The realities of standardized tests and increasingly
structured, if not synchronized, curriculum continue to build classroom stress
levels. Neuroimaging research reveals the disturbances in the brain's learning
circuits and neurotransmitters that accompany stressful learning environments.
The neuroscientific research about learning has revealed the negative impact of
stress and anxiety and the qualitative improvement of the brain circuitry
involved in memory and executive function that accompanies positive motivation
and engagement.
The Proven Effects of Positive Motivation
Thankfully, this information has led to the development
of brain-compatible strategies to help students through the bleak terrain
created by some of the current trends imposed by the Common Core State
Standards and similar mandates. With brain-based teaching strategies that
reduce classroom anxiety and increase student connection to their lessons,
educators can help students learn more effectively.
In the past two decades, neuroimaging and brain-mapping
research have provided objective support to the student-centered educational
model. This brain research demonstrates that superior learning takes place when
classroom experiences are relevant to students' lives, interests, and
experiences. Lessons can be stimulating and challenging without being
intimidating, and the increasing curriculum requirements can be achieved
without stress, anxiety, boredom, and alienation as the pervasive emotions of
the school day.
During my 15 years of practicing adult and child
neurology with neuroimaging and brain mapping as part of my diagnostic tool
kit, I worked with children and adults with brain function disorders, including
learning differences. When I then returned to university to obtain my
credential and Masters of Education degree, these familiar neuroimaging tools
had become available to education researchers. Their widespread use in schools
and classrooms globally has yet to occur.
This brain research demonstrates that superior learning
takes place when classroom experiences are motivating and engaging. Positive
motivation impacts brain metabolism, conduction of nerve impulses through the
memory areas, and the release of neurotransmitters that increase executive
function and attention. Relevant lessons help students feel that they are
partners in their education, and they are engaged and motivated.
We live in a stressful world and troubled times, and that
is not supposed to be the way for children to grow up. Schools can be the safe
haven where academic practices and classroom strategies provide children with
emotional comfort and pleasure as well as knowledge. When teachers use
strategies to reduce stress and build a positive emotional environment,
students gain emotional resilience and learn more efficiently and at higher
levels of cognition.
Neuroimaging and EEG Studies
Studies of electrical activity (EEG or brain waves) and
metabolic activity (from specialized brain scans measuring glucose or oxygen
use and blood flow) show the synchronization of brain activity as information
passes from the sensory input processing areas of the somatosensory cortex to
the reticular activating and limbic systems. For example, bursts of brain
activity from the somatosensory cortex are followed milliseconds later by
bursts of electrical activity in the hippocampus, amygdala, and then the other
parts of the limbic system. This data from one of the most exciting areas of
brain-based learning research gives us a way to see which techniques and
strategies stimulate or impede communication between the parts of the brain
when information is processed and stored. In other words, properly applied, we
can identify and remove barriers to student understanding!
The amygdala is part of limbic system in the
temporal lobe. It was first believed to function as a brain center for
responding primarily to anxiety and fear. Indeed, when the amygdala senses
threat, it becomes over-activated. In students, these neuroimaging findings in
the amygdala are seen with feelings of helplessness and anxiety. When the
amygdala is in this state of stress-induced over-activation, new sensory
information cannot pass through it to access the memory and association
circuits.
This is the actual neuroimaging visualization of what has
been called the affective filter by Stephen Krashen and
others. This term describes an emotional state of stress in students during
which they are not responsive to learning and storing new information. What is
now evident on brain scans during times of stress is objective physical
evidence of this affective filter. With such evidence-based research, the
affective filter theories cannot be disparaged as "feel-good
education" or an "excuse to coddle students" -- if students are
stressed out, the information cannot get in. This is a matter of science.
This affective state occurs when students feel alienated
from their academic experience and anxious about their lack of understanding.
Consider the example of the decodable "books" used in phonics-heavy
reading instruction. These are not engaging and motivating. They are usually
not relevant to the students' lives because their goal is to include words that
can be decoded based on the lesson. Decodability is often at the expense of
authentic meaning to the child. Reading becomes tedious and, for some children,
confusing and anxiety-provoking. In this state, there is reduced passage of
information through the neural pathways from the amygdala to higher cognitive
centers of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, where information is
processed, associated, and stored for later retrieval and executive
functioning.
Additional neuroimaging studies of the amygdala,
hippocampus, and the rest of the limbic system, along with measurement of
dopamine and other brain chemical transmitters during the learning process, reveal
that students' comfort level has critical impact on information transmission
and storage in the brain. The factors that have been found to affect this
comfort level such as self-confidence, trust and positive feelings for
teachers, and supportive classroom and school communities are directly related
to the state of mind compatible with the most successful learning, remembering,
and higher-order thinking.
The Power of Joyful Learning
The highest-level executive thinking, making connections,
and "aha" moments of insight and creative innovation are more likely
to occur in an atmosphere of what Alfie Kohn calls exuberant discovery,
where students of all ages retain that kindergarten enthusiasm of embracing
each day with the joy of learning. With current research and data in the field
of neuroscience, we see growing opportunities to coordinate the design of
curriculum, instruction, and assessment in ways that will reflect these
incredible discoveries.
Joy and enthusiasm are absolutely essential for learning
to happen -- literally, scientifically, as a matter of fact and research.
Shouldn't it be our challenge and opportunity to design learning that embraces
these ingredients?
as the video tuition programme only takes a few hours to view but it is the practice that gains achievement. innermindreading@gmail.com
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I'm Adam. Today's lesson is a writing lesson, but it's also a spoken English lesson.
It's about anything to do with English, because we're going to be looking at sentence types.
Now, of course, when you speak, you're using all kinds of sentence types.
But, especially in writing, it's important to know the different types of sentences, because,
especially if you're going to be writing tests, they want to see sentence variety.
And even if you're not writing tests, anything you write, if you're using only one type of sentence,
your writing becomes very bland, very boring, very hard to follow, because it's a little bit monotone.
So what you need to do is you need to vary... You need a variety of sentence structures in
your writing to give it a little bit more life. Okay?
Luckily, you only need to know four sentence types.
We have simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex.
Now, this is not exactly easy, but it's not exactly hard, either. If you figure out what you need
to have in each one, in each sentence type, just make sure it's there. Okay?
Let's start. A simple sentence has one independent clause.
A little bit of review: What is an independent clause? An independent clause has a subject and a verb, and can complete an idea. It can stand by itself, because the idea in that clause is complete.
I don't need to add anything else to it. Okay.
Then we have a complex sentence. A complex sentence has one independent clause,
plus one or more dependent clause. A dependent clause is a clause that has a subject and a verb,
but cannot stand by itself. It is not a complete idea. It has some sort of relationship to the independent clause. We have three types of dependent clauses.
We have noun clauses, we have adjective clauses, and we have adverb clauses. Okay?
That's a whole separate lesson. You can look at that later. But you have to have one of these, plus one of these, and you have a complex sentence.A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses, joined by a conjunction. A compound conjunction: "and", "but", "or", "so", "for"
(not very common), etc. So, we join two independent clauses with a compound conjunction.
You can have more, but again, you have to be a little bit careful.
Once you get to three, start to look for a way to finish your sentence, because if you get to the fourth,
you already have a crazy sentence that has the... Runs the risk of being a run-on sentence.
Eventually, you're going to make a mistake, you're going to miss something,
and the whole sentence falls apart. I don't recommend three, but you can put three.
Next we have a compound-complex sentence.
Here you have two or more independent clauses, again, joined by a conjunction,
and one or more dependent clause. Okay? So you have basically all the elements in this sentence.
Now, let's look at this sentence. First, let me read it to you: "Even with the weather being that nasty,
the couple and their families decided to go ahead with the wedding as planned."
Now you're thinking: "Wow, that's got to be a complex sentence", right? "It's so long.
There's so much information in it." But, if we look at it carefully, it is still a simple sentence. Why? Because we only have one independent clause. Where is it? Well, find the subject and verb combination first.
So, what is the subject in this sentence? I'll give you a few seconds, figure it out.
Hit the pause key, look at it.Then, once you have all this stuff,
you can add as many complements, or basically extras, as you want.
So, let's look at an example. We're going to start with the simple sentence: "Layla studied biology."
Very simple. I have a subject, I have a verb, I have an object. Okay? This is a simple sentence.
It's an independent clause; it can stand by itself as a complete idea. Now, I can add anything I want to this that is not another clause of any type, and it'll still be a simple sentence.
So I can say: "My friend Layla studied biology in university." I'll just say "uni" for short.
I have more information, but do I have a different type of sentence? No. It's still a simple sentence.
Okay, we're back. Here is the subject: "the couple and their families".
Now, don't get confused with this "and".
Types of Sentences (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex)
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In this 3rd video, Dr. Diane Shubinsky discusses the invisible skill. What is the invisible skill? Vocabulary. Learning words is definitely a skill and it is one of the things that make it so hard to master a new language. Click here to download our FREE sample from Advanced Academic Reader: http://www.reading4u.info An Advanced Academic Reader is a simple and effective way to learn English reading comprehension. Book 1 introduces basic reading comprehension strategies and texts. Book 2 practices all the reading comprehension skills you have acquired with authentic texts. These books are the key to your success. They teach you the strategies you need to learn to read Academic English.
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Learn how to use "if" and "whether" properly in English. Whether you like it or not, "if" and "whether" are not always interchangeable. In fact, if you use the wrong word, it can change the entire meaning of your sentence. In this lesson, we will review the uses of the two words and see how to use them in a way that will reduce confusion and clarify your ideas. How can you be sure whether to use "if" or "whether" in the proper context?
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Through the books, we get a better understanding not only
of other people's sentiments
but of our own as well. I believe that among all the
books, those that are written for children
give us the deepest insights into our own feelings.
I'd like to point out three initially children's books
that helped me deal with my adult experiences.
Dear Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary
This book is a fourth-grade reading and its plot can be
outlined in a couple of sentences.
The narrator is Leigh Bott. He is a six-grader and in the
letters to his favorite writer,
he tells about his multiple life troubles. His parents
are divorced and he has to get used to
a new place and a new school. He is wondering whether his
father cares for him,
whether his mother still loves the father, and why they
all cannot get back together.
He dreams to become a writer but doesn't know where to
start. Meanwhile, he doesn't have
any friends to share his feelings with, so he has to deal
with all the troubles by himself.
Have you ever failed to understand others?
Have you ever been disappointed by the dearest people?
Felt lonely? Felt angry and helpless?
I believe all people have. That is why Leigh's problems
and worries are well clear to every grown-up. This story makes you feel
inspired and full of hope:
if the kid has managed his troubles and has found a
balance, you'll be able as well.
To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I won't write up a To Kill a Mockingbird plot summary
since this book needs no introduction.
Yet, if you want to recall its plot and main ideas but
don't have time to read the full story,
you can appeal to a To Kill A Mockingbird study guide.
The book is one of the most acclaimed
and influential samples of the modern American
literature. And I personally know
at least two lawyers who pursued their career to be alike
Atticus Finch.
For me, it's above all a monument of tolerance to others.
Throughout the story,
the main character and a narrator Scout Finch learns how
to be lenient
and respectful to other people. Even though, not all of
the people deserve it.
Even 15 years after the first reading of this book, it
still teaches me to accept people
the way they are. Since, all in all, there's just one
kind of folks. Folks.
Out Of The Dust by
Karen Hesse
It's the youngest book in the list, written by Karen
Hesse. It is a diary that reveals us the joys
and pains of 14-years-old girl Billie Jo. The girl has
gone through one of the worst possible things
- by accident, she
causes a death of her pregnant mother. After some time Billie
tries to find her way to consolation and to rebuild
relationships with her father.
In the novel, the dust symbolizes a suppressing sorrow
but ultimately, the girl finds her way out of it.
I believe this book has a therapeutic effect. A reader
goes through the way with a protagonist.
From the unbearable tragedy and guilt to a solace and
self-acceptance.
It also reminds us that there is always something in life
that is worth moving on.
Summing up
All these books teach us the fundamentals of acceptance.
Dear Mr. Henshaw shows how to accept our failures.
To Kill a Mockingbird proves the importance of tolerating
other people.
Out of the Dust helps us to accept ourselves.
Moreover, the authors' vital ideas sound even more
convincing
as they are expressed through a child's voice. So if you
have any troubling feelings
similar to the ones described in these books, don't spare
time to reread them.
