Re: use 100% of your brain...
Posted by Sparrow on Jun 11, 2002 at 19:14
(209.161.69.191)Re: use 100% of your brain... (Mike Kremer)
I am writing several neuro-educationally based papers in this area (brain plasticity and its impact on the classroom), and while I can't bore you with the details, let me share this:
The Brain (by capitalizing "Brain," I mean the functioning as opposed to the anatomical brain) learns by experience and language is the coding medium for communicating that experience between individuals -- spoken and written language, both. Optimal conditions mean optimal learning, so nutrition has to be adequate or better (Calcium, especially, so it appears, because both short term and long term memory require it, but also iron and magnesium); emotional and physical environments must be optimal (your tidy whities can't be 2 sizes too small or it cramps and competes for the guys' attention, and I doubt that playing with one's tongue stud contributes positively to one's attention); and the teacher must be optimal -- Socratic teaching methods are superb!
The ability to analyse visaul and auditory data temporally is a major factor, which is why "jump cuts" in MTV and major motion pictures concerns me as a singificant factor in the dumbing down of American -- and other first and second-world country -- students. (Has anyone compared school and homework hours vs. TV hours in Asian schools vs. the USA statistics? -- it'd be very interesting, I bet.)
I am especially curious and excited about the changes that occur as LD children learn to analyse and reproduce geometrics -- diagonals, especially. I have a pet theory that Giotto's discovery of perspective in art was responsible for the Italian Renaissance, and I recently found a paper by a psychiatrist who has postulated the same thing. Goeometric visualization from 2-D to 3-D and vice versa is POWERFUL in the Brain.
There was a thread below about some of this, DK how long ago -- seems like about three or four weeks ago -- if I find it, I'll post the URL.
We just need to get teachers to be like Natalie and start using what they know about teaching theory and skills and multisensory experiences in learning instead of just following the book publishers' lead....
[I may be speaking out of turn, Natalie, forgive me if I've misinterpreted what I've concluded about you and your style.]
Applying what the neurobiologists know to the classroom will be the great breakthrough of the 21st century.
8^)