A professor says that there is an ART to CHANGING the BRAIN
Practice and Emotion
What causes the changes that take place in the brain when we learn? This question has two answers, both of which are essential to understanding the art of changing the brain.
Practice. Neurons, or the cells of the brain, possess biochemical pathways that make them grow and reach out to other neurons whenever they are active. When we practice something, the neurons that control and drive that action fire repeatedly. If a neuron fires frequently, it grows and extends itself out toward other neurons, much like the branches of bushes in your backyard reach out and touch one another as they grow. Particularly in the cortex, neurons that fire more frequently will also reach out more frequently. Neurons do more than reach out, though: They actually connect. The branches of our backyard bushes don't do this. Each bush remains independent, even when many branches touch one another. But neurons can actually begin to send signals to one another if the places where they touch can transport those signals. These signaling connections are the famous synapses. Synapses convert the isolated neurons into a buzzing network of neurons. The bushes begin to talk to one another. In place of individual bushes, we have an entire hedge of neurons sending signals back and forth through millions of synapses. These networks are the physical equivalent of knowledge, and the change in the connections that make up the networks is learning.
Emotion. To create and change this buzzing network, we need more than just activity—we need emotion. And for the brain, emotion means such emotion chemicals as adrenalin (fight or flight), dopamine (reward), or even serotonin (sleep and peace). When our network connections are awash with emotion chemicals, synapse strength is modified and the responsiveness of neuron networks can be dramatically changed (Brembs, Lorenzetti, Reys, Baxter, & Byrne, 2002)
I find myself always looking for new ideas about teaching that
are suggested by our growing understanding of the physical brain. Here are several candidates. Don't Explain ... When I began to understand knowledge as consisting of networks of neurons, it dawned on me—powerfully—that my students' knowledge was actually physically different from my own. Particularly in my specialty, biochemistry, our networks differed. ... I had to use my own networks; and for my students to understand it, they had to use theirs. Maybe the two sets of networks were just too different. So I reduced my explanations and instead turned to demonstrations, metaphors, and stories. As much as possible I tried to show rather than explain things. And when explaining seemed inescapable, I asked other students to do it, reasoning that their networks were a better match with those of their peers. I turned away from explanations for another reason: I realized that explaining negates the emotion needed for changing the brain. Explanation transfers the power from the learner to the teacher. But neuroscience tells us that the positive emotions in learning are generated in the parts of the brain that are used most heavily when students develop their own ideas. .... The biochemical rewards of learning are not provided by explanations but by student ownership.
Build on Errors As I began to explain less, I came up with more ideas that had once seemed counterintuitive. ... I began to welcome student errors. They became my raw materials for helping students build knowledge. Instead of thinking that my job was to eradicate error, I sought it out. It was futile to imagine that I could eliminate students' existing neuronal networks with a shake of my head or a red mark with a pen. Instead I saw student errors as clues for teaching. Errors help identify gaps in student networks and provide ideas for how to build on those networks. ... So, even though my ideas were wrong, they were important. As I discover these subtleties and understand why my original ideas didn't work, I begin to take ownership of the problem. Rather than memorizing the correct answer and depending on an expert authority for it, I create my own understanding. By asking what it means to be closer to the sun, how much closer makes a difference, and why directness might matter, I build on my incomplete networks, fill in the gaps, and ultimately create a correct set of networks. I not only know the answer but also understand it.
Engage the Whole Brain
Another way we can become more artistic in our teaching is to develop ways to engage several regions of the brain in learning. In particular, let's focus on different regions of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain most closely associated with cognitive functions. A useful, although greatly simplified, way to view the cerebral cortex is to divide it into four major regions with different functions (see fig. 1): sensory cortex (getting information); integrative cortex near the sensory cortex (making meaning of information); integrative cortex in the front (creating new ideas from these meanings); and motor cortex (acting on those ideas). If teachers provide experiences and assignments that engage all four areas of the cortex, they can expect deeper learning than if they engage fewer regions. The more brain areas we use, the more neurons fire and the more neural networks change—and thus the more learning occurs.
We might first expose students to a chemistry idea through reading or a lecture (gathering information), then ask them to think about the idea and write out its meaning in their own words (making meaning), then assign them to work in pairs to develop a theory about the idea (creating new ideas), and finally encourage them to explain their theory to the teacher or the class (actively testing ideas). The last step generates new experience (information and feedback) and the pillars can then be repeated.
1. Gathering information: We might first expose students to a chemistry idea through reading or a lecture.
2. Making meaning: Then ask them to think about the idea and write out its meaning in their own words.
3. Creating new ideas: Then assign them to work in pairs to develop a theory about the idea, and finally...
4. Actively testing ideas: Encourage them to explain their theory to the teacher or the class.
The last step generates new experience (information and feedback) and the pillars can then be repeated.
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