Topic 3: Cognitive Development
With regards to this week's questions, I thought it would be a nice refresher to have a list of all of the Brain Rules.
SURVIVAL: The human brain evolved, too.
EXERCISE: Exercise boosts brain power.
SLEEP: Sleep well, think well.
STRESS: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
WIRING: Every brain is wired differently.
ATTENTION: We don't pay attention to boring things.
MEMORY: Repeat to remember.
SENSORY INTEGRATION: Stimulate more of the senses.
VISION: Vision trumps all other senses.
MUSIC: Study or listen to boost cognition.
GENDER: Male and female brains are different.
EXPLORATION: We are powerful and natural explorers.
I have listed the various brain rules above, accompanied by the links to their descriptions. I think one way that I would design my classroom/lessons to be more brain rule friendly would be to encourage differentiated instruction. In another one of my classes, EDPY 301: Inclusive Education, we talk about the importance of acknowledging differences in the classroom. Some students learn better by listening to music, others learn better by having intermittent exercise breaks. Others prefer to just read and look at things to understand and learn them, rather than listening to lectures or listening to audio tapes. Sometimes, if students aren't in a classroom where they can have a comfortable and productive environment, they aren't able to pay attention, becoming restless, stressed, and unproductive. I think it is important to acknowledge that EVERYBODY and "every brain is wired differently" (Medina, 2015)). Having a differentiated classroom could potentially create a "more brain rule friendly" classroom. I think one of the ways that I would foster this environment would be to having a set of clear rules and accommodations for the classroom. For students who need intermittent exercise breaks, I would have an exercise corner that students could go to if they need a little stretch break, though they would have to promise not to disturb the other students. For students who learn with music, there would be a rule in the classroom that allowed students to review their notes, after the lecture/ presentation portion of the class was finished, while listening to music. I would have an online folder on whatever school database (e.g. schoolzone) that has different methods of learning the same thing through different methods: audio, visual, hands-on, etc. I would also have a rule that there would be no more than 15 minutes of homework a day to allow students to get an appropriate amount of sleep, and opportunities for them to get extra help if they are confused with a topic, to avoid extra stress. These ideas are just a couple of the rules/accommodations that I would have in the room to foster a differentiated learning environment that would accommodate for the brain rules better than a traditional classroom. A differentiated classroom accommodates for a bunch of different learning profiles, which brings together a large number of the Brain Rules that are listed above.
Resources:
Medina, J. (2015) Brain Rules. Website.
Tomlinson, C.A., Hutchinson, N. (2015). Inclusive Education: Second Custom Edition for the University of Alberta. Pearson. print.
*Note: The bottom left diagram shows how the brain develops during adolescence, which plays a major role in cognitive development. This diagram was taken from the following link: The Brain. This draws attention to how actual brain development going on during adolescence and during the transition from childhood to adolescence contributes to major cognitive changes and developments.
** Note: The bottom right picture/ diagrams chosen for this page are "Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development". They show the different stages of developmental transition that an adolescent goes through starting with the transition from a child to an adolescent, then the transition from adolescent to adult. It shows the developments that accompany these different stages of a person's life. Piaget's model was an important topic that was discussed in our textbook, Adolescence, which is why I chose this as one of the supports and artifacts for this post. This diagram was taken from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/human-development-14/adolescence-73/cognitive-development-in-adolescence-283-12818/
