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Angela DiGioia's picture

Teachers as scientists?

I am continually struck with the model that we’re building which relates the parts of the brain to various functions that create who we are and how we interact with the world around us.  It’s truly amazing the speed with which neurons communicate to produce reactions, thoughts, words, movements, etc.  As I sit typing, this very process is happening, including a something “seriously loopy” that enables me to act or assess the movement (output) that my fingers are making, as they’re making it, to produce the next word on the page. 

As I continue to read articles about how to change the brain and the unique position that teachers play, I am surprised that more teachers do not have some knowledge of the biological side of the brain and the cyclical process that is constantly taking place in their students’ brains.  After all, this process is directly linked to the children’s outputs and outcomes, right?  I am also wondering how so many teachers, without previous training as a biologist or neuroscientist, just “get it”.  I’ve been lucky enough to have many teachers like this over the years; the ones whose lesson plans and activities are able to stimulate each part of the brain to maximize the output produced (whatever that may be) and generate new inputs continuously.  Here, the brain is never bored (if boredom is anything but a construct of the brain itself).  How do they do that?

 

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