+- Teach the Brain Forums (https://www.teach-the-brain.org/forums)
+-- Forum: Teach-the-Brain (https://www.teach-the-brain.org/forums/Forum-Teach-the-Brain)
+--- Forum: How the Brain Learns (https://www.teach-the-brain.org/forums/Forum-How-the-Brain-Learns)
+--- Thread: Neuromyth (/Thread-Neuromyth)
Neuromyth - Christina - 09-09-2005
Thanks, Geoff, for recommending a thread on neuromyths. Debunking neuromyths is very important task in this emerging trans-disciplinary field.
Do other forum members have questions/comments concerning this issue?
Thanks very much for your insights,
Christina
Neuromyth - Christina - 20-09-2005
Chapter 5 of the following work deals with neuromyths:
National Research Council (1999). How People Learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. J. Bransford, A. Brown, R. Cocking (Eds.). Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
It can be retrieved at http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/ch1.html
Chapter 5 can be directly retrieved from: http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/ch5.html
Neuromyth - geodob - 20-09-2005
Christina, thanks for posting the link to How To Learn: chapt. 5 Mind and Brain.
Which I would highly recommend everyone reading, for its comprehensive yet concise explanation.
The other chapters appear to be as equally promising?
Geoff.
http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/ch5.html
Neuromyth - Christina - 30-09-2005
Yes, the other chapters of How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School are very good as well.
They can be retrieved at the following url:
http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/index.html
Best,
Christina
Neuromyth - Christina - 04-10-2005
Dear teachers,
What statements have you heard about the brian that you think are/may be false?
How do you or other teachers you know decide if a statement about the brain is false?
Thank so much for your input!
Take good care,
Christina
Neuromyth - geodob - 05-10-2005
OECD expert Wrote:Dear teachers,
What statements have you heard about the brian that you think are/may be false?
How do you or other teachers you know decide if a statement about the brain is false?
Thank so much for your input!
Take good care,
Christina
Hi Christina,
In regard to 'false statements' in relation to the Brain and Teachers?
Perhaps on a tangent, are the neuromyths that constitute each Teachers 'prior knowledge' of the brain and learning?
Which informs their decision making within the classroom.
Where they are forced to make conclusions, without having sufficient knowledge of the brain and learning to make such conclusions.
The crucial issue that I want to highlight, is the all too common situation. Where Teachers come to the conclusion and impress on Students that : "You are Lazy and just not trying hard enough!"
Which is based on the assumption that the spectrum of neural processes associated with learning any particular Subject. Are already developed to the 'norm' for their age.
Where the slower development of 'any one' of the spectrum of neural processes associated with a particular Subject. Will impede the learning of that Subject.
But the problem is that for 'other Subjects', where this slower developing neural process is not crucial. A Student will be learning at a 'normal' pace.
Where Teachers all too often draw the conclusion, that 'if you do well with all of the other Subjects, then your low achievement in 'this Subject', must mean that you are just lazy and not trying hard enough!
Their are Students in virtually every Classroom, who suffer from ongoing accusations of 'not trying hard enough!'
Despite trying as hard as they can!
This is a truly sad situation that many Students suffer throughout their entire School years!
Where they commonly come to the life-long conclusion that : 'I must be stupid?'
The point that I am trying to make, is that when a Teacher makes a conclusion that a Student is; 'Not Trying Hard Enough!'.
They are in fact making this conclusion, based on their prior knowledge of Neural Development.
Where I would return to the topic theme of Neuromyths, and suggest that for most Teachers, their prior knowledge of neural development is mostly a collection of Neuromyths?
Which all too often is based on TV and Newspaper reports?
Perhaps my overarching point, is that Education's primary objective should be with the comprehensive development of the spectrum of neural processes.
With Subjects as the Experiential basis for such a comprehensive development to occur.
So that School Tests are used to identify and chart Neural Development.
So that instead of accusing Students of not trying hard enough, their individual level/s of Neural Development are identified and built upon.
Maybe the very term ; Teacher should be made redundant, and replaced with the title; Developer?
Learn how to learn.
Geoff.
