From Serendip
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR INSTITUTE 2000
From Serendip | BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR INSTITUTE 2000 |
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Institute participants made use of an on-line forum to talk about issues that arose during the two weeks of the institute and after. The following is an unedited transcript of those discussions.
Feel free to write any time you like about anything you think is interesting. Thoughts about things talked about during the day, questions of your own about brains and behavior, reactions to the doings of the institute itself, responses to other people's posting are all important contributions to our working together.
Lunch was delecious. We were amazed by the conversation during the lunch break. The views of our collegues were intriguing.
Concerning education, I will say it is a summary of one's personal observations exhibited in physical behaviors.
Looks like the male/female issue may emerge as something worth more attention too. Another issue that a couple of us were talking about but isn't yet in the forums (maybe after tomorrow?) has to do with what one means by saying one is (or is not) "responsible" for one's own behavior.
Like Carol and Inger's concern about wanting things not "to intimdiate us as adults about learning and teaching science". Is VERY important. Will need to keep an eye on balance between not intimidating and .... "oversimplifying"? as well as Karen's perhaps opposite concern about needs of "concrete learners".
Looking forward to seeing who wakes up in the middle of the night and can't keep themselves from writing here. If anyone does, remember that the issue is what do all the things we've talked about so far (science, evolution, brain as behavior) have to do with education?
See you all in the morning.
P.S.Lunch was superb! Kudos to the chef and you too Paul.
Lesson on HTML was
Nice to see the HTML, but .... remember to "review for editing"? (PG)
From what we learned today about the connection between intraneurons,sensorineurons and motor neurons now I understand that there might have been a disconnection somewhere in my Dad's system.
This is all amazing and points to the AWESOME nature of God the creator of everything.
Beginning the creation of our own web page is another thrilling experience today. I cannot wait for the connection to the world wide web.
I'm also thrilled to realise how messages and informations are formatted on web pages. I think my students will be excited to find out all they are able to do with the computer when the school resumes in September. See you tomorrow. Tunde.
We were just trying to ruminate over how all these things connect to the real classroom in Philadelphia public schools.
Is it possible to imagine what is going on in the brains of the students we teach everyday? Could there possibly be some disconnections between their intraneurons and sensory as well as motor nuerons? Can somebody have half a connection between these nuerons such that their behavior reflects
We might be lucky to solve some of these mysteries before the end of the program with Paul and Jan as our guides.
Regards and see you tomorrow.
Tunde and Tola.
Enigmatic, huh? Yeah, what CAN we "realistically expect to gain"? Remember to go to institute home page, and to forum area from THERE (PG)
There have been a number of articles about "Internet addiction". In some people, surfing the net (and more often, in my observation of college students, playing computer games) appears to stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain in much the same way as alcohol and drugs do. Perhaps computer-addicted people experience physical withdrawal symptoms as well. I think the content of what they're doing -- playing games or web surfing -- is part of what is stimulating the brain. But perhaps something else is going on as well.
My observations:
What made me think of this? I was lying in bed last night, unable to sleep at 1:00 am after working on my computer!
BTW, what "potential" is being tapped when one feels affection, admiration, or a feeling of being "in like" with someone? [I'm really much too old to have a crush on my professor!]
Here are Hippocrates' poetic thoughts about the brain -
Men ought to know that from the brain and the brain alone, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrow, pain, grief, and tears. Through it, in particular, we think and learn, see and hear, and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, and the pleasant from the unpleasant....The brain is also the seat of madness and delirium, of the fears and terrors which assail by night or by day, of sleeplessness,inopportune mistakes, aimless anxieties, forgetfulness, eccentricities, and acts that are contrary to habit. These things that w we suffer all come from the brain when it is not healthy. But all the time the brain is still, a man can think properly. Hippocrates. ca. 400 B.C.
During the afternoon forum, on July 13th, the "open floor discussion" was very enlightening. The most important point made was that as educators we should realize that we have similar problems or concerns nationwide. We need to focus on the bigger picture and stop jumping up and down over the little things. In other words "don't sweat the small stuff".
I think proprioceptors might operate on multiple levels. Today we talked about propriocepors that give feedback on the movement of muscles in space. There is a disorder called sensory integration dysfunction where children have too much or too little sensory feedback information (i.e., info from proprioceptors). If they have too much, they are very sensitive to touch and/or noises, visual stimulation, etc. If they have too little sensory feedback input, they need a lot of physical stimulation and tend to be very active and clumsy -- the kind of kids that are always in motion and always knocking things over. So the proper functioning of the proprioceptors is important for understanding your relationship to the outside world in a physical sense.
Maybe there are analogous sensors on a higher level that allow you to sense your place in the world on an emotional/intellectual level. People who are oblivious or socially inept may have higher level propriceptors that don't function well. Maybe what we call emotional intelligence or intuition is a reflection of these higher-level self-sensors functioning well.
Jan
There is a world wide trend pulling human kind to wholelistic living and spiritual development. The reading that I have completed all share a common thread of a heightened awareness mankind is awakening to as the new millenium unfolds.
(Remember to go to the forum on the institute home page, AND to "review for editing" ... Paul).
Based on our studies of the anatomy of the Brain, (Neurons) I think the Inquiry mode of learning is beneficial for the brain of our students because it helps the brain to experience some challenges which otherwise will not be possible under the traditional mode of teaching.
(and, maybe, remember to
The main concept I was able to get is the fact that some of the stimuli that affects our perception of the outside world are generated from interneurons and that they have the same impact as if they were generated from sensory neurons giving the impression that the individual is seeing things that are not there.
The question now is what is reality? I want to believe that reality can be regarded as what the overall majority perceive to be real. This has to be so to put in place a sort of control on what people might want to use as hardcore evidence in a civil suit etc. For example if every type of stimulus is to be admissible as real, then someone who commits murder or any other type of criminal act will be able to get scott free because in the first instance nobody has defined for them what is real and what is not.
Late comment for Wednesday,7/12/00
To approach the way children or students learn in any rigid way would be suicidal for any educator in my opinion. An educator has to be able to teach , which is impart knowledge, by giving information and at the same time be a fascilitator of learning experiences in the classroom or any designated area for such activities that will cause students to learn.
There are a couple of problems which we encounter here in Philadelphia which may not be perculiar to us alone as educators.The number one of these will be the background of our students .Their family backgrounds,alonside other considerations affect their behaviors which eventually have an efect on the learning atmosphere in the classroom.
Where does the brain come in here?.If we put in the back of our minds the fact that brain and behavior are same , then these behaviors are the direct or indirect products of our students brains. Now the question is how do we fit all these into teaching to be effective?
I would have expected that they will be the same since the root cause of the paralysis is the same (stopege of blood flow to a part of the brain). No wonder the Psalmist says we are so
The fact that he can move his limbs by himself and also respond to stimulus but found it difficult to walk or stand means that his I-Function is working but some other areas of the neuro-cortex are having some difficulty.
Most of all, I've enjoyed and learned a lot from our working through together observations on the nervous system, and thinking about what they mean for behavior, and for the classroom. Every year is different, and every year is fun because I discover from talking with you what is "less wrong" than last year. One exchange that particularly sticks out in my mind this year is the one about difficulties in knowing whether a pattern of neuronal activity (something one sees or thinks) starts inside the nervous system or in sensory neurons. This, as both Aliya and Heidi put it, is a really important issue in dealing with kids in a classroom. Its essential to begin by recognizing the patterns going on in a kids' head, regardless of their origin, and then making the input (what one does as a teacher) relate to that rather than presuming that there is either noting there or that it is simply wrong and should be erased.
Very much looking forward to the coming week, to continuing to try and blend the "spiritual" and the "scientific", to talking more about the "I-function" and what its good for (generally and in education; who's thought was it that education usually stresses the I-function? Inger or Heidi or ....?); to talking more about the distinction between the analytic and the intuitive (and how to blend them?). See you all Monday morning.
One good example is a story of how a child missed her cat so much that after the cat died, she still claimed she sees it and plays around with it. Applying the knowledge of what we learnt in the Institute, one can say her interneurons are generating signals to the brain and creating images of the cat just as if it is there.
A psycologist came and pretended to take the Girl's picture with the cat which apparently (at least to every other person) was not there expecting that when the picture is developed there will be a space where the cat was expected to be, and he can use that to deliver this girls from the halucination. But to everyone's surprise, when the pictures were developed the cat was seen sitting on the girl's laps. This can only be explained spiritually. Both
First and foremost I will like to acknowledge the fact that we were blessed to have Paul as our fascilitator during this period. I wish we had more time anyway because we seem not to be able to finish answering all our questions.
I have a new look and a new perspective of things as regards the kids I teach because of the various areas of the brain that were discussed.It is interesting to note that I was able to discover a couple of things in addition to what we were taught.
Very dear to me is Reading in my class. As a future reading specialist I am interested in how reading can be affected by the brain.In the course of this institute I came across so many factors that link the brain and reading together. This is an eye opener for me and it will definitely enhance my approach to teaching reading in my classroom.It has been a wonderful time and I wish every teacher gets a chance to attend this institute with Paul as the coordinator.Thanks Paul and Jan.Long Live Brain & Behavior Institute.
My concluding thoughts will be posted VERY soon. Honest!
Looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts too.
Warm regards to all -
Karen
1) "Getting it less wrong" is much more than a catchy slogan; it is a powerful concept for students and teachers to embrace in the learning process, no matter what subject, so that neither is intimidated by the idea of finding the "perfect" answer, and so that both keep questioning those things that are important and sharing their views in order to reach a greater and more precise understanding. (I also like McCartney's "It's Getting Better All The Time" as a philosophy for living, in general).
2) The Harvard Law of Science as it applies to the research and observations in lower animals resulting in observation of intrinsic variability in motor responses was fascinating stuff. I would like to know what other life forms exhibit this and its application to human behavior and student behavior--what research, if any, has been conducted on higher life forms and humans?
3) Brain as behavior: On the first day of class, the idea that "It's all there" was presented, that is, that brain activity is synonymous with behavior (at least that's the way I envisioned what was said). I bristled at this notion, I think, because it appeared to reduce all human activity to something measurable and material. I realized soon that this was only a small piece of the picture (probably presented this way to create controversy and agitation!). However, at this early point, I saw this idea more as, "Is that all there is?" I know that during the first day of the BBI (at lunch) Paul suggested that whatever it is that comprises the spiritual may also be "in there" (the brain). In the next class we were introduced to the concept of "interneuronal" activity, and that interneurons generate their own brain activity and hence, thought processes. I felt we were getting closer to explaining the "spiritual". Then we touched upon this idea again in terms of the genome, and we explored how we are bound together as humans by way of a gene-derived "collective unconscious" which we can say travels to and through us by way of the genome as a stored record of memory of the human experience: wars, environmental occurrences, social revolutions, political and cultural influences, perhaps even cultural practices related to mating, societal organization, birth and death, etc., tying humanity together with the memory imprint of previous cultures (the "free package" Paul says we get as our birthright) .. Well, now I really had something to chew on! The spiritual may come to us from our ancestors, and the genes may be responsible for spiritual inclinations in man, which we then restructure in our lifetimes and pass along, as part of our gene legacy, to our children. I will be paying very close attention to all future scientific or other inquiries into this area. I'm still very unsatisfied with current explanations. We have to address further those concepts which have influenced our thinking and living possibly since we emerged as a species: the spirit, the soul, the mystical, the psychic, "love" in all of its manifestations, and the drive for a mythos or religion.
4) The Thinking/Rethinking Process: Alas, cognition/metacognition and its significance in the learning process was not addressed! (Allison and Vygotsky, take note!) With a growing need for students to feel they are being heard and have a degree of ownership of the educational process, metacognition, the looking back at what has been learned or discovered in the classroom, and then writing/discussing/reflecting or creating other kinds of "self talk" has produced very positive results: higher learning, higher sense of community (social) in the classroom.
(5) Intellectual/Emotional Connections: Another special interest of mine, the connection between the intellectual and the emotional as it impacts the learning process, wasn't touched upon either. I'm interested in the phenomenon of intellectual stimulation creating an emotional reaction or affect, or vice versa. (don't think this was brought up in class). In other words, how is it that through the receiving and processing of intellectual information and ideas, a person can get emotionally "charged", almost to the point of "euphoria"? Or, conversely, how is it that a person who is brought into a learning situation by relating first his prior knowledge (knowledge as memory of experience, whether first-hand or witnessed) about poverty or violence, or the feelings associated with being in love, can have his intellectual interest triggered into reading and interpreting a particular author's writing? This is an important idea for success in the classroom; that is, when a student is emotionally "hooked" on the material presented in class, the chance that he/she will make the investment in learning is certain to be higher. Even on the teaching side, I know that if I plan lessons or present material that I particularly enjoy, or have positive feelings about, my teaching is more effective (and affective), the interactive potential between myself and students is higher, and overall learning is increased on all levels.
5) Intuition, Dreams, Dreamwork, Dreaming: wonderful stuff, beautifully described as part of our intuitive brain activity. I still canít quite believe that brain wave patterns for conscious and dreaming brains look the same. This knocks me out! I've kept a dream journal sporadically throughout the years, and truly believe that if you can decipher the symbolic/metphoric language in which dreams speak, then they are a very useful tool in self-discovery/decision making. etc. I would also like to look more into the intuitive side of creativity and examine what is actually happening to brainwork when pure creation occurs--as reported by artists, entering the vortex, the void, the dark place.
6) First Impressions and Neurons: It would have been helpful to have more of a brain "map" as an introduction which would delineate the separate structures of the brain (the triune structure, the limbic system and the areas of the neocortex). I would have liked this kind of "top down" approach, at least on the first day, before launching into neurons. However, the presentation of material on neurons was carried out in a beautifully orchestrated combination of illustrations, lecture, response, more lecture, more illustrations, more response. By the end of the second day, I was mesmerized by Paul's gifted way of drawing in and engaging even the most reluctant learners among us. From that moment on, I stopped questioning the order in which the material was presented. I then relaxed and let myself be swept away by our adroit conductor!
7) Computer technology: As a language/linguistics person, I have been intrigued by the idea that perhaps many of the classic writers--Hemingway, Poe, even Shakespeare, would have created very different "pieces" if they had used PCs! With touch of the finger technology, revising drafts, or piecing in remnants of stories as they occurred serendipitously may have created a very different product than the works we all know and love. In fact, one of our morning coffee discussions revolved around "idea flow" and how we best create written pieces. Jan and Nancy felt that it was difficult for them to revise papers without hard copy in front of them. I felt that I wrote best in a "serendipitous" manner (I never told you this Paul, but this word has been one of my favorites for years before I met you; so much so, that if the guy from the Actor's Studio who interviews celebrities on the BRAVO channel asked ME what my favorite word was, serendipity would certainly be up for consideration)--that is, my creative flow was best when I typed, rather than hand wrote. In this manner, I could allow some creative part of my brain full exploratory power over my thought processes, without the censor that inevitably pops out to limit me when I hand write my thoughts (Paul, can you explain this phenomenon? )
8) Critical importance of having inter-collegial programs like these. I was stimulated and encouraged by, and, yes, even euphoric about the information flow and the intensity of the ideas and responses of everyone involved in the Institute. There never was, nor will there ever be, a department or small learning community meeting that could come close to the level, intellectual or emotional, that BBI did (and as D&D has thus far). Interestingly, by being informal in our oral and written input, we still managed to make some awfully lofty conclusions about science, education, and the human condition (I have previously experienced this phenomenon in my classroom where I too encourage brainstorming and unedited thinking and writing, but Paul and Allison were so encouraging about this mode of communication. Thank you!)
9) Conclusion: In general, a huge thank you, Paul, for creating this institute, which carries out your mission to nurture teachers as learners in order to help them become better educators. Please be assured that all you have imparted will not be lost on us; your efforts will be rewarded for years to come in the way we conduct ourselves as professionals and caring human beings.
10)Nexus: I know there are some folks who have taken these institutes again and again. I don't want to deprive someone else of a seat for next yearís program, but if I could reserve my seat now, I would! My thought is that this should be open to other disciplines. Since I am certified in K-8 science, even though I teach high school English, I wondered about my qualifications and whether I'd be the only "non-science" person attending. As it turned out, there were others who managed to get around the science background requirement, which, as it turned out, wasn't a requirement after all. I'm curious to know how you plan to run the institutes for next year, and whether us "non science" educators will be welcome.
That's all folks!
Love, Karen
