Brain Gardens

“Learn­ing is phys­i­cal. Learn­ing means the mod­i­fi­ca­tion, growth, and prun­ing of our neu­rons, con­nec­tions called synapses and neu­ronal net­works, through experience…When we do so, we are cul­ti­vat­ing our own neu­ronal net­works. We become our own gar­den­ers — "

Dr. James Zull, Pro­fes­sor of Biol­ogy and Bio­chem­istry at Case West­ern Uni­ver­sity.

Sharing resources

I'm forever collecting bits and pieces from the flotsam and jetsam that drift through the internet.  Ha, net, get it?  Fishing humor aside, there are fascinating items that I am compelled to collect.  I use Pinterest, Diigo, Scoop.it, etc. to curate my collections and am happy to share.

Take a look at my Scoop.it collection titled Mind, Brain, and Teaching or my Pinterest collection with the same title Mind, Brain, and Teaching along with Diigo bookmarks tagged "brain".

We are all in this together and sharing our ideas, resources, best practices, and support is important.  Feel free to comment, feel free to join the conversation!

You can also find me on Twitter as @MrsDi.

Reflection #3- Explorations in MBT

Reflect on the content presented and what you have learned in the last ten weeks.

·         What were some of the most important concepts that you will take away from this class?

·         How has the content informed or changed your practice as a result from taking this course?

·         What goals might you set for yourself regarding what you would like to know and be able to do by the time you have completed the certificate program?

We get stuck in routines.  This includes routines of thought and routines of practice.  It can be difficult to step out of that comfort zone, but it can also be very beneficial.  Take, for example, the persistent belief in the variety of neuromyths discussed at the beginning of this course.  Even when science can prove that a belief is untrue, it is very hard to let go of the training drummed into us.  However, we do our students a disservice by clinging to these neuromyths and basing practice on them. 

 

Additionally, it is fascinating how the primitive brain still has the first say as to what happens to stimuli that enters the brain.  Taking that knowledge and capitalizing on it is fundamental when using the BTT method.  Emotions, physical space, and designing the learning experience knowing how the brain best responds in these situations allows us to be better educators. 

Already I am advocating for activities and classroom practices that take the brain targets into consideration when talking with my peers.  I am stepping outside my comfort zones and trying new ideas directly in my classroom that take these into consideration.

As I move through the courses in this program, I would like to move beyond where I am just trying elements in the classroom.  I would like to implement a full scale BTT program (longer than one unit) to really get into the thick of it.  Once comfortable, I would like to bring my co-workers in to observe and discuss it as well.