June 7, 2013
EDU 270 - Lesson 1 Response

After watching the videos on brain architecture, plasticity, and understanding the impact of the environment on a child, how does this information impact you as a teacher?

I understand better now that as a teacher, I am creating an environment and choosing experiences that will either help or hinder my students ability to learn.  It is not enough that I know a lot about my subject field.  It's not enough to show up every day prepared and ready to teach.  Learning is not an outside-in process.  It's a process where my students are exposed to all sorts of experiences throughout their day - home, school, sports, friends, jobs, etc.  As my young students move through their days and weeks, their brains have to decide if the information they've gained from these experiences is important enough to retain or if it should be pruned.  I need to learn what I can do to ensure that the information I am responsible for is delivered in a way that makes the adolescent brain want to retain it.  This makes the job of a teacher considerably more complex than I think most people understand.