Reflection #2- Fundamentals of Cognitive Development

... in the groove... the Emperor's Groove, that is.

How prepared do you feel to write a literature review on a topic of your choosing?

This question is what I consider to be a loaded question!  To be honest, the amount of reading in this course has been more intense than what I have encountered in any other course (and I have taken a lot of courses!).  It has been a bit daunting at times, but I am starting to find my groove and am fairly confident in taking on the challenge of the literature review.  The hardest part of an assignment like this one is finding enough articles from reasonable sources on the topic at hand.  Especially those that are timely.  Organizing everything into a coherent format will be the next challenge.

Upon completing the course, how might you use the skills that you’ve gained to seek out and apply scientific knowledge about cognition in your own educational settings?

We have a particularly challenging 6^th grade entering the Upper School this fall, cognitively speaking (a group that is bright, but packed with “issues”).  I plan to use some time this summer to better utilize the BTT model in my activity planning for the 2012-13 school year.  After today’s staff meeting, I see that this class will benefit from attention to the specific brain targets.

In our 5-8 grades, 62% of the students are in the top 16% of academic ability compared to the national average according to recent testing.  However, many of them have their own challenges that include ADHD, executive processing issues, anxiety, etc.  I would love to begin utilizing the BTT model and knowledge from my coursework to better help these kids reach their full potential. 

Biology of Mind

"Because of its broad implications for individual and social well-being, there is now a consensus in the scientific community that the biology of mind will be to the twenty-first century what the biology of the gene was to the twentieth century."

Eric Kandel, In Search of Memory

Reflection #1- Fundamentals of Cognitive Development

Write a response to the reflection #1 prompt:

Learning to think "scientifically" about learning, development, and education is no small task. A scientific approach doesn't always fit neatly with our instincts as teachers. Teaching is often described as an art--one based on individual judgment and social interactions. That said, there's a great deal of scientific knowledge out there that can inform the art of teaching. What do you think will be the most difficult part of learning to think more scientifically about educational problems? What do you think you will need the most help with along the way?

 

Why we do what we do

My first thought, upon reading the instructions above, was “which educational problems should I focus on as there are so many?”  Those that can be thought of in scientific terms could include:

·         our culture of over-testing

·         how our “schools kill creativity” a la Sir Ken Robinson

·         the push for STEM training

Fortunately, I work in a private school and we are free from many of the constraints that the public schools face.  Although there is always room for improvement, I do think that we are on-track with much of this “scientific” approach to learning (even if staff doesn’t realize the scientific component!).

What I need the most help with is how to bring this information to colleagues and parents in terms that are vivid, understandable, and engaging.  It is wonderful to now have scientific backup for what our teachers are doing in their classrooms each day.  Being able to communicate that effectively, especially to parents, is crucial.

I would love to have one-page takeaways to give at weekly staff meetings.  I envision them to be very visual in nature (infographics) that could supplement a 10-minute “presentation” on a topic. 

Next, we need to extend this discussion into the home.  Parents are a huge part of the equation for student success and those that are making excuses for their child or don’t educate themselves on how to best help prepare the children are doing all a disservice.

We need parents that are assisting and challenging their children to become independent learners.

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.

A beautiful mess

The brain is a monstrous, beautiful mess. Its billions of nerve cells - called neurons - lie in a tangled web that displays cognitive powers far exceeding any of the silicon machines we have built to mimic it.

- William F. Allman (from Apprentices of Wonder. Inside the Neural Network Revolution, 1989)