. Neurons communicate with each other, sending information thorough synapses. As tasks are repeated, connections are myelinated, allowing those connections to be faster and stronger. The way the brain works for each individual depends on both genetics and environment.

     I was confused a bit by the idea of critical periods. Is there just one critical period for each individual? Does it always come at the same time for everyone? Is there a way to extend this period, or does it have a set duration?

     Development can be thought of as establishing initial connections between neurons. This happens intensely in the first couple of years in a child’s life, though it continues afterwards. Learning deals with strengthening and myelinating these connections.

     According to brain research, repeating something is very useful in the learning process, while IP says that it has no helpful effects. Brain research suggests that in repetition, connections are being myelinated. This information can then be used more quickly.

Module 6 Post 2

The eye visually asks the brain what they are seeing and the brain gives us an answer. The act of engaging and creating interactive imagery and visuals activates a different part of the brain to help engage students. Like Brain Rule 10, he reiterates that we learn by seeing. We can use images to clarify what we're trying to get across. If we can also make our images interactive, they will also be communicated better. If students can interactively create and enhance their own visuals learning can be activated more efficiently. Essentially, digital technology can help students engage in their own learning. Visualization, interactiveness, and persistency can help our students engage in their own learning, according to Tom Wujec.

Post 1

After reading this chapter about the brain and how the brain works what really stuck into my head was the part dealing with factors that could affect brain development. They talked about how genetics is a factor that could affect brain development. Brain development have a hereditary component. Genes have nothing to do with brain structure. If your an identical twin you may look just alike but the two have two completely different brain structures. Nutrition is another thing they mentioned. If a person have malnutrition then that could effect how a humans brain is structured. It can slow down the process of your neurotransmitters in your brain.
One question I was wondering about is:Are there any ways to help lower the chance of getting alzheimer's? I know there isn't a cure for it but could a human do certain things in their daily routine to help lower the chance of getting it. ex: word puzzles, less stress?

According to scientist brain development occurs when connections are made in the brain and neurons develop a specified job inside of the brain. This is esp. true in fetal and infancy development, many of the neurons rely on genetic coding to make it to the destination they were intended for. Once these initial connections are made, learning can occur. 

According to brain research repetition is a good way to remember something. By doing this the neurons in your brain continuously fire this action and slowly the development of myelin occurs. Myelin is the performance of how fast you process certain task. 

Module 6 Post 1

     Brain research is taking a prominent place in today's classrooms. Many people think that neuroscience and education are two very different fields, but the reality is that brain research has led to many new beliefs about education. There are many different areas of the brain, but the cerebral cortex is the one that's divided into two separate hemispheres. This area of the brain has four separate areas; the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and the temporal lobe. These lobes are responsible for carrying out functions that are essential to our everyday lives', such as movement and sensation.
     Brain research is now supporting the notions that toddlers' brains are much more active than adults. Toddlers' brains have so many more neurons than adults'. Because of this, toddlers are able to make connections and learn more easily. From this came the idea of a "critical period" which is a period of time where children's brains can be programmed to essentially anything. After this time, the neurons have made connections and have become myelinated, becoming proficient at their desired tasks. A child could learn any language at this "critical period" but after this the brain begins neural pruning. Neural pruning is the process by which the brain weeds out information it doesn't use and focuses on the tasks the brain is doing everyday. Neural pruning begins after age 6 and by the age of 14, many connections have already been myelinated and learning different material becomes more challenging.
    Brain research has also provided scientists with factors that affect development. At one point, people thought genetics was the main reason for how people's brains functioned. Today, there is much research supporting different factors, such as the environment for how brains function. Environmental experiences lead to differences in brain development. Research has concluded that humans need a stimulating environment to achieve highest levels of learning. Social interactions, changes in setting, emotional support and varying sensory stimulation are all part of a positive environment leading to successful learning.  Another development factor is the discovery that the brain is "plastic." The term "plastic" refers to the brain's ability to reprogram itself after a loss of function. If a young child has lost part of his or her brain, the brain should be able to compensate for the lost portion. The child can usually gain normal function again. However, the brain is usually less plastic after the connections have been more myelinated with age. It may be harder for a thirty-year old to reprogram his or her brain because of the loss of plasticity.
   
     According to a brain scientist, development is the process of myelination that takes place in the brain. The expansion of the brain can be attributed to the increase of knowledge and information. Because of this, the neurons specialize themselves. This occurs because the human is continually using this connection so the myelination becomes thicker. Brain scientists also think that BOTH genetics and environments influence development. Learning explains the myelination and retention of information through knowledge. The different between development and learning is explained as development being the way we, as human beings, are programmed. Learning is taking this program information and applying the connections to our environments.

     In the picture below, myelination and neural pruning is occurring. At birth, there are many connections waiting to be developed. Then at age 6, more and more connections are being formed and the brain is fine tuning the connections that it uses regularly. This is displayed with the thicker, bolder lines. When you look at the synaptic connections at age 14, you can see that there are far fewer lines which means there are less connections being made. However, the connections that you do see are thick and bold and there are significantly more connections than there were at birth. The brain has performed neural pruning on connections that were not utilized in between the ages of 6 and 14. Now the brain is proficient and can perform optimally because it's connections have been fine tuned.

Brain Research Post 2

According to Wujec, we can best engage our students by using visual aids and forms of learning.  This is because the brain is stimulated by what we see.  Therefore, using all visual forms of media for teaching, will apparently help our students learn.

I think it is important to incorporate many senses into a lesson plan because the more senses that are engaged, the more connections that can be made.  Also, there are many types of students in a class that may make connections more strongly using other senses.

Brain Research Blog Post 1

The big ideas of this chapter are brain research in education.  The research that has been done has greatly affected the way educators think about a child's brain development and learning.  When a child is younger, more neurons are available in order to make connections.  These connections are made by observations, environmental impact, patterns, and being taught (school).  However, as one gets older, it is there are less neurons available for use, and less of the environment/observations we make are "new".  Therefore, there are less connections made, and some of those connections made as a child are forgotten.

One question I had, was how long does it take for a neuron's path to become visible? 

According to a brain researcher, development is the making of connections as a response to environment or observations.  Once these connections have been made, learning can occur by repetition (?).  Learning has occurred when these connections become myelinated, showing much use.

According to brain research, repetition is a good way to remember something because the more use the connections made by the neurons get, the more insulated they become, showing more use than others.

Brain Development post 2

     Wujec talks about three main parts of the brain that stimulate meaning for a piece of information: the ventral stream or the "what detector", the dorsal stream that puts things into a mental map so when you close your eyes you can visualize the space around you, and the limbic system which associates meanings or feelings to a piece of information. With that in mind to help best engage our students we must use visual stimulation because it is the most needed of our senses for learning. We, as teachers, must keep that information in the same place so that it is persistent and the students will always be able to place the information on a mental map. And we must also be able to add feeling to how the students learn the information. When information is connected to a strong feeling it is recalled very quickly.
     Although vision is the most needed of our senses for learning (one usually cannot learn without reading or seeing the material) it is not the most critical otherwise blind children would become useless to the world. Other senses can be instrumental in how children learn. One of the best ways for children to learn is actually by stimulating multiple senses such as hearing and touching because that means that more of the brain is being activated and myelinated.

Brain Development post 1

     This module talked about the specifics of brain development as well as the implications brain research has had on education. When children are younger they have a copious amount of neurons that are able to fire themselves anywhere in the brain. By the time an infant gets to be a young child she has made a lot of connections in her brain from the experiences she has had up until that point. When young adulthood comes around many of these connections are pruned because they are no longer used on a daily basis or hold little to no significance to the individual. The main factors that affect brain development are genetics, environmental stimulation, critical periods, plasticity (or adaptability) of the brain, nutrition, and teratogens (or outside substances that can cause abnormalities in fetuses)
     A question that came up for me was how brain might scientists say that forgetting happens? Is it when a connection is lost? Or is it when a connection is not myelinated enough and the signal fails?
     According to brain scientists development occurs when connections are made in the brain and when neurons develop a specified job in the brain. Especially in fetal and early infancy development many of the neurons rely on genetic coding to make it to the destination they were intended for. Once these initial connections are made learning can occur.   Learning occurs when these connections are myelinated or insulated and electrical impulses can be sent through the synapses faster and without losing information.
     According to brain research repetition is a good way to remember something because it causes the neurons in your brain to fire through the same connection multiple times and when that happens myelinations occurs. Myelination is what insulates axons to make the information that the electrical impulse is sending faster and more efficient. Myelination also helps keep the information contained in the electrical impulse from being lost.

Brain Research Blog Post 2

The best way to engage our brain is to use images to clarify ideas, interact with images, and to augment memory with president and evolving views.  This will activate the three parts of the brain and will give us the best sense of the idea that we are working with. 

            We can give present it with other senses, but it will not do the same sorts of engaging because the ways you engage with an image with your vision is not the same with smell, taste, sound, etc.  So, this type of engaging only works with vision because it is the only way to engage these images to the fullest extent. 

Brain Research Blog Post 1

I know once we have pruned something away we can relearn that information if we need to, but once information is pruned is there no way we would ever be able to recall that information without relearning it?

            The brain develops by first retaining all of the information that we have experienced and as we get older we start to prune away some connections that we have made to make room for new connections that are more important.  Learning is the connections that we make in recognition of the experiences that we have been a part of recently.  There are many genetic problems that can stop or have the brain develop in a different way which makes it harder for those people to learn.

            The difference in the three pictures is that in the first picture it is a picture of a new born baby and this baby has made a few connections, but not that many because the baby has not been around long enough to make new connections.  The second is a picture of a six year old which is in the process of learning a lot and making many new connections because they are having new experiences and do not prune away a lot of the connections because they do not have many connections to replace them.  The third is a picture of a seventeen year old who does not have as many connections as the six year old because they have pruned away a lot of the connections that they have not used in a couple of years.

Brain Research- Blog Post 2

How CAN we best engage students' brains to help them better understand big ideas? :  Humans’ brains do not see things as that actually are, they create visual models. So we can help students better understand big ideas by using animation, graphics, and illustration.  Images can include factors that give students a strong emotional reaction. Something that gives off a strong emotional reaction is something that the person will remember for a longer period of time. It is best to use images to clarify ideas or you can interact with images to create engagement or you can use them to show different or persistent views.

Wujec focuses on neural pathways related to vision, and little else. How ELSE could you present information using more than one neural or sensory pathway? Why is this so important? : It is better to engage students using multiple senses, not just vision. You can incorporate smell, taste, touch, and hearing into lessons. This is important because some people might learn better by touching or hearing something, rather than just seeing it. You need to be able to use all senses when teaching, so that you can teach all types of learners.

Brain Research- Blog Post 1

Big ideas from the chapter: The Brain Structure and Function, including all of the different parts of the brain and what each part controls and does.  The 4 main areas of the brain are the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and the occipital lobe. Also in the brain are neurons, which create connections among brain cells. The Developmental Processes of the Brain was also important in this chapter. It included decisions on what information is kept (neural pruning) and the insulation of certain learned processes (myelination). 

Question: I still do not understand the difference between experience-expectant plasticity and experience-dependent plasticity. How are these two different?

According to a brain scientist, what is the difference between development and learning? : In development a brain scientist believes that an individual’s development is based mainly on their personal genes and experiences. Other factors include, critical periods, plasticity, nutrition, teratogens, and gender.  In learning a brain scientist believes that an individual’s neurons connect to each other to form new skills or to make old skills more defined. 

What is happening in the picture below? How and why does each change occur? : In this picture it is showing the neurons connections made and created and the myelinations from birth to 6 years to 14 years. At birth there are a lot of neurons, but not many connections or myelinations. There are not many personal experiences a baby can connect to or recall at the time of birth. At 6 years old a child has started to make tons of connections from neuron to neuron. They have also created myelinations by recalling and reusing information frequently. At 14 years old a child still has many neuron connections and myelinations. You can see that it appears they have fewer connections than the 6 year old. The difference is that they have started to neural prune some of the information that they do not need or do not use anymore.