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Neurodevelopment Teaching Tip of the Month August 2011 |
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How exactly do our children learn? Modern research and advancements in MRIs and other imaging tools have provided important insights into how the
brain processes information and stores it for future use – otherwise known as learning. The components of human intellect and how these are influenced
by personality and thinking style have shown us how to tap into a child’s unique learning style.
Neurodevelopmental research offers suggestions for stimulating certain processes in the brain to compensate for poor development or enhance regular development of key brain connections. Nutritionists and chiropractors highlight specific conditions that can hinder or heighten the brain’s effectiveness. The SOI (Structures of Intellect) model, for example, helps us identify specific skill areas that a child may excel at or struggle with. If you picture a three-dimensional cube, one dimension deals with the type of content being learned – figural, symbolic, or semantic. A second dimension deals with the operation required – cognition (recognition and understanding), memory, evaluation, convergent problem-solving, and divergent creativity. The third dimension describes the classification of products being used or analyzed – units, classes, relations, systems, transformations, and implications. Such models and input almost make it seem as if learning can be observed and documented as a science. Almost, but not quite. Ask any homeschooling family and they will give you plenty of “exceptions” to the rules of learning. What works with one child doesn’t work with another. As much as we would love to follow a tried and proven system for learning, it just doesn’t exist. Why not? The fourth dimension. When all is said and tried, one important factor impacts learning. It does show up in brain imaging to a certain extent, but it is impossible to isolate and quantify. It’s the heart.
You may be convinced that your highly active primary-aged son cannot sit still long enough to do schoolwork, but give him something he is interested in, that stimulates his heart and mind, and he can sit engrossed in the activity for hours. And despite what you may think in terms of your curriculum’s scope and sequence, he is learning. Interest level, attitude, and character, all influence learning and the effectiveness of your home training. Lack of success in academics can produce a negative attitude toward learning that further hinders the brain’s ability to process information. Family problems, unchecked selfish desires, and lack of consistent biblical discipline have all been shown to affect the electro-chemical reactions in the brain and, in turn, inhibit learning. The flip side is true, too. An unstressed, loving family environment, a positive attitude, and realistic encouragement produces just the right chemical balance for the brain to charge effectively and efficiently. Ruth Beechick addresses this in her book, Heart & Mind – What the Bible Says About Learning.
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