LEARNING AND THE BRAIN Homework Help

LEARNING AND THE BRAIN

Part 1
Brain based learning is taking into consideration all the already known factors of the brain, and putting them factors together in an intellectual way to increase the students desire to learn. Brain based learning is based on the core principles of brain based learning. These principles have been identified to aid students in their learning activities. Using the 12 core principles of brain based learning; we get to how the brain learns (Caine et al., 2008). Brain-based education stresses on how the brain learns naturally. It is based on what one already knows about the human brain. According to Caine et al (2008) the brain learns through different methods.
Caine et al (2008) argue that the brain is a complex adaptive system, this means that the brain learns through adapting. When a young child is taken to school he/she has little knowledge of her surroundings. By adapting to the school environment she/he learns more about the school expanding her/his knowledge. The brain also learns through the search for meaning. The search for meaning is said to be a pattern. When a pattern is created in one’s mind it forms part of the knowledge in the brain. The brain also learns through attention. Paying attention to something for a long time creates some familiarity. When a child is born he /she does not recognize his/her home. After some time the baby can tell his/her home. This is achieved through long time attention paid to the home and the surroundings. The brain also learns through perception. Once you come in contact with a certain thing you will be attracted to it and want to learn more about it. This happens because the brains perception is a stimulated by sigh (Johnson and Lamb, 2007). The brain then provides the drive required to learn more about that thing. A student may be taken to a new site. The brain will be more curious to learn about the new site and the perception of the student about that place sticks to her mind forming part of the gained knowledge.
References
Caine, R., Caine, G., McClintic, C and Klimek, K. (2008) (2nd. Ed.). The 12 Brains /Mind

http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic70.htm

Johnson, L and Lamb, A. (2007). Brain – Based (Compatible) Learning. Retrieved from:
Learning Principles in Action. California: Corwin Press.

Part 2
Brain dominance is a situation which occurs naturally. A student’s brain can be more active on the left side or on the right side. The brain has two sides: the right and the left side. The right side is responsible for creativity, intuition and emotions (“PositScience” 2011). This side is therefore active when studying subjects such as arts and music. The right side is responsible for applying logic and analyzing situations. It is the active side during sciences and mathematics subjects. This theory seeks to explain the reason behind a student being more interested in science subjects where logic and analytical skills are required than those that require creativity. A student who does well in science subjects is said to be right brained while a students whose interests are more on the arts and languages is said to be left brained.
It is easy for a teacher to come into his conclusion. In the normal learning circumstances there are children who are poor in science subjects but are really good in arts and languages. There are also those children who perform poorly in arts and languages and are good in sciences. However there are proven situations where a student becomes good in all areas after long periods of help. This happens by a scrutiny of a student’s performance in different fields.
In order to enlarge a student’s learning so they can use both sides of their brain, it is essential for a teacher to have a syllabus that is aimed at balancing both creative activities as well as the analytical sciences (McCarthy, 2000). A teacher should encourage students who are poor in arts and languages to practice more to enhance the functioning of their left side of the brain. A teacher, who knows a student’s strong and weak points, will encourage them to develop a better rounded understanding by implementing subjects that develop both sides of the brain. Through subjects such as mathematics and chemistry a left brain student will succeed, while through music and art a right brain student will succeed. The goal is to get student’s to be able to use both sides of their brain so they can combine logical with creativity and excel at learning.
References
“PositScience” (2011). The Human Brain. Retrieved from: http://brainconnection.positscience.com/
McCarthy, B. (2000). About Teaching: 4MAT in the Classroom. Wauconda, IL: About Learning.

Part 3
The human physiology has a big impact on learning. In gender related matters it is perceived that science subjects are for the male gender while the arts and languages are for the female gender. This is a wrong perception especially after the study of brain dominance. What really affects education in gender matters is the exposure that each gender receives. The male gender is more exposed to the life outside a house and therefore the best opportunities to excel in sciences which need more experiments and practice (Crucian, 1996). A boy is more inclined to the outside life because of his physiology. A girl on the other hand will prefer to be indoors. This limits her chances of excelling in physical education and sciences.
Another difference is experienced in P.E. a girl’s body is seen as more delicate and will be treated with care. A boy’s body can be exposed to any rough environment without much care (Benbow, 1988). The boy will therefore excel in physical education as compared to a girl.
A teacher can meet the gender specific needs of learners by taking into consideration these functional differences. The male body will not perform the same tasks as that of a female learner (Crucian, 1996). Looking for different exercises for each gender aimed at giving them learning opportunities will meet these specific needs. In physical education where the needs differ in terms of the type of exercises given, light tasks can be given to the female gender while the hard and rough tasks will be given to the male gender.
The typecast that exists is that the male gender will perform better in science subjects than the female gender. Trying to remove this typecast from the minds of learners will encourage the female gender which is seen as the weak one to perform better regardless of their physiology.

References
Benbow, C. P. (1988). Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability in intellectually talented preadolescents: Their nature, effects, and possible causes. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 11(2), 169-232.
Crucian, G. P. (1996). A possible neural basis for sex differences in spatial ability and emotional perception. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences & Engineering, 56(11-B), 6384

Part 4
When making such a presentation the following points would be in my presentation. The importance of exercise would be the highlight of my presentation as exercise since exercise is important in development of the brain.
• Physical exercise enhances the levels of BDNF (brain-derived neuro-trophic factor), that is responsible for growth in the brain neurons.
• Improves the center of attention and state of mind for a better understanding.
• Improves cognition and the key functioning of the brain.
• Children who exercise regularly display better motor fitness.
• Better educational performance.
• Better approach towards school.
Exercise is a very important factor in the growth of the human brain. It strengthens parts of the brain including the cerebellum (Dubin, 2001). The cerebellum is responsible for motor movement of the body. Research shows that children who are active and have more time for exercise have higher motor fitness, excellent performances in schools and an upbeat outlook when it comes to school activities than those who do not exercise (Biddle and Mutrie, 2001). The same case applies for adults. Adults who exercise regularly show quick reactions. They have a good memory as compared to those who disregard exercise. Exercise makes up most of the physical movement. It should not be necessarily strenuous especially for the old. Those who exercise regularly also exhibited a good health condition in general.
The reason as to why the US is engaging on a cut on physical education is not related to the children fitness or development. It is because of the economic recession where the states seek to reduce the amount used on paying teachers with physical education qualifications. There are a lot of discussions as to how the cut on physical education will affect the learners since it is a crucial part of learning. Nevertheless no conclusion has been reached. There are more underlying problems which have contributed to the cut. They have to be resolved before an overall solution is achieved.
References
Biddle, S. and Mutrie, N. (2001). Psychology of physical activity: determinants, well-being, and interventions. London: Routledge.
Dubin, M. (2001).How the brain works. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Part 5
Memory strategies when it comes to learning are tactics that teachers employ to help students recall the things they have learnt. Memory strategies are of a wide range and the suitability of a method depends on what is to be remembered (Thorne, 2006).
• To teach a child on the use of commas a teacher can use the strategy of providing retrieval practice for students. This includes giving children test on things they have already been taught. After teaching on the use of commas, a teacher can give out a test o the use of commas. This helps because the learner will be forced to recall the use of commas which hey had learnt earlier.
• To recall the parts of a cell and the teacher can use visual images.
• To recall the names of the first three presidents of US and the chronological dates the satellites were launched, a teacher will use the help of cues to store information.
The use of visual images to help children remember the parts of a cell include a substitution method. While using this memory strategy the teacher will replace the parts of a cell with images that connotes the function of a part of cell. The children will create these visual images on their minds and this will help them remember better (“LiveScience Staff”, 2009).
In remembering the dates that the satellites were launched chronologically, the teacher is advised to make use of cues. Cues are easy way of remembering things for children (Mohs, 1998). Children tend to grasp things easily when they are in form of cues. In this case the children are expected to remember dates when satellites were launched. Expecting a student to remember them out of the lessons he/she learnt in class is hard, thus teachers are encouraged to formulate ways for kids to remember things.

References
“LiveScience Staff” (2009). Single Brain Cell Can Hold a Memory. Retrieved From

http://www.livescience.com/7653-single-brain-cell-hold-memory.html.

Mohs, R. (1998). How Human Memory Works. Retrieved from:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/human- memory.html
Thorne, G (2006). 10 Strategies to Enhance Students’ Memory. Retrieved from:

http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/memory_strategies_May06.php