MOLLY's Resources:
I liked The Art of Changing the Brain, and not just because it begins with an HDT quote, which is an automatic plus. Here are some of my take-aways from the book:
-I find it important to realize that we can and should come at learning from a neurological standpoint. Our brains want to learn and are made to learn. This is not arguable. I like the idea that this is neurologic fact. We may not be setting up our schools in a way that is conducive to this learning, but if we put circumstances in place that ARE in line with how are brains want to learn, then it seems that it is not opinion but empirical fact that learning will be greater.
-I like the idea of four stages of learning. Learning as a process that follows a similar pattern regardless of the task. Take in information, make meaning/analyze, create, and act. I think it is interesting that when we worked on developing transferrable skills for the Core, we came up with four major categories that very much matched the four pillars of learning- input, critical thinking, which is the analysis/new meaning making, and output, which is doing/creating. This is now known at CVU as “The Big Blue Head.”
-The main thing I got out of this book is while there is not magic way to teach, no right answer, there actually are truly best practices that better match the way our brains are structured to learn. This book shows how strategies that ask students to actively engage in the learning process WILL improve learning. All brains learn. A lot. That is hopeful to think about when confronted with students who seem not to be, or seem not be self-motivated. In circumstances that support how the brain works, there really is no such thing as a brain that is not motivated to learn.
-Implications for teaching: I want to focus more on meaningful practice of small targets (narrowing the field, so to speak). I don't think that I did a good job this year of allowing enough practice to truly improve and master certain skills. This is due to constraints such as trying to do too much, time management, and the fear of practice getting becoming repetitive, but now I am excited to work more deliberately with this goal in mind. While I think it is vitally important that these targets are part of the big picture and that zooming in and out is always on students mind, it is clear that smaller targets make the big picture more accessible.
I liked The Art of Changing the Brain, and not just because it begins with an HDT quote, which is an automatic plus. Here are some of my take-aways from the book:
-I find it important to realize that we can and should come at learning from a neurological standpoint. Our brains want to learn and are made to learn. This is not arguable. I like the idea that this is neurologic fact. We may not be setting up our schools in a way that is conducive to this learning, but if we put circumstances in place that ARE in line with how are brains want to learn, then it seems that it is not opinion but empirical fact that learning will be greater.
-I like the idea of four stages of learning. Learning as a process that follows a similar pattern regardless of the task. Take in information, make meaning/analyze, create, and act. I think it is interesting that when we worked on developing transferrable skills for the Core, we came up with four major categories that very much matched the four pillars of learning- input, critical thinking, which is the analysis/new meaning making, and output, which is doing/creating. This is now known at CVU as “The Big Blue Head.”
-The main thing I got out of this book is while there is not magic way to teach, no right answer, there actually are truly best practices that better match the way our brains are structured to learn. This book shows how strategies that ask students to actively engage in the learning process WILL improve learning. All brains learn. A lot. That is hopeful to think about when confronted with students who seem not to be, or seem not be self-motivated. In circumstances that support how the brain works, there really is no such thing as a brain that is not motivated to learn.
-Implications for teaching: I want to focus more on meaningful practice of small targets (narrowing the field, so to speak). I don't think that I did a good job this year of allowing enough practice to truly improve and master certain skills. This is due to constraints such as trying to do too much, time management, and the fear of practice getting becoming repetitive, but now I am excited to work more deliberately with this goal in mind. While I think it is vitally important that these targets are part of the big picture and that zooming in and out is always on students mind, it is clear that smaller targets make the big picture more accessible.