Figuring it Out

[bedora]

I've been working with Rita Smilkstein on the application of how learning happens (i.e. the natural process of learning based on how the brain works [I started to say, "how the brain operates" but the close proximity of 'brain' and 'operates' gave me the willies!]) to academic learning, specifically in our current school systems. Part of what we

Comments

As usual we are fascinated with similar things

[myrafly]

I've been studying the brain this year... "Destructive Emotions" by Daniel Goleman (it is a report of a meeting with Brain scientists, religious folk of various types (including the Dalai Lama) The take away from that book for me, was that compassion heals what is broken in our brains. This is a Buddist premise backed up with good old western science.. Nice... Reading "Stroke of Insite" by Jill Bolte Taylor helped to explain to me where spiritual experience lies in the brain (go right) Her stroke left her (once the pain was dealt with) with a feeling of overwhelming bliss. Then there was the book "The Brain that changes itself" and my take away from that was that even with extreme damage and even at the end of life the brain continues to make new connections. The idea that our brain does not form new Neurons after childhood is disproven and this is the most hopeful thing ever

[mrs_talksalot]

A few days ago I was in a meeting where the administrators were praising me for the master schedule I created for the school. I won't go into detail, but this schedule was the most challenging of any master schedule I've created. There are two things that were said by the principal that pertain to what you are saying. 1. She stated that I am obviusly very good at math. 2. She said that she discovers people's strenghts and has them do the jobs that jibe with those strengths

[iammightee]

Hmm. Do you really believe that if you can learn one thing, you can learn anything? I suppose given enough time and training anyone can learn anything, but that doesn't make different subjects equivalent, you know? I am sure I could learn higher math, but that would be more difficult and take considerably more time and effort for me than something for which I had a natural understanding, such as a linguistically-based subject.

But yes, I do see what you mean about our experiences shaping our perceptions of what we can and can't learn. I had an ineffective algebra teacher in middle school, and I became convinced I couldn't do algebra. Now I use basic algebra all the time without even thinking about it. In middle school, I had science teachers I loved and excelled in science; in high school I hated my science teachers and struggled. Interestingly, though, I also hated my English teacher in high school, and I still excelled.

[sczrhands]

In high school I read the book the psychopathology of everyday life by Sigmund Freud. Just because it was interesting. Though several people who saw me reading it asked me which class it was for and looked at me funny when I said I just wanted to read it. I think you would all like the book, it was interesting. I don’t have it because I lent it to a friend at school when I was done and never got it back. But I'm sure you could all find copies somewhere. People tend to associate things. Sometimes associations affect us in unexpected ways. Though Freud obviously didn’t know about dyslexia, a lot of what he said made sense. And there was only 1 bizarre overtly sexual case history in the book. I don’t think everyone can learn everything. Some people are better at certain subjects. But I do think people should enjoy learning. I’m an analytical thinker. I had a lot of problems studding anatomy because its memorization based. But I still found the class interesting. I never memorized my multiplication tables. I got sick when they were