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The Journey from Brain to Mind

Stroke, Brain, Blood Circulation, Anatomy, Head

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.

Thinker, Thinking, Person, Idea

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 not a spectator sport!
Students, Classroom, Learn, School

 Current teaching best practices utilize active classrooms.  Students are active participants in their learning.  Active learners are building stronger brain pathways, and work toward mastery as they try something new, adapt, try again, change, try again, etc.  Anyone walking past my classroom would rarely see students sitting idly in their seats watching me talk.

An easy way for a mathematics teacher to start encouraging students to be active problem solvers is by exploring Robert Kaplinsky's work.

https://robertkaplinsky.com/

Using real-world issues and fun curiosities, he has developed a plethora of lessons for elementary, middle, and high school math classes.  He uses strategies discussed by Zull - providing lessons related to experiences the students will be familiar with (background gives brains a reference for the learning), and actively engaging their thinking.  As Zull says, "Discovery and action both make us happy. The brain rewards itself during successful use and continuing development of the mind." (p48)

 Imagine a world where our math students, especially those who struggle, feel the success of mathematical learning and discussion!  Let's engage their minds!

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