Intro to the Brain - Learning Log

What?
This week in class we studied the parts of the brain, what they do, and how they interact with each other. I learned that there isn't a single part of the brain that "does" anything by itself, which means that all of the parts work together. During the Jig Saw activity, everyone went around and talked about the specific part of the brain that they had researched and I was amazed at how much overlapping there is between all of the different parts and their functions. Me and my partner researched the temporal lobe and discovered some interesting facts. The temporal lobe is located on both sides of our brain and it assists in the perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech. As well as many other parts of the brain, the temporal lobe also plays a role in our emotional responses due to its close relation with the hippocampus. As the other members of my group presented on their parts of the brain, I discovered many functions and similarities between their researched area of the brain and the temporal lobe. It really made me think about how the entire brain and it's pieces all work together. Another interesting thing that I learned about the brain is how the neurons communicate with each other and how that results in what we are able to learn and remember. As the neurons and synapse work together, they are continually building connections and this is how we learn.

So What?
I believe that understanding the brain and how it functions is extremely important to know as an educator. If we can understand the human brain, and especially the adolescent brain, this will not only help us to develop our curriculum, but it will help us understand our students on a different level. Although it is impossible to know what they are thinking, we can have a better understanding of how and why our students think and learn the way that they do. We already know that each of our students learn at different levels and different ways, but it is critical that we understand WHY this is and how we can best adapt to it. If we can do this, we will be able to connect with our students and assist them throughout their learning process.

Now What?
One thing that I would like to study further is how the adolescent brain differs from a fully developed brain. The extra credit assignment that was given in class seems like a great opportunity for me to research and gain more knowledge on how understanding the brain and applying it to my adolescent students can help me as a teacher. If I can apply what I know about the brain and how it works to my lessons, I will be a much more effective teacher. I think it is very important that we understand HOW our students learn in order to teach them.