How the Brain Influences Learning by Carly Pisani https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko Visual Media Project for MED7404 en-us 2020-07-16 18:07:25 UTC 2025-03-31 13:51:58 UTC hello@padlet.com How is your brain like a computer? cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656254050 REQUIRES ENERGY: 
Computers and brains both need energy. Your brain gets its energy in the form of glucose from the food you eat. Your diet also provides essential materials, such as vitamins and minerals, for proper brain function. Unlike a computer, your brain has no off switch. Even when you are asleep, your brain is active.

MEMORY STORAGE:
Both can store memories, and both computers and brains can be modified to perform new tasks. The brain undergoes continual modification and can learn new things. The brain can sometimes rewire itself when necessary! For example, after some kinds of brain injuries, undamaged brain tissue can take over functions previously performed by the injured area.

NOTE:
Unfortunately, brains are not as easy to repair. They are fragile and there are no replacement parts to fix damaged brain tissue (Chudler, 2001).]]> 2020-07-16 18:15:15 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656254050 References cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656257124 Chudler, E. (n.d.). Brain fitness - Your guide to good brain health. Retrieved from
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/brainfit.html

Chudler, E. (1996-2017). Functional divisions of the cerebral cortex. Retrieved from
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/functional.html

Chudler, E. (2001, March). A computer in your head?. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/computer.html

Durbach, D. (2000). The Brain explained. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Hoiland, E. (n.d.). Brain plasticity: What is it? Learning and memory. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html

Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind (2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Prasad, M. (2019, May 3). Fixed vs. growth mindset [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.thebeone.com/post/fixed-vs-growth-mindset

Sentis. (2012, November 6). Neuroplasticity [Video]. YouTube.

Tortora, G. & Grabowski, S. (1996). Principles of anatomy and physiology. (8th ed.). New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.]]> 2020-07-16 18:19:14 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656257124 What part of your brain are you using when you perform different actions? cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656264668 Click the link below for more details. 
Reference: (Chudler, 1996)]]> 2020-07-16 18:29:24 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656264668 7 - 9 HOURS OF SLEEP NEEDED (for adolescents) cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656269743 As a rule, adolescents need more sleep—seven to nine hours a night. During sleep the brain is massively reorganizing, pruning synapses and organizing newly stored experiences (Jensen, 2005, p.32).]]> 2020-07-16 18:36:20 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656269743 How to keep a HEALTHY brain cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656276167 Click the link below for tips on brain health. 

Reference: (Chudler, n.d.)]]> 2020-07-16 18:45:15 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656276167 If you don't use it, you lose it! cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656282584 By the time an infant is two or three years old it has twice the number of brain synapses as the average adult. As we age, old connections are deleted through a process called synaptic pruning.

Experience determines which connections will be strengthened and which will be pruned; connections that have been activated most frequently are preserved. Ineffective or weak connections are "pruned" in much the same way a gardener would prune a tree or bush, giving the plant the desired shape (Hoiland, n.d.). ]]> 2020-07-16 18:54:01 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656282584 How can you rewire your brain? cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656289528 Long lasting functional changes in the brain occur when we learn new things or memorize new information. These changes in neural connections are what we call neuroplasticity.

Genetics are not the only factor in determining brain function; the brain is also shaped by the characteristics of a person's environment and by the actions of that same person (Hoiland, n.d.).

Watch the video below to learn how you can rewire your own brain! 

Reference: (Sentis, 2012)]]> 2020-07-16 19:04:35 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656289528 What happens in your brain when you learn something new? cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656292408 Recent research has discovered that the brain never stops changing.
When learning occurs, the internal structure of the neurons undergo a change, and there is an increase in the number of synapses between neurons (Durbach, 2000 as cited in Hoiland, n.d.).

Initially, newly learned data are "stored" in short-term memory, which is a temporary ability to recall a few pieces of information. After a period of time, information may be moved into a more permanent type of memory, long-term memory, which is the result of anatomical or biochemical changes that occur in the brain (Tortora and Grabowski, 1996, as cited in Hoiland, n.d.).

The original processing takes place at lightning speed, but the subsequent stages and storage process can take hours, days, or even weeks (Jensen, 2005, p.16). ]]> 2020-07-16 19:09:03 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656292408 "The most amazing new discovery about the brain might be that human beings have the capacity and the choice to be able to change our own brains" (Jensen, 2005, p. 10). cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656304832 Stress can inhibit brain growth; exercise can encourage it! ]]> 2020-07-16 19:26:40 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656304832 Are you left-brained or right-brained? cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656307428 Trick question! On most typical schooldays, students use both sides of the brain.

The LEFT hemisphere tends to process information in parts, in a sequence, and using language and text representations. 

The RIGHT hemisphere tends to process information as a whole, in random order, and within a spatial context (Jensen, 2005). ]]> 2020-07-16 19:30:38 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656307428 State of mind vs. learning cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656886050 Learning is optimized when you are in the right state of mind. A clear-thinking, level headed frame of mind is a good state for learning. In this state of mind, you learn and recall more than when you’re depressed, tired, or angry (Jensen, 2005, p.19). ]]> 2020-07-17 13:29:21 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656886050 ADOPT A GROWTH MINDSET cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656912275 Reference: (Prasad, 2019)]]> 2020-07-17 14:06:27 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656912275 DRUGS AND ALCOHOL cpisani1 https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656922239 ADDICTION:
The greatest risk for alcohol and tobacco addiction occurs between the ages of 12 and 19. The teen brain is more sensitive to the pleasurable effects of nicotine and alcohol and less sensitive to the adverse effects (Jensen, 2005, p.32).

Chronic alcohol use can:
  • Damage the frontal lobes of the brain
  • Cause an overall reduction in brain size and increase in the size of the ventricles
  • Lead to alcoholism (addiction to alcohol) and result in tolerance to the effects of alcohol and variety of health problems
  • Cause a vitamin deficiency. Because the digestion system of alcoholics is unable to absorb vitamin B-1 (thiamine), a syndrome known as "Wernicke's Encephalopathy" may develop. This syndrome is characterized by impaired memory, confusion and lack of coordination. Further deficiencies of thiamine can lead to "Korsakoff's Syndrome." This disorder is characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation. Widespread disease of the brain is a feature of both Wernicke's and Korsakoff's Syndromes.
(Chudler, 1996)

 
]]> 2020-07-17 14:20:17 UTC https://padlet.com/cpisani1/g6xei0osymyp50ko/wish/656922239