The Brain is Freaky
The Brain is Freaky
Albert Einstein once said "Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Smilkstein believes there is a natural human learning process (NHLP), neuron growth and structure is like a tree, synaptic firing is similar to a spark plug and she says that emotions affect the way a person learns, this process helps people to learn new things.
According to Smilkstein, there are 6 stages of learning known as the Natural Human Learning Process (NHLP). Smilkstein believes we learn through these stages by constructing knowledge through sequential stages. The first stage is motivation in this stage you basically must be motivated to learn something, maybe because it's fun or expected of you. Second is the beginning practice stage here is where you experience what you're learning hands on or trial and error. In this stage, you will ask questions and observe. Stage three is advanced practice is where you focus and practice repeatedly. In this stage, you will work with others and experiment. Stage four is called skillfulness. This is when a person will start to achieve success and get feedback from others. One might start to enjoy what they are doing, known as the “Aha” moment in the learning process. In Stage Five refinement you challenge yourself and compete. You work hard to improve your skills. Stage six mastery is when you start to share your skills. You may teach others your skill and or perform what you have learned. These six stages are how the brain learns new skills.
When I learn how to draw, I learned in the six stages Smilkstein believes to be how the brain learns. My motivation to learn how to draw was that I want to challenge myself to be able to draw the pictures without tracing them. I began to practice by eyeing the original picture and draw what I see on another piece of paper. Sometimes I would ask the art room director at the boys and girls club to help show me how to get better. Then I start my advanced practice, I would focus and draw more things hard things. Later in skillfulness, I started taking art classes in high school where I would practice and show off my skill. My teacher would keep my art and display it in the showcase. My teacher helped me refine my skill by challenging to add my own spin to my art. I have yet to meet mastery, but I can teach some of the technics I have learned during this journey.
In NHLP, neuron growth and structure is similar to a tree's structure and development. When one starts to learn something new the neuron, also known as the nerve cell in the brain grows dendrites. A neuron has thousands of dendrites, which receive chemical messages from other neuron's axons in the synapses. The dendrites create a tree like structure with branches and twigs. Dendrite connects to the cell body, which connects the “tree trunk” axon and myelin sheath. The axon terminal bulbs would be more like the roots of the tree. When a person starts to know certain things, the dendrite has grown specific neuron that connects at specific synapses to create larger and more complex specific neural networks. (Smilkstein Chap. 3)
Synaptic firing is similar to a spark plug firing on a car. Synaptic gaps are the gaps that cause the neuron to grow and dendrite to keep developing. There are two kinds of hormones that can be released into the synapses, endorphin, and noradrenaline. Endorphin is a hormone that is produced when emotions are affecting learning. Noradrenaline is produced whenever a person feels stressed. Stress causes synaptic firing to happen. Noradrenaline can be like having water in your gas tank, it impedes a person.
Emotion affects people's ability to learn. When a person is overwhelming or do not understand something it causes stress. Which means endorphin and noradrenaline will be produced, preventing a person from learning. For example, when my college professor calls on me unexpectedly and I am forced to answer his question, this causes me much stress. This even happens sometimes when I am under pressure because I am about to take a test or exam. There are many things that cause stress for a study so much to do in so little time, etc. But these can be prevented with strategies.
To avoid letting my emotions get in the way of my learning, I’ve decided to take a few strategies from The Study Guides website. One of these strategies is time management, which means creating a schedule, setting goals, and creating a to-do list. Another would be preparing for classroom discussions. Listen closely and paying attention will help with being engaged in the conversation. Overcoming stress that interferes with the learning process is all about strategies and having another way to deal with the problem you are faced with. (Study Guides and Strategies)
Work Cited
Smilkstein, Rita. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create Today's Curriculum, 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, Cal.: Corwin, 2011
Study Guides and Strategies Studygs.net n.d 10 Feb. 2016 Study Guides and Strategies
<http://www.studygs.net/>
Quotes Brainyquotes.com n.d 11 Feb. 2016 Brainy
<http://www.brainyquotes.com/>
