PBS Frontline recently presented a show called digital_nation: life on the virtual frontier.
1. Watch the first section of the show.
2. Talk about it with your group.
3. Blog about your discussion.
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Brain Rules Mind Map by Johan D’Haeseleer.
Click on the book to see the film.
West High School Davenport, Iowa Home of Freddy Falcon
Dan Meyer--Math Class Needs a Makeover
A Tale of Two Brains
School Hoping for Sweet Smell of Success
Belfast Telegraph--April 23, 2010
A primary school is hoping the whiff of peppermint and the sound of running water can help boost pupils' results.
All Saints Catholic Primary School in Liverpool is taking part in a four-week experiment designed to see if smells and sounds help youngsters' concentration skills and their ability to remember information. The smell of peppermint is being pumped into one classroom, while the other group of children will listen to sounds such as running water and rustling leaves.
The youngsters will take a daily five-minute computer test to see if the experiment is helping their learning.
A primary school is hoping the whiff of peppermint and the sound of running water can help boost pupils' results.
All Saints Catholic Primary School in Liverpool is taking part in a four-week experiment designed to see if smells and sounds help youngsters' concentration skills and their ability to remember information. The smell of peppermint is being pumped into one classroom, while the other group of children will listen to sounds such as running water and rustling leaves.
The youngsters will take a daily five-minute computer test to see if the experiment is helping their learning.
Stress
Interesting Articles About Sleep
Memory Games
Literary critics scan the brain to find out why we love to read
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Michael Merzenich On Re-wiring The Brain
Discussion Dates--all held in LMC from 3:10-4:10 PM
- Discussion # 1--February 18
- Discussion #2--March 4
- Discussion #3--March 25
- Discussion #4--April 8
- Discussion #5--April 15
- Discussion #6--April 22
- Discussion #7--April 29
- Discussion #8--May 6
- Discussion #9--May 13
- Discussion #10--May 20
- Discussion #11 and #12--May 27
President Kennedy Tried This Before Us...
Discussion Questions for Rule #2
1. Talk about evolution and its meaning. Our mind evolution has made us dominant in our known universe. Mirroring, autism, schizophrenia...how do our interacting minds affect classroom relationships?
2. It has been said that when a teacher "yells" at a student, it takes the whole class 20 minutes to recover from the stress. Any ideas about stress management for ourselves and our classrooms?
3. Speaking of stress, the article "Get Smarter" speaks of an era of rapid change that compares to the changing environment of the Ice Age. As we make the transition from the Holocene epoch into the Nőo epoch, what can we expect? What signs of the Nőo epoch do you already see?
2. It has been said that when a teacher "yells" at a student, it takes the whole class 20 minutes to recover from the stress. Any ideas about stress management for ourselves and our classrooms?
3. Speaking of stress, the article "Get Smarter" speaks of an era of rapid change that compares to the changing environment of the Ice Age. As we make the transition from the Holocene epoch into the Nőo epoch, what can we expect? What signs of the Nőo epoch do you already see?
Followers
Brain Rules Mind Map by Johan D’Haeseleer.
Brain Rules Film
Click on the book to see the film.
They only think they are "bored". They really don't know how total focus feels and they should. My favorite comment is when they very seriously inform me that they learn better when they listen to music. Ha! I ask if they have done a study on this...if they compaired their work with a quiet session and with a music session and they either say no or that they just know they learn better with music. How to show them/us that we need time and quiet to focus is a real challenge.
ReplyDeleteIt would be good to have students look for information to prove their point. Then to get the qualifications of the researcher and do some debate over findings.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt we watched about "dummying down" was quite interesting. Even though the students thought they did well multitasking, it was evident from the "experiments" they certainly were not effective nor efficient while they did multitask. The video we watched connected well with chapter 4 about multitasking and how our brain cannot multitask. The idea of lecture designs with 10-minute segments was similar to the information from our last meeting.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading chapter 4 about learning in short ten-minute segments and the inability of people to multi-task. The Frontline show was excellent, and I want to see the rest, especially the part about "The Dumbest Generation." Classical psychology says that you cannot do two things at once. If you try, it will take you much longer, and you may not be as effective as if you had worked on session. I also enjoyed the article on memories, that stornger and more lsting memories happen when a person is relaxed. I learned about theta waves that are associated with daydreaming and relaxation and drowsiness. Memory related neurons have to be in sync with brain waves.
ReplyDeleteI was not surprised by the STRONG link between paying attention and learning. However, I what I don't get is why students don't listen when you remind them of that! Better attention = better learning! Just today a student of mine was "multitasking". I told her about the research I had just read and received a response from her "I can do it". Go figure! I am fascinated that there are 4 sequential steps that have to happen in sequence. Shift alert, rule activation, disengagement, and rule activation for task #2. No one can multitask!
ReplyDeleteAttention influenced by culture and gene
Experience predicts where we should pay attention. Urban Asians pay attention to the context of the visual scene. Context perceptions are weaker. I've noticed this with an ESL student I have in an upper level course. Even with a tutor, if he doesn't have a visual his ability to learn seems more difficult with written notes. Visual stimulation would be helpful and engaging for all students. However, not all the time! Novel stimuli, unusual or unpredictable arouse attention.
Emotions (events) are better remembered than neutral events. I found the mention of our ancestors very interesting - they had to remember such events in order to survive.
Back in my childhood days, most students paid attention to avoid the feeling of embarrassment if the teacher called on them. Nowadays most students don't seem to be affected by that and even ask "can you repeat that again".
Memory is enhance by making connections to concepts. I think technology is all right to use if it fulfills this task and all are paying attention!
I liked the comment Ann made. Hopefully these MIT students aren't performing surgery while checking facebook. Multi-tasking is not a way to make focusing easier.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, when speaking about "hooks", I think teachers use a "hook" more often than they are aware of. I agree that we aren't in the classroom as performers and shouldn't be required to entertain, but just by simply relating the topic to our lives or something related to the students' lives we are creating a hook and therefore potential focus. That's the goal right?
Our group discussed how we are told as teachers that we need to switch activities every 10-20 minutes to keep the students attention, but maybe we are doing them a disservice by not giving them opportunities to really sit and focus on one topic at a time. We talked about how we wouldn’t want a surgeon listening to his or her iPod or checking Facebook while performing surgery, so why should students be doing those activities while trying to learn. Many students who claim that they can multitask probably in reality are not so good at it. I know that as a student, I found that I could not multitask when it came to studying or learning. I guess the key is finding a way to keep the student’s attention during an entire class period. I personally find it challenging to try and change activities and keep the students engaged all the time. Sometimes, there are lessons that are just necessary for content, but are hard to make super fun and stimulating for students.
ReplyDeleteWe talked heavily on the activity change idea about every 10 minutes. I find this difficult to believe because I have always learned that the attention span of a person is + or – 2 minutes from their age. This seems more plausible with other people showing that this is just a number and can be changed. Think about some surgery story that you have heard, or some mother delivering a child. Does this take about 10 minutes or should they stop in the middle of labor and say wait, I am losing attention. No! This shows that it is possible for students to have longer attention spans than 10 minutes. Well my attention is shot and am going to …..
ReplyDeleteThere is no question that the students are convinced that they do better multi-tasking. So the question is how to convince them that that may not be correct. I have also found a huge difference in how much time students will work to learn a new concept. If it is not quickly learned, some students become uninterested and unwilling to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteHomework – repetition on is what they prefer. Doing one problem type over and over again. No thinking, just mechanically doing it. My new insight is that they are able to multitask while doing this and still complete the assignment (and of course, get the credit). Learning a new process, however, needs to engage more of the brain.
So what happens in the next generation? We have high school students and we are seeing educational standards slip. As teachers, what is our responsibility? Do we keep the same standards and have more students be unsuccessful, or change what we except. Less will never be more…
What are the implications for the block system????
What an opportunity this could be to use the Scientific Method to investigate multi-tasking and learning. For decent results, students would need to volunteer to be in one group or the other -- they just might sabotage things if they were forced into one or the other. Imagine that.
ReplyDeleteOur group discussed the idea of inserting a hook every 10 minutes, and how intense that might seem. Yet, most of us make personal connections in order to make our content relevant. We commented on the irony of in-service time devoted to differentiated instruction being taught with sit-still-and-listen-for-2-hours as the strategy.
I am witnessing the effects of technology on my 19-month-old granddaughter. I will encourage my daughter and son-in-law to watch the 90 minute video.
I think the biggest problem facing the United States and the world as a whole is the de-motivation of the youth. I think technology is a big player in this problem. I at times think as teachers we are enforcing this as well. The Brain Rules book wants use to break things into ten minute increments and provide a hook in between.
ReplyDeleteI chunk material in my class, but I think if we do it every ten minutes as a rule we also are doing a disservice. Things out side of school are boring and last longer, our students need to adapt to the real world instead of it and school adapting to them.
I know there is a happy medium some where, but as a school district are we really trying to address this? I am really not trying to play the doom and gloom card, but I don’t feel these questions are being asked. Does anybody else have any thoughts?
Stupid computer deleted everything because I wanted to remove an "a" so I guess I'll pass on this topic :>(
ReplyDeleteCh4 Attention
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time I'm writing, I keep getting my blogs lost somewhere in the digit zone.
I like the four main points of the chapter:
1) Emotions get our attention
2) Meaning before details
3) The brain cannot multitask
4) The brain needs a break
I don't know if I can do the Lecture design of 10min segements, would take alot of work and wouldn't get alot done. This would require a change in socialization skills of both teachers and students.
As a driver ed teacher the multitasking is key. But adults and teens think they can drive and talk on the cell phone or text. How stupid. Sooner or later it will catch up with you, just like drinking & driving.