Jj is for Jottings 138. Brain Gym.
Brain gym is a series of movements which claim to enhance whole-brain learning. An alternative term is “educational kinesiology”. The word “education” comes from the Latin educare, which means “to draw out”. “Kinesiology” is from the Greek root kinesis, which means “motion” and is the study of the movement of the human body. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 112. What is Neuroplasticity?
Just what is neuroplasticity? It is the term which describes a sequence of processes that take place in your brain in response to incoming stimuli. In other words, your emotions, behaviours, experiences and thoughts physically change the way your brain functions.
“What is neuroplasticity? I think it is – if I keep practising balancing, I’ll get better at it.”
Jj is for Jottings 38. More Comments from Experienced Teachers.
This is a follow-on from Jottings 35. I said that it would be continued next time – and that was on 6th December! Somehow Christmas and other issues intervened, but here is the second half now.
Both primary and secondary teachers comment on the fact that children are less able to make connections and “join up the dots”, which is something I frequently observe myself. Continue reading
An “aerial” view of Manuel sucking my gumboot!
Jj is for Jottings 21. A Bit more of the Other Side of the Coin.
I thought I’d finished with this topic, but last week I was listening to lectures on autism, and came across some reinforcement from Bob Doman, a very well-respected and experienced educator who works in child development in the U.S. This also ties in nicely with early Jottings on repetition and learning. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 5. Movement and Learning.
Pictured: “Will you just go away and stop taking photos!” Manuel – an alpaca with attitude.
Did you know that learning requires movement? We fall into the trap of dividing life into physical versus mental activities, but in fact we can’t separate movement from learning.
Skills of all types are built through muscle movements, from the physical skills of athletes, dancers etc., to the less obvious (but very complex) muscle movements involved in speech, language and gesture. Even if our thinking is deep and abstract, it can only be manifested through the use of the muscles in our bodies – speaking, writing, making music, computing and so on.
At the very start of the learning process we move so that we align our sensory organs to receive maximum input from our environment eg. turning your head so that one ear is close to the person speaking to you in a noisy room; moving your eyes around to take in the entire diagram on the whiteboard.
There must be movement to “pin down” a thought. You may sit quietly to think, but an action must be used to anchor a thought – either written or spoken words. Talking (or writing) allows us to organise and elaborate our thoughts. When we talk about what we’ve learned, the physical movements internalise and solidify it in nerve networks.
Studies clearly show that more active people – adults and children – score better on mental tests than less active people. Recent research has discovered that muscular activities, especially co-ordinated movements, stimulate the production of neurotrophins, which in turn stimulate the growth of nerve cells and increase the number of neural connections in the brain. How many times have we observed that the students who excel academically at secondary school are also excellent sportspeople, and many are also talented in music and other arts?
So it is essential to the learning process that we allow children to explore every aspect of movement and balance in their environment – walking along the kerb, climbing a tree, or even jumping on the furniture! Or perhaps a more acceptable alternative to that last one.
Otis Reading One of his Favourites. This was the title of a photo sent to me by a young first-time father.
Jj is for Jottings 4. Learning, Part 2.
During the processes of thinking, remembering and being physically active, new dendrites grow. (See Learning, Part 1.) They act as contact points and open new channels of communication with other neurons as learning occurs. Continue reading
This is what we do when we’re finally let out into the paddock after shearing – have a good roll!
You might need to concentrate a little harder for the first two paragraphs, but bear with me, it’ll become clear in the third. This applies to adults, too, not just children.
Jj is for Jottings: 3. Learning, Part 1.
To understand about learning, we need to know a little bit about how the nervous system works. Continue reading
