This chapter discussed the brain and how it works. There are many different sections for the brain, and each have a specific job to do. This delegates the work out for the brain. Along with the different functions of the brain, this chapter discussed different factors of brain development. These included genetics, environmental stimulation, critical and sensitive periods, plasticity, nutrition, teratogens, and gender. Many times, teachers take these different factors into account in the classroom. For example, some teachers have a very decorated classroom, which has to do with environmental stimulation. When an environment is highly stimulated, it causes the students' brains to make more neural connections, increasing learning and brain development.
According to brain research, there is a difference between learning and development. During learning, neurons connect to other neurons and create a networking system. From there, these connections are rearranged in response to new information. In learning, synapses are strengthened. It is the opposite in development. In development, synapses are eliminated due to lack of use. This is called synaptic pruning. Because synapses can be eliminated, teachers need to practice skills and review information with their students to ensure that they will keep the information that they need.
One question that I have after reading the chapter, I am still curious about the different sections of the brain. When students have mental disabilities, is this because one section of the brain is developmentally disabled? Can only the frontal lobe, for example, be not functioning correctly while the rest of the brain is?
In the picture, brain development can be seen. The picture is showing synaptic connections. In the first picture, few synaptic connections are being made because the baby is not taking in the information necessarily. At 6-years-old, this is considered the developmental peak. Children are constantly taking in new information in the world around them. Many experiences are new to them, and they are storing the information for later use. After age 6, myelin developed. This is how performance and speed of processing happen as we get older. Once certain tasks and experiences become automatic to us, our brains "prune" those neural connections. This is why the 14-year-old brain looks like less is happening. This is simply because many of the synapses have been "pruned," allowing for efficiency in the brain.
Many times mental disabilities are caused by issues that occur during development due to genetic failure or environmental causes. I would think that multiple areas of the brain would be involved in these cases. Although different lobes has specialized functions, they are all connected and they all work together so the failure of one part will affect another.
ReplyDeleteI agree, mental and physical disabilities can occur during development if something does not develop correctly. However, it is definitely possible for one part of the brain to not be functioning properly to cause a disability while the rest of the brain could be perfectly fine. The different lobes of the brain both work as individual sections and as a whole. If there is a disfunction with one part of the brain, that part of the individual will be hindered in that specific area at the same time it is a chain affect, so one part of the brain will effect another part or the whole thing as well.
ReplyDeleteI like the comments above. It's unlikely than an entire area of the brain (like the frontal lobe) would be affected, but specific regions within the frontal lobe might be damaged or underdeveloped, but because everything is so interconnected, it will likely influence many different parts of the brain. Unless there is physical damage, it's unlikely that it will be so targeted to one area. Rather, if a baby was malnourished, the brain as a whole might be smaller or weigh less.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that learning is making connections and development is synaptic pruning. This is an interesting idea, but I think synaptic pruning happens as a result of learning as well. Development could be considered the basic timeline general to all humans (the idea that synaptic pruning WILL occur)--the experience expectant part of development. Learning might be the changes that happen as a result of experience--like making new connections (after birth--the connections made before that are a result of genetics and could be part of development) and pruning those we aren't using often.