Learning Reflection Essay

In Allan Jones’s presentation, A Map of the Brain, he explains his current project and why is essential to the modern day. Jones first starts off by giving the audience some background information about the brain. He states that the brain is a complex organ that receives around twenty percent of the blood from our hearts as well as twenty percent of the oxygen from our lungs. Jones explains that the brain is essential to the body because it controls everything we do. Even though the brain is very complex, it does not mean that it is not organized and structured. In the past century, scientists have created a blue stain that stains neuron bodies. This showed scientists that neurons were unevenly distributed throughout the brain depending on

Constructivist Learning Theory exists under the focus of cognitive learning and has substructures of the concepts of self- efficacy, self- regulation, and metacognition as it defines how adults learn (Billings & Halstead, 2012, p. 211). Billings & Halstead (2012) explains that learning is considered a transformation in a person from personal experience. It is a continued process that encompasses understanding, clarifying, and applying meanings of knowledge that is developed. The learning theory, constructivism embraces that learning is a development. A learner constructs new knowledge by building on existing information through a process

*. By repeatedly obtaining brain scans of the same children for up to four years, researchers found that the children’s brains experience undergo dramatic anatomical change between the ages of 3 and 15.

Exercise and understanding has crushed the theory humankind had about the brain being localized and specialized. In

This weeks reading discussed the brain and many complicated factors that go along with it. The brain has been an important area of study for decades and there are many different perspectives when it comes to how it works. Brain imaging, like what is discussed in the reading provided by Dr. Gordon Rose entitled "Postcards From the Brain" has shown us more information about how the brain works, but it has also led to many perspectives related to how consciousness works, and hard versus easy problems in the brain. It debates whether hard problems even exist. Furthermore, the reading provided, also describes language in a baby's brain, how mimicry works, and disorders throughout human development. These sections all involve slightly different perspectives when it comes to how our mind works.

After having watched the video on interactive transcript, I had to re watch it has there was a lot of very useful information. I was always told that the brain takes years to be able master in a skill and be able to be the best at something. My mother always told me that practise makes perfect and that the anything you do in life, if you give it time and effort you will be able to a come any problems you set. What intrigued me is how Terry Sejnowski explains that we are not consciously aware of how our brain works. Brains are evolved to help us navigate complex environments. A lot of the heavy lifting is done below our level of consciousness. I have always wondered how the brain works as everyone has one and yet everyone manages to have a different way of using it. As Terry said the brain only weights 3 pounds but it somehow manages to consume ten times more energy by weight than the rest of the body. Many tops scientist have said it is the most complex devices known in the universe. Brain works in all these different ways and that is why it so hard for us to understand how it really functions.

Three main theories of education exist: behavioral, constructivist, and cognitive. I find myself ideologically aligned most closely with the constructivist approach, yet for reasons to be explored later in this document, find the theory one that can only offer guidance for my actions as a teacher a portion of the time I am working with students. Constructivism means students don’t just absorb information and understand

Infant learning and brain development is fragile and contingent upon numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical time frame for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are forming, areas of the brain are maturing, and brain development is rapid. From infancy until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are still being formed in response to stimulation and for this reason, it is extremely important for caregivers and parents to be aware of the many factors that can influence brain development in infants (Marshall, 2011).

In December of 2013, I was told that I was not considered for the full-time temporary faculty position in political science on South Campus by Dr. Sonia Nieves because I was not able to teach international relations even though I have graduate level coursework in international relations and Political Science degrees do not specify a focus. I later found out that, this requirement was false and inconsistent with Broward College’s Faculty Credentialing Manual and that Dr. Nieves hired an adjunct faculty member from another campus who had the same degree as me. This left me in the middle of December with no classes for the upcoming spring term despite my ability and record to fill my classes and outstanding reviews by students and supervisors. Dr. Neves also mentioned to me, on several occasions, that it was always a major scheduling “hassle” to be forced to find a downstairs classroom in order to accommodate my ADA needs.

Before reading this article I thought we knew a lot about how the brain functions. I have a new understanding that we understand very little about how the brain really works.

“Be a reflective teacher. Honestly look at what you do from time to time. Evaluate the purpose of your role as a teacher.” (Robert John Meenham, 2011)

In modern research scientists, educators, nutritionists, psychiatrists, and geneticists are constantly working together to find out how the mind-body connection affects learning. Scientists are researching how our ability to generate new brain cells affects our abilities to learn. Research has shown that our brain develops new brain cells every day. This continues until we die. According to Palombo-Weiss, R. (1997), “it's our ability to generate new brain cells that accounts for the brain's plasticity-its ability to continue to learn and update its database. Scientists generally agree that each human being has approximately 100 billion neurons, each of

The brain is a complex structure of millions of networks that has millions of functions. The world has rejoiced over the ideas and theories of people with intellect who changed the dynamics and the demography of the world through the brilliance of their minds. Man has made several attempts to study the brain and reach the core of the workings of the mind but has failed in all endeavors. Most probably because it is illegal and unethical to experiment and slice open a person’s brains, secondly on the few contraries where such permission has been taken such as that of Albert Einstein’s brain.

This essay will compare and contrast three key theories of learning; Behaviourism, Cognitive Learning Theory and Constructivism.

The very first thing one must know about the constructivist theory of learning is the premise that learners arrive at learning situations with prior knowledge and proceed to take and active part in building new knowledge upon that prior knowledge as they experience new things and reflect on those collected experiences (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). This theory directly contradicts the behaviorist learning theory in which learners are believed to arrive at learning situations with “clean slates” of understanding. From a behaviorist’s perspective, people learn because as they respond to negative and positive stimuli in their environment (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). While that may change observable behavior