Download Pubertal Influences on Sleep

Key Concepts
• As a teacher it it more useful to view the human
species as bad at thinking rather than
cognitively gifted.
• Making Meaning and Making Sense should be
the purpose of each lesson.
• Motivation and persistence is a key factor in
learning
The Human Brain
Anatomy and Development
Timeline of Brain
Development
• Birth to age three- time of rapid intellectual,
emotional & physical growth of brain & brain
“wiring”
• By age 6: 95% of brain development completed
• YA (10-12 years): 2nd major brain growth spurt
• Adolescence (13-20s): Pruning and organizing,
especially in frontal cortex
Spatial and Sensory
Language,writing, hearing
Visual processing
Parent Voice
Motor memory
Thalamus- first stop for sensory information
Hypothalamus- monitors internal systems
Amygdala- Emotions are processed here
Hippocampus- consolidates memories/learning
We are born
equipped with
most of the
neurons our
brain will ever
have.
Between the ages
of 6 and 12, the
neurons grow
bushier, each
making dozens of
connections to
other neurons
and creating new
pathways for
nerve signals.
Frontal Cortex and Amygdala
The frontal cortex is in charge of creativity, planning,
strategizing, decision making and judgment. The balancing of
emotions and making sound decisions based on analysis of risk
is thought to occur in this area of the brain. Teens use the
amygdala more than adults for processing responses. Adults
rely more on the frontal cortex, which governs reason and
planning. As teens get older, their brain activity shifts more
toward the frontal cortex and away from amygdala
A Recap
 Maturity comes more slowly to the frontal
lobes and frontal cortex
 “Pruning” occurs in the forebrain, allowing
the brain to think more efficiently
 Emotional brain dominates
 Prefrontal cortex is not ready to take charge
 Emotional brain seeks pleasure, in the form of
novelty, excitement, and risk
What Does This Mean in
Terms of Behavior for YA?
 Lack of “common
sense”
 Thinking that seems
rigid.
 Decisions that seem
irrational.
 Disorganization
everywhere.
 Impulsiveness
 Mood changes
 Inadequate
emotional control
 Seeks out risks
Communication Gap
 Teens are more likely to misinterpret
facial expressions of emotion
 See anger when there isn’t anger
 May react quickly
Memory 101
Simplest Model of our Memory
Environment
Working Memory
(site of awareness
and of thinking)
Hippocampus
Long-Term Memory
(factual knowledge and
procedural knowledge)
neocortex
Does the brain get tired?
• Our brain is designed for ups and downs.
– Getting and keeping attention???
• Downtime allows our brain to “fix” neural connections,
leading to better memory.
• Hippocampal (STM) neurons move to (LTM)
Neocortex.
–
–
–
–
1-20 sec.-Phone numbers
5-6 min- record and remember where things are.
15-60 min- explicit learning.
5-6 hours- complex explicit learning , new skills.
• Much of learning, which is done on an nonconscious
level, without reflection stays on that level.
The Towers of Hanoi
Problem:
Move the wooden circles from one peg to another without placing a larger
circle on a smaller circle.
The Himalayan Riddle
Compare the Tasks
Environment
Working Memory
?
Long-Term Memory
?
Memorize the list
XCN
NPH
DFB
ICI
ANC
AAX
Now try it!
X
CNN
PhD
FBI
CIA
NCAA
X
XCN
NPH
DFB
ICI
ANC
AAX
Compare the Tasks
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE AND CHUNKING
Environment
Working Memory
?
Long-Term Memory
?
“People are naturally curious, but we
are not naturally good thinkers; unless
the cognitive conditions are right, we
will avoid thinking”
• The mind is not designed for thinking…and when
we can get way with it we don’t!
• Instead we rely on memory
• The ability to see and move function and operate
much more efficiently and reliably than your
ability to think…yet seeing is much more difficult
than playing chess or solving a calculus problem.
Simply put…thinking requires:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Information from the environment
Facts in long-term memory
Procedures in long-term memory
“Space” in short-term memory. (7)
* Thinking does not ensure “learning”
Implications for the Classroom
•
•
•
•
Be sure that there are problems to solved.
Respect students cognitive limits
Clarify the problem to be solved
Reconsider when to use hook “hook” or
puzzle.
• Accept and act on variations in students
preparation. (forth grade slump).
• Work on your perception…change the pace
What about Knowledge?
Factual knowledge must precede skill.
…and memory is the the cognitive
process of first resort
Most of the time when we se someone
apparently engaged in logical thinking,
he or she is actually engaged in memory
retrieval.
Top chess players may have 50 thousand
moves memorized.
When it comes to knowledge,
those that have more gain more
We remember and create memory when
something has meaning
So…What knowledge yields the
greatest cognitive benefit?
• For Reading and Listening
– Student must know what ever the writer of
speaker assume they know and hence leave out.
• For Core Subject Matters (Math , Science,
History Literature, etc…)
– Student must know the concepts that come up
again and again- the unifying concepts of each
discipline. (less is more)
Implications for Classroom
• Be sure that the knowledge base is mostly
in place when you require critical thinking
• Shallow knowledge is better then no
knowledge (rote?)
• Do WHATEVER you can to get kids to
read!
• Knowledge acquisition can be incidental
• Start building knowledge early
• Knowledge must be meaningful
Background knowledge is
important for reading and
listening
•
•
•
•
Provided vocabulary
Allows bridging of logical gaps
Allows chunking (leaving room in STM)
Guides interpretation of ambiguous
sentences
So…What is Memory
…it is the residue of thought
Memory is the residue of thought
Your memory system lays its bets this way: If
you think about something carefully , you’ll
probably have to think about it again, so it should
be stored.
Thus your memory is not a product of what you
want to remember or what you try to remember;
it’s a product of what you “think” about
Keys to creating memories…
•
•
•
•
Emotion
Attention
Repetition
Thinking about meaning
– How you do this will determine what you
remember. (auditory, visual, etc.)
How does the “art” of teaching
impact memory (learning)
• Emotional bond
• Climate
• Power of Stories
– Human mind is exquisitely tuned to understand
and remember stories
•
•
•
•
Causality
Conflict
Complication
Character
Why Stories
• Comprehending requires
inferences…forcing you to think about
meaning.
• Stories have causal structure…one thing
leads to another
• History example:
– U.S.’s entry into WWII vs. Japan’s
But what if meaning is hard to
create…Rote memory
• Peg word (one is bun, two is shoe, three is tree)
• Method of loci (tag to locations on a familiar
walk)
• Link method (connect each item in list)
• Acronym
• First letter method (create new phrase)
• Songs (familiar melody)
Implications for teaching
• Review lessons in terms of what students are
likely to think about.
• Think carefully about attention grabbers
(hooks)
• Set up inquiry carefully
• Design assignments so students know what
meaning will be derived from the experience
• Use/create conflict
Three big questions…
1. Why is it so hard for students to understand abstract
ideas?…we understand new things in context of what
we already know…and most of what we know is
concrete.
2. Is drilling worth it?...It is virtually impossible to
become proficient at mental or physical tasks without
extended practice. (frees up STM)
3. How should I adjust my teaching for different types of
learners?... Children are more alike than different I
terms of how they think and learn. Think in terms of
content not students. (visual, auditory, kinesthetic)
4. How does a students mindset impact their learning?
Putting it all into practice….
The body clock: Ultradian Patterns
• Our body clock seems to run in 90-110 minute
cycles of low to high energy or relaxation to
tension.
• Generally speaking learners will focus better in
the late morning and early evening.
• Mid-day is typically a low point
• Physical exercise can trick the body clock.
Things to Remember
• Learning engages the whole person. (cognitive,
affective and psychomotor domains)
• The brain seeks patterns in its search for meaning.
(making connections are essential)
• Emotions affect all aspects of learning, retention,
and recall. (novelty seeker)
• Past experiences always affect new learning.
(knowing your students is essential)
• The brain’s working memory has limited capacity.
(hippocampus)
• Lecture usually results in the lowest degree of
retention.
• Rehearsal is essential for retention.
• Each brain is unique.