# data[].attributes.body
The brain is a very important organ. The brain sends signals to other parts of the body. This is the most important organ of the nervous system. What I learned this week about the brain will effect my pedagogy because now that I’ve learned about the different parts of the brain, I’ll know and would like to learn more about how to activate those parts of the brain within a child. How can educators help the development of a child’s brain with their daily curriculum? This is why it’s important to choose work and activities that makes the students think and develop their visual skill, creative skill, sensory skills, complex thinking etc. it’s also important to know how the brain process different information and how it retains it. Once we get to know this information, we will be able to base our lesson plans around what we have learned. As a dance educator, it’s important to teach about different parts of the body that is connected to dance. I can see myself teaching on the brain and how it affects a person’s movement. How is the brain connected to dance? Why is the brain important for dancing? Concentration is not the only use of the brain when it comes to dance.

# data[].attributes.body
One interesting thing I learned about the brain that will influence my pedagogy is the idea that human learning is cyclical instead of linear. Looking at school, it seems like a very linear path, moving from grade to the next, one subject level to the next. But in reality, learning is a cyclical process. Instead of being introduced to something and then remembering it forever, "Humans need to revisit skills and concepts several times in different circumstances".

Relating this cyclical learning process to what we read about the brain makes sense. Perhaps in middle school, my neurons made a connection learning about ancient Mesopotamia. But it is not until I look back in high school and re-study ancient Mesopotamia that my brain remembers what I learned in the past, and then works to make new connections about what I am learning in high school. So, instead of expecting my students to come in knowing exactly what they learned in the past about American history or any other social studies subject, I will need to take time to rehearse the basics and allow students to get comfortable by refreshing their memory. Then once we have touched on the basics, we can move into more in-depth material to challenge the students in their learning process.

# data[].attributes.body
The videos from this week helped me contextualize some of our engagements with Multiple Intelligences theory in previous classes. Just as we try to teach the 'whole child,' it's interesting to think about teaching the 'whole brain.' I really liked that the second video disproved the notion that creativity and rationality are neurologically disconnected - as any artist can tell you, creativity combines so many different skills, ideas, and senses from all parts of the brain. Likewise, many scientists are very spiritual people who recognize the mystery and creativity in their practice. Lastly, I enjoyed seeing the surprising resonances between different brain functions (e.g. reasoning and imagining in the frontal lobe, or hearing and memory in the temporal lobe).

# data[].attributes.body
Learning about the brain this week will affect my pedagogy in a positive way. I’ll be sure to introduce students to information before I just give them information overload. I also will be intentional about reinforcing positive things in their minds to make sure their neural pathways are making good connections with outside stimuli in the classroom. Learning new things can be associated with anxiety and I will do my best to reroute that way of thinking with my teaching style.

# data[].attributes.body
Exploring the complexities of the brain encouraged me to reflect on my pedagogy and ask myself how I can tailor my teaching to enhance student engagement and facilitate more meaningful learning experiences.

Learning about the basics of the brain helped me appreciate the transformative power of active learning strategies. Through incorporating hands-on experiments, research projects, and collaborative discussions, I want to empower students to become active participants in their own learning. Additionally, with the help of this approach, I hope to encourage their curiosity and allow space for a passion for biology.

Moreover, when thinking about the left brain/right brain myth, I was reminded of the interconnectedness of the brain functions. This will be useful in shaping my interdisciplinary approaches as I want to incorporate ideas/concepts from different scientific disciplines such as chemistry, physics, and ecology into my curriculum. This can not only provide students with an understanding of biological systems and their importance, but it will also develop their critical thinking skills as they make meaningful connections that extend beyond our classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
I think it was very helpful to learn about how the different parts of the brain contribute to different functions and to think about how even the simplest of tasks such as saying a complete sentence out loud requires so much interaction between many different systems. It demonstrates how complex learning actually is and highlights how much room there is for variety in learning styles. I liked the video debunking the left and right brain idea which is patently incorrect even aside from being an oversimplification to separate brain function into logical vs creative components. This will inform my pedagogy in that I will try to be creative and implement a variety of teaching techniques to allow for all the different types of learners and I will also strive to learn from my students who will no doubt have their own ways of thinking about things that I have simply never thought of.

# data[].attributes.headline
Learning and the Brain - Kelly McCaffery

# data[].attributes.subject
Learning and the Brain - Kelly McCaffery

# data[].attributes.body
I thought it was interesting that the first video framed each hemisphere as "in charge of" specific tasks or traits. It reinforces how prevalent the left brain/right brain myth is. I can see how easily the myth could affect a teachers expectations of a student, as well as a student's expectations of themself. The video and diagram indicate that both hemispheres consist of the same 4 lobes, so each half of the brain is actually working together. As a dance teacher, it will be important for me to emphasize to students the relationship between the brain and the body. I think often in the dance world the "mind-body connection" is talked about in a distant, theoretical way, but not always applied in practice. There are some studies and pedagogies that do demonstrate the link between the brain and the body, and these findings and pedagogical practices can be applied in all classrooms, not just dance classrooms. The brain directly affects the body and vice versa; if a student is having trouble focusing, the solution may be to allow them to get up and move around, rather than repeatedly asking them to sit still at a desk. It is important to plan lessons that will be able to engage students with varying learning styles, rather than writing off or labeling students who don't perform or respond the way you want them to.

# data[].attributes.body
Understanding how the brain functions and the various ways in which students absorb information provides me, an aspiring educator, with a neurological basis of education. While brain structure points to a uniform way in which people process, think, emote, and function, teaching should, at best, be individualized to accommodate development in specific areas. Modeling and implementing diverse lessons—such as incorporating movement, sight, or existential thinking (as means of promoting critical thinking)—can be used to foster and enrich cognitive processes.

Finally, on a more personal note, I have been very much aware of the left/right brain myth. Oftentimes, this intellectual fallacy has been connected to handedness (where left-handers are right brain and right-handers are left brain), and, as a leftie, I always thought it was baloney. Teachers ought to classify intelligence as a broad spectrum and enrich students’ personal intelligence archetypes through means that are engaging, interesting, and entertaining. We must encourage intellectual, emotional, social, cultural, existential, kinetic, logical, historical, and natural growth through creative ways.

# data[].attributes.body
My three big takeaways about how knowledge of brain function should impact our pedagogy:

It was really interesting to watch the two brain videos and see how they contradicted one another and how they aligned. I wonder if most people have learned the left brain/right brain myth? I appreciate the explanation that each part of the brain is separated into two halves and, though one hemisphere of the brain may be more dominant during certain activities, the brain is working together as a whole no matter what we’re doing.

Having knowledge of brain function is important for educators. It gives us an opportunity to be more effective teachers. We can develop content, plan lessons, and respond in real time to our students when we understand the process of learning and know how to stimulate many different types of learners.

If we see that a student is not interested in certain subjects, rather than blaming it on their brain or labeling them as more logical vs. creative, we can employ lessons that highlight what the student already cares about. This way we encourage learning and with the right crossovers the student will learn what they wanted as well as what we intended.

# data[].attributes.body
Having a neurological background for learning will certainly inform my pedagogy as a future educator. There are many teachers across all grade levels that expect students to learn by simply reading a textbook or sitting through an entire class period of dense lecturing. As a result, it is not uncommon for teachers like this to place blame on students when learning does not occur. What I really liked about the readings and videos for the week is the fact that the suggested teaching practices are based on research about how the brain operates. It feels as though some teachers prioritize difficulty because that is how they think learning will occur. Strategies such as pacing out instruction, giving the opportunity for corrections, repetition, and acknowledging students' emotional needs during class can be viewed as coddling, especially at higher grade levels. However, when educators adopt these methods into their instruction, it's clear that they are optimizing learning; these practices are actually productive because they are catering to how the brain functions. Overall, I think that as an aspiring educator, especially in science, it is imperative that I am intentional with the way I deliver new material to my students so that they are actively learning.