The video below is a pretty cool musical that talks about the study of the brain.
Watch the presentation and complete the practice activities that are embedded in it to better understand how the brain learns.
*Note: I am mainly putting this presentation in here to remind me that I want to offer lectures in an online format and this is my favorite way that I have seen so far.
Below is another video of a pretty cool review of the brain and some implications of neuroscience findings for learning.
One of the theories and methods of teaching I learned about today was Whole Brain Teaching. This next video is an example of it. I really like the concept and want to try to implement it in my own classroom one day.
Assignment: Answer and discuss the following questions:
Sleep
Questions to answer:
- How does sleep impact attention and memory?
- How much sleep do adolescents need? Adults?
- How do circadian rhythms change during adolescence?
My response:
Harvard has been doing research studies that show how sleep plays an important role in memory. As I read their research on their website I was reminded of an episode from The Big Bang Theory. This episode is about Sheldon trying to solve a physics problem but can't find the solution and stays up for days trying to solve it:
Bernadette: Sheldon, when was the last time you got any sleep?Sheldon: I don’t know, two, three days. Not important. I don’t need sleep, I need answers. I need to determine where in this swamp of unbalanced formulas squatteth the toad of truth.Penny: Toad of truth? Is that a physics thing?Leonard: No, that’s a crazy thing.Bernadette: Okay, Sheldon. What happens to our neuroreceptors when we don’t get enough REM sleep?Sheldon: They lose their sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine.Bernadette: Which leads to…?Sheldon: Impaired cognitive function.
This is a perfect explanation of what happens when we do not get enough quality and quantity sleep. Webmd says that Adolescents need an average of 9 hours a night of good quality sleep. Adults need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep. It was interesting ot me that they went on further to say that depending on factors some adults need anywhere between 5 - 10 hours of sleep. I feel that I fit into this category. There are times that I feel I do not function or work effectively if I have less than 9 hours of sleep. According to Medical Discovery News circadian rhythms is the internal body clock that regulates biological processes in a 24 hour period. When teenagers are going through puberty, their internal clocks shift and their natural sleep-wake cycle changes. This shift in the circadian rhythms causes adolescents to have a hard time going to bed early and want to sleep in longer. Medical Discovery News goes on and talks about how this shift makes teenagers excessively sleepy in the morning.
I did not realize that the shifts in circadian rhythms cause these side effects in teenagers. After understanding that I think it will help me as an educator. Knowing that lack of sleep impairs the memory and now knowing that most teenagers do not get the sleep they need it makes me want to find other memory devices to help students retain the information I am going to be teaching them. The Medical Discovery News article talks about a study where teachers did late start days and they notice an improvement in studies. If I do work for a district that does not provide a late start day I would want to take the initiative and try to persuade them and provide research that late start days is better for the students.
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