After watching the videos about Vision and Hearing, I feel like the environment of the classroom is so important! I feel like their needs to be a lot of color, pictures, and textures to help stimulate the brain. I think it is also important to play different types of music. I think playing classical music in the classroom would be a great idea and a good way for students to be exposed to different types of music as well.
While reading the chapters for this lesson, I also learned a lot about the importance of smells in a classroom. Having plants in your classroom can create a big difference. It is also a good idea to have different aromas that can keep students alert and energized. I really liked the idea of using peppermint as a scent in the classroom.
One of the biggest things that stood out to me though, was the importance of understanding why students are struggling. Are they not able to see the board to follow the directions? Can they not understand and differentiate between the "b" and "p" sounds? Are they unable to process the directions that I give orally? Is a certain color dry erase marker extremely difficult for them to see on the white board? Asking these questions is very important to understanding a students behavior. You can't just pass them off as being unfocused or bad at following directions. It is important to understand why they have this behavior. This could be a big help to them being able to fully understand what is happening in the classroom. It could make a huge difference for the student!
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Lesson 1
After watching the videos on brain architecture, plasticity, and understanding the impact of the environment on a child, how does this information impact you as a teacher?
The brain is absolutely amazing.There is no other way to describe it. When a child is born, the brain has nearly no knowledge. It is over a course of 25 years that a person's brain is developed and matured.That is a long time for a muscle to develop! But it is the most important muscle to develop.
I loved watching the videos for this lesson and learning about plasticity. Different areas of a person's brain can developed and strengthened at different times. It was also interesting to learn that it truly is our experiences that develop our brain. In one of my other classes I am taking right now, we are learning about poverty and what this means. We have been discussing that for people who are considered to be in poverty, money and relationships mean different things than for people who are middle class or wealthy. For example, in the middle class, money is to be saved. In the wealthy class, money is to be invested. But in poverty, money is to be spent. I think this is a perfect example of how our surroundings and environment impact the development of our brain.
I am currently a math instructor at an online high school, and the majority of my students would probably fall into the poverty category. Some of my students will go a week or two without any contact with me and won't submit any school work. When I am finally able to get a hold of them they tell me that their internet or their phone had gotten turned off and they were waiting for their next pay check to be able to pay the bill for it. These students are literally living pay check to pay check. That is something that I need to remember as an instructor. Because of the environment they have grown up in, their priorities are different than mine were when I was their age.
I think another way that I could use this information to help me as a teacher is to be a positive support and role model to my students. When I am talking with and communicating with them, I want to create a positive environment where they feel they can do anything they set their minds to. I recently watched a you-tube video called "Re-do's, Re-take's, and Do-Overs!" I think having this mind set and encouraging students to keep trying their best is one way help create this positive environment.
The minds of students are mold-able and fragile as a stick of butter that has been sitting on your kitchen counter all day. It is important that as an educator, I am giving each of my students positive interactions and positive reinforcement to help encourage them to aim for any dreams or goals they may have and be successful at them.
The brain is absolutely amazing.There is no other way to describe it. When a child is born, the brain has nearly no knowledge. It is over a course of 25 years that a person's brain is developed and matured.That is a long time for a muscle to develop! But it is the most important muscle to develop.
I loved watching the videos for this lesson and learning about plasticity. Different areas of a person's brain can developed and strengthened at different times. It was also interesting to learn that it truly is our experiences that develop our brain. In one of my other classes I am taking right now, we are learning about poverty and what this means. We have been discussing that for people who are considered to be in poverty, money and relationships mean different things than for people who are middle class or wealthy. For example, in the middle class, money is to be saved. In the wealthy class, money is to be invested. But in poverty, money is to be spent. I think this is a perfect example of how our surroundings and environment impact the development of our brain.
I am currently a math instructor at an online high school, and the majority of my students would probably fall into the poverty category. Some of my students will go a week or two without any contact with me and won't submit any school work. When I am finally able to get a hold of them they tell me that their internet or their phone had gotten turned off and they were waiting for their next pay check to be able to pay the bill for it. These students are literally living pay check to pay check. That is something that I need to remember as an instructor. Because of the environment they have grown up in, their priorities are different than mine were when I was their age.
I think another way that I could use this information to help me as a teacher is to be a positive support and role model to my students. When I am talking with and communicating with them, I want to create a positive environment where they feel they can do anything they set their minds to. I recently watched a you-tube video called "Re-do's, Re-take's, and Do-Overs!" I think having this mind set and encouraging students to keep trying their best is one way help create this positive environment.
The minds of students are mold-able and fragile as a stick of butter that has been sitting on your kitchen counter all day. It is important that as an educator, I am giving each of my students positive interactions and positive reinforcement to help encourage them to aim for any dreams or goals they may have and be successful at them.
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