So, this has been my first semester back at college. I've been an engineer, a teacher, and a lifelong learner. I had success as a math teacher, I believed, primarily because I loved being in the classroom and my students knew that. They knew I loved my work and that I loved them. What I have learned through this course is that my success was actually in large part due to using strategies that are proven effective because of how the brain operates! I've always tried to stay up to date on what works with students, but now understanding WHY these strategies work I am so thankful for the insight. Going forward I will be more explicit with my students. Yes, taking breaks during lessons works, but now I can explain WHY (frontal lobe fatigue and time for the brain to wire!). Exercise and movement helps learning (oxygen flow is increased and movement is a pathway for learning!). Discussing strategies is metacognitive work, and isn't metacog...
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One thing both Zull and Zadina talk about are how much the brain "loves a pattern"! From birth, the brain is constantly scanning for patterns, and it prefers complete patterns. This helps us in math class because math is ALL ABOUT PATTERNS! Zull states "If we expose students to incomplete images, charts, or graphs where progressions are not finished, students become motivated to work on them." (p132) Does your brain automatically try to place the puzzle piece where it belongs in the picture below? Incomplete patterns are something that I have seen motivate students time and time again. Math guru and blogger Dan Meyer ( http://blog.mrmeyer.com/ ) advocates to use that motivation by providing problems without all necessary information. As he puts it - "be less helpful". By providing only the framework (image or context) and the question, students are forced to think deeply about the problem and what information they need in order to solve ...
Zull and Zadina both engage in lengthy discussions about emotions and the importance of emotion in learning. In the base, our brains through the amygdala are constantly assessing our surroundings. If the brain senses a safety issue, the brain is flooded with chemicals that place the body on high alert - ready to fight, run, or shut down. In this scenario, learning is impossible. On a higher level, when our students have a safe, supportive learning environment, their brains are ready to process new information and build new neural networks. This is the learning environment we need to create for our students. Once we have established this type of classroom and have engaged our students in active learning, their brains will reward them for learning! "In time, a rewarding experience is remembered through the feelings it generates." (p62) "Thinking is rewarding. It is work, but is also fun - as long as there is movement and ...
As we continued along with James Zull's book From Brain to Mind: Using Neuroscience to Guide Education , he discusses the idea that we are all born with a brain . That brain is simply another organ in the human body - it is full of cells, blood flow, and chemicals. He continues his discussion by making the point that as we sense, experience, and act, the brain changes itself into a mind that can think and make decisions that move to actions. Our goal as educators is always to help students move from simply reacting to making thoughtful decisions - personally as well as academically. I have discussed in previous posts how I have worked with students in the past to engage their brains and work to "think about their thinking" so I certainly agreed with Zull as he stated "Without trying there will be no progress in the journey toward mind." (p28) I may have previously shared one of my favorite pieces from my classroom - a giant poster stating Math is n...
We recently started James Zull's book From Brain to Mind: Using Neuroscience to Guide Change in Education. I admit to having some reservations about the book when, in the Introduction, the author says "...without some dramatic intervention, mental capabilities we attribute to the mind will be weakened or lost. If we continue to count on education for development of the mind, we need to change education itself." (p3) It seems to me that the author is over-dramatizing the state of education - "mental capabilities...will be weakened or lost" - really?? I see evidence of metacognition and growth mindset in classrooms daily. I imagine the author is attempting to make a point to prove his book is worth reading, but comments like this do no justice to the hard work of educators in the classroom who are working to incorporate brain learning strategies in their classes. The author also states: "Our goal should be a spontaneous demonstration of hab...