BSIE 2010: Session 13

I am thinking of concrete ways to activate the unconsious in the learning proccess...how to create disequalibrium in productive ways. I take any suggestions.

Each year as we begin our discussion of energy transfer in biological systems, my Middle School students tell me that plants need food. For many years, I have discussed with them the title of plant food given to the boxes of fertilizer they see in the supermarket. I ask them to describe what food means to them; they list corn chips, salad, pizza, tacos, hummus, and other foods they eat. For an assighment, I ask them to keep a three day diary of all the food from plants that they eat and list the part of the plant from which it comes, root, stem, leaf, flower, or seed. At the end of the three days, the students are surprised at how much they depend on plants for food. Then we discuss how plants become food using the story of photosynthesis. Students tell one another the story, they manipulate papaer atoms to play out the chemical process and then use ball and stick chemical models to reinforce the process.  They engage in many experiments to support the story. Still, at the end of the year, an occasional student will announce during class discussion that plants need food.

Paul suggested that the story, plants need food, may be a one from the unconscious brain. His observation started me thinking that the story of absorbing nutrients is a powerful one for survival. The villi in the small intestine are responsible to absorb the digested nutrients we use for building blocks for growth, replacement, and repair. These nutrients yield energy stored in their chemical bonds for cellular work. The unconscious brain directs the search, ingestion, digestion, absorption, and distribution of new matter to the cells of our body. If humans need food, why shouldn't other living things? Paul's comment offered me valuable input to rethink how I will initiate the conversation of energy transfer in biologically systems. I will start out with the same approach and engage the students in conversation, experimention, and reflection. This year I will ask the students more pointedly to explain from what source the matter comes for the sugar molecules produced as a result of the photosynthetic process. I thought manipulating the ball and stick models was enough for them to understand that the carbon for the sugar comes from carbon dioxide, but I understand that to revise the story in their unconscious, some students will have to also verbalize the connection. Perhaps, I will assign them to write a story about how sugar is made by plant and also ask how plants obtain the other matter needed to make other compunds such as proteins. In this way, I will not be inhibiting them from drawing on the knowledge and experience of thier unconscious brains. Of course, this will take time, so some other less interesting topic will be abandoned for the moment.

Note: This is my third Institute, and as I become a better teacher, I find that I teach less content and teach more an approach to learning.

I think I understand better the process of "thinking".  The on-going conversation between the unconscious and the consciouness is not only my"thinking" process, it is also a reflection on how I interact with others.  Perhaps the struggle I have with communicating (wanting to, but is very reluctant) has more to do with the internal conflict in my brain.  How does my concsiousness make my unconcscious believe that it is safe for me to share more of my thoughts and experiences?  It isn't just a matter of doing it.  In numerous formats I have been very open about myself to others.  Yet my unconscious mind view these occassions as isolated incidents and not to be view as an appropriate behavior in everyday life.  While I "understand" the inconsistency of that last sentence, I still struggle to incorporate being more verbal into my daily life. 
The above also reflects on the need for students to have multiple occassions through-out the day to contribute their thoughts and experiences to others (and receive validation).  If a child is expose to this on a consistent basis, that child will more likely continue to develop into an  adult engaged in his/her world.

This morning session was very interesting to me because I have come to realize that my mind is playing games with me and that my unconscious is sometimes more in control than I would want it to be but I realize that in order for myself to be myself I have the final say in this story.  If I want to take things for face value then I can but if I don't I will work it out with my unconscious.  I like the conservation of being able to converse with myself and sometimes I am glad my brain fills in the missing pieces.  I like the idea of "altered thinking".  This gives me a lot of things to help me stimulate and create and direct my thinking not only as a teacher but also a person.

Learning by interacting with the inside world is no different between conscious and unconscious.

Consciousness gives us the ability to think and create.

New things come out of sharing.  When everyone feels trust, we make new things.

We are learning to value ourself and the world with people and culture.  With this understanding we can create new understanding and are able to share with each other.

We are learning, inside the brain, by knowing the difference between conscious and unconscious understanding.