| HomeschoolingResourceCenter.org Home | Search | About Us | Contact Us |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Neurodevelopment Teaching Tip of the Month September 2011 |
We humans take a lot for granted. Especially things we experience every day. Like learning. We automatically assume that when we teach, someone learns. If we realized
what must take place for learning to occur, instead we might be amazed that learning even takes place.
Neurologists recognize four major gateways in the learning process. Not surprisingly, they correspond to the four levels of knowing found in the Bible. The four gateways are: receiving, processing, storing, and utilizing. The first gateway – receiving – enables us to survive the onslaught of information, data, and stimuli that we are bombarded with every minute. The brain acts as a filter, making split-second decisions as to what to pay attention to and what to ignore. The two main ways we receive this information are through the eyes and ears. The other senses, including touch, are also involved, but to a lesser degree for most people. Any learning style profile should identify the student’s primary sense mode. Since hearing and seeing are so integral to the receiving gateway, any impairment can impact learning. Eye exams usually only check for near- and far-sightedness. If your child is struggling in learning, consider checking for convergence (the eyes working together), peripheral vision (seeing too much from the sides of the visual field), underdeveloped central vision (not seeing enough detail right in front), ocular pursuits (the ability to track or move from left to right and from line to line), saccades (a related tracking issue where the eye jumps from one fixation point to another), binocularity (the ability to obtain a single, clear, concise picture from the two visions of field), and stereopsis (depth perception). Hearing tests also typically only measure hearing levels. Other common problems include: hypersensitivity to sound, tinnitus (ringing or sounds in the ear), and ear fluid issues that cause inconsistencies in hearing. The second gateway – processing – is a temporary holding tank. This allows the brain to evaluate the information that has been received, deciding what is important and how it relates to what is already known. This holding tank is referred to as short-term memory because it holds the information for only a few seconds. There is both visual and auditory short-term memory. It is at this point that the brain decides whether to process the information further or “junk” it. How much information can be processed in short-term memory varies with age, although there seems to be a maximum of about 7 bits of data for most people. Struggling students tend to have underdeveloped short-term memory banks; they lose the information before their brain can decide what to do with it. The third gateway – storing – is the “office filing system” of the brain, and it contains two steps: active working memory and long-term memory. Active working memory receives the information that the brain processed from short-term memory. It enables us to use the information to do a task, solve a problem, or complete an assignment. Once done, the brain then decides whether to process the information further into long-term memory or “dump” it. To move it to long-term memory where it can be used again, the student must interact with the information in a meaningful way – something that also depends on the child’s learning style. How information is stored here depends on the child’s thinking style. It can be very ordered such as an alphabetical filing system or it can appear very random, like haphazard piles of papers on a desk. The ordered method is much more efficient; the random method sparks creativity and thinking “outside the box.” To complicate matters, certain types of information are stored in one or the other hemisphere of the brain AND this can change depending on the child’s learning style and dominant hemisphere. Which brings us to the fourth gateway – utilizing – the brain’s ability to retrieve information from the filing system. Not surprisingly, how information is used is also dependent on the child’s learning style. Some students tend to draw out data in a very logical, step-by-step process, building each detail until the process is complete. Others pull data from all the different “piles” to create their own view of what is important and how it all fits together. Superimposed over this entire thinking system that we call the mind is the role of the soul. Our emotions and attitudes literally impact how effectively and efficiently the brain functions in a physical, tangible way – by changing the chemicals released in the body. The mix of chemicals determines how well the brain processes. Students in a loving, relaxed environment tend to do better while students in hostile, stressed environments tend to have reduced functioning. This includes students who have become convinced they cannot learn. This in turn impacts processing, which sends them further into the downward spiral. When there are issues at any of these gateways, usually the child and the parent don’t even realize it. All the parent sees is laziness, rebellion, or refusal to stay focused. All the child feels is disconnected, bored, or fatigued. If these behaviors keep cropping up or persist for extended periods, try making closer observations at each step of the learning process. Take note of each gateway and where hang-ups seem to occur. This will help you isolate the underlying problem and will assist any medical professionals or learning consultants who may be required. 890 Words To view more 'Teaching Tips' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
