Does it surprise anyone that tweens are most interested in themselves?
After reading through the "cliff notes" on the biochemistry of learning on pages 32-36 what did you know already and what important aspects did your learn? With this in mind how will you change your instructional/relationship practice?
How do you feel about the sharing of the complexities of how students learn with the students?
Which of the brain-centric activities sounds most useful to you for your students?
Check out one of the additional resources/further research and comment about it.
It was not a surprise that Tweens are more interested in themselves!!
ReplyDelete"Cliff note" section brought back memories of my first three years of teaching...it was all about brain based learning. It was good to be reminded of the process.
I'm pretty sure that in 7th grade science they cover some of this.
I think it is a great idea to give them a "cliff note version" of how they learn. I really like the KWLH and the flash a picture in PowerPoint.
I searched edutopia.org. There was a discussion called...Feeling Creatures that Think, Instead of Thinking Creatures Who Feel. This is the link...http://www.edutopia.org/groups/social-emotional-learning/459011
I thought is was very interesting that someone was trying to start a discussion on what this chapter was about!! I didn't comment...but other might want to do that.
I was not surprised that teens are most interested in themselves. This is very evident most days :) After reading the "Clilff Notes," I found it very interesting that the part of the brain that monitors emotion is also the part that decides where information is stored! This is not working to our advantage for sure. While we certainly can't control their emotions, it does help to see the importance we should place on relevance and making connections. At least if they are able to connect it to earlier learning, it has a greater chance of making it to long term memory.
ReplyDeleteThe brain-centric activities I liked the most were the "Syn-Naps," KWHL, and Instantaneous Think Aloud. I would like to try to incorporate at least two of these this year.
I watched the TED video on brain plasticity, and I felt like I am sure my students feel sometimes...overwhelmed and distracted. I did gather that the brain's exposure and environment in infancy plays a large role in it's ability later. This is not surprising. Additionally, it suggested that there were certain things that could be done to help fix the problem that students have with reading when it is directly linked to language problems.
I loved reading about how the tween brain works. It helped me to understand why I need to constantly keep the students moving and changing in my classroom. I knew that it was something that teachers can do to help their students to learn, I just didn't understand why it worked. This "Cliff Notes" section will help me to keep focused on developing my lessons so the maximum amount of knowledge will make it to the long-term memory of my tween students.
ReplyDeleteI really love her idea of flashing a random picture in PowerPoint slideshows. I often use slideshows and I think it will give my students a needed jumpstart! I also like her idea of allowing students to drink water in class, but I wonder how we can make this work. I know they get thirsty, so this makes sense to me. How can we make sure what they bring in is actually water, will it be more of a distraction then helpful, will it cause more students to need bathroom breaks (which would be another huge distraction)?
I tried to look at the Neuroscience for kids page, but her link didn't work. I Googled it and found a cool website with brain games that I think the students would really enjoy -http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chgames.html
Seeing the facts on a tween brain really makes me see the why behind some of what we already know. I have used and have seen some teachers use some forms of these brain centric activities, particularly the one about attaching a lesson to music. That worked for me as a learner, so I often used it with students. Also, the KWLH is a great one because if you have students thinking about the how, you are helping them with critical thinking skills and helping them to realize what works for them in learning. This can be applied in their future activities. This chapter gives credibility and validation to why those strategies are effective.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really good to teach tweens how they learn. It can organize focus in them as learners just like it can in us as teachers. As the chapter pointed out, THEY are important to them, so they will soak up information and learning that is centered on them. That can help them in so many ways.
I found the breakdown of the key words interesting. My favorite was "Syn-naps". I thought about instances where math students are having trouble getting concepts and having time to take a breather of sorts would be more beneficial instead of trying to drill in the problem.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite activities tend to be easily applied. I definitely want to try the yawn before the test. I think the students might get the "placebo effect" just from knowing that it is supposed to help:) I try to work in music with current math concepts. Now, I have research-based support that I am actually making the material memorable so that the RAF filter deems note-worthy.
I visited the slimgoodbody website. It looks primarily like a health website. This site would be helpful for health education. As a math teacher, it might be incorporated in a cross curricular unit on caloric intake, but again not a resource that I would find useful for everyday application.
I was not surprised to read that Tweens are more interested in themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the "Cliff Notes" section. I remember learning about some of these things in my education classes in college, but I haven't thought a lot about them in a long time. I will try to remember to switch activities or do something spontaneous every 10 minutes or so in order to wake up the students' brains (and maybe mine, too).
I think I will try rotating seats occasionally as she suggests. I think this is a great way to wake up the students and get their attention.
I also love that she suggested incorporating music into lessons. I love using music in my class, and Iwill continue looking for new ways to do so. I also like the "flash a picture between PowerPoint and keynote slides" and the "instantaneous think aloud." I plan to try both.
I looked at radteach.com. I read an article called "Want Children to 'Pay Attention' Make Their Brains Curious" by Dr. Judy Willis. She says that we now have neuroscience of learning research that shows that teachers must avoid "forced instruction." She suggests doing things to get the students' attention,
such as using clues or puzzle pieces that would allow students to predict what lesson could be coming up, playing a song when students enter the room, and placing a mundane object, like a radish, on the students' desks so that when they enter the room, they are already actively engaged and motivated to find out why the object is there.
This entire chapter was my cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteIt was helpful to be refreshed on how the tween brain works!
I love the idea of the unexpected to awaken my students' tween brains! I suppose one obstacle for me would be that I exercise will power. I do not need to do so many "unexpected" things that the students come to "expect" them. It would diminish the power.
Music livens up the room! Love it! Playing current, yet suitable music, is an enjoyable way to teach literary elements. An example would be "Fireworks", by Katy Perry. It is great for metaphors and similes. (I don't think my idea is original. I am just commenting on how I have used music in the past.) Like Candace, I will continue to look for more ways to incorporate it into my lessons.
@ JSticker I have concerns about the water, also. The distraction is one thing, but I wonder if we can always count on the water being "just water". However, I know that they get thirsty and it should be considered. I would be more supportive if students had to purchase the water from the school, and we could see them break the seal. Too much can get into water bottles brought from home.
@Candace Love the radish idea!
@jsticker @jenniferablesbenefield
ReplyDeleteAt the school I taught at before coming to MVMS, students were actually allowed to eat and drink in the classrooms. There were several drink and snack machines in the building. Maybe if we had a drink machine that sold bottled water, we might could allow the kids to bring in only bottled water that they purchased at school??? Just a thought. It might still be difficult to "police."
Sorry to be late to the conversation: I am not at all surprised that tweens are most interested in themselves! Having one at the house emphasizes that point daily :o/
ReplyDeleteTeaching a subject where I get to see learning growth over a long period of time (2-3 years), I definitely agree with her point that people are not born to one certain intelligence level and stay that way. I love having the opportunity to work long-term with my students to improve their achievement, and get to see that change from year to year. It also gives me the opportunity to see what methods are working and what doesn't as they grow.
I particularly liked the description of the journey of a piece of information. I have seen that glazed eye look enough times to know I need to do something and I appreciate these ideas for 'waking up' the students so that learning sticks. I liked the insert a picture in the powerpoint and will definitely try this! I also liked the idea of the yawn before a test and want to test this in terms of playing a wind instrument and how it might help.
I read an article on www.edutopia.org about balancing the Digital and Physical 'Now' for tweens--some interesting insights into the instant gratification of digital communication and taking the time to be in the physical now without any electronic stimulus to distract.