Brain Research Post 2

In Tom Wujec's presentation, he discussed how we can best engage our brains to help learn big ideas.  He chose to show this using visual models.  In the presentation, he said there are three things that happen when people look at pictures and try to learn their meaning.  First, we make ideas clear by visualizing them.  This can easily be done through pictures.  Second, he said that pictures should be interactive, which engages the audience to learn.  Third, he said that the images need to be persistent.  These three points can be used in a classroom.  To teach a concept, teachers could first tell the students about the idea.  Then, as a class, they could come up with a visual representation of this idea.  That way, the students have a visual that was interactive.  The teacher could draw a large representation of it and hang it in the classroom to ensure persistence.  Teachers also can use technology in the classroom for visual models.  When using Smart Boards or IPads, the students are paying attention to the visuals, causing them to learn.

Because there are different lobes of the brain that all have different functions for the body, teachers should try to include all five senses in learning.  For example, if a teacher was trying to teach about the different parts of the tongue and what flavor they taste, she should first show a picture of the tongue and the different sections.  Next, she should show them different types of foods for those flavors, such as sugar for sweet and butter for bitter.  She should let them smell the different foods.  Then, she should let them taste them to allow them to find out what part of the tongue tastes what flavor.  This way, they can engage all of the brain and learn it many different ways.  Since everyone learns differently, teachers need to engage all types of learners to ensure that their entire class is learning what they need to know.