ED 260-Educational Psychology

1. ED 260-Educational Psychology Ashley Swanson

2. Today’s Topics • What are Relevant Concepts? • Discuss Unit 2 Case Studies • Formulate Problem Statements • Module 6-The Brain and Development

3. Relevant Concepts • Concepts that are relevant to the problem and/or the solution in the scenario • Three concepts from the textbook or two from the textbook and one from another source • Define or describe the concept in your own words and tell me why it is relevant • You should provide a citation/reference for both information from your textbook and from an outside source • Your relevant concepts will be woven into either your explanation or your solution • When choosing relevant concepts, the questions at the end of each module may be helpful

4. Example

5. Things to Consider: • Problem Statement • Who are the primary participants? • What is taking place? • Where is the case taking place? (Is environment a factor?) • When is the case taking place? (Is timing a factor?) • Consider the “Assess Questions” at the end of the case study • Explanation • Discussion of the problem (using information from the scenario) • Why is it a problem? • Relevant Concepts • Can be woven into either your explanation or your solution • Consider the “Reflect and Evaluate Questions” at the end of each module to help determine relevant concepts

6. Formulate Problem Statements

7. Module 6-The Brain and Development

8. Brain Research

9. Video Clip: “The Science of Babies”

10. Brain Structure • Motor Cortex • Located in the back of the frontal lobe • Helps control movement in various parts of the body • Sensory Cortex • Located in the front of the parietal lobe • Receives information from the spinal cord about senses such as touch, pain, pressure, and perception of body parts and their movements

11. Brain Structure • Cerebral Cortex • Responsible for higher brain functions and executive functions • Divided into two hemispheres, each hemisphere is divided into four main areas: • Frontal Lobe • Organizing, attention, behavior, abstract thinking, problem solving, creative thought, emotion, intellect, initiative, judgment, coordinated movements, smell, physical reactions, personality • Parietal Lobe • Tactile sensation, response to internal stimuli, sensory comprehension, some language, reading, and visual functions • Occipital Lobe • Vision, spatial working memory • Temporal Lobe • Auditory and visual memories, language, some hearing, speech, and behavior • Cortex areas of the brain are the last to develop

12. Brain Structure Emotion Planning Personality Image borrowed from: ‪greatneck.k12.ny.us

13. Brain Structure • Brain stem: controls motor and sensory pathways, cardiac and respiratory functions, and reflexes • Broca’s area: controls facial neurons, understanding of speech and language • Cerebellum: controls complex motor functions (walking, balance, etc.) • Hypothalamus: works with pituitary gland to control hormonal processes of the body, also regulates temperature, moods, thirst, and hunger • Pituitary gland: located at the base of the brain, controls the secretion of hormones essential for growth and sexual maturation • Wernicke’s area: essential for understanding and formulating speech. Damage to this part of the brain can cause deficits in understanding spoken language

14. Brain Structure Image borrowed from: www.enchantedlearning.com

15. Developmental Processes • By the 20th week of fetal development a baby has over 200 billion neurons • Half of these original cells will be eliminated with neural pruning • Myelination-process where neurons and dendrites become coated with fatty substance to enable neural impulses to travel faster

16. Developmental Processes • Understanding myelination patterns can give teachers insight into when children become proficient at various tasks • Number of synaptic connections between neurons peak during early childhood and are pruned over time for more efficient brain functioning • Brain eliminates neurons with little myelination • Two major waves of pruning • Between ages 3-6 • Prior to puberty

17. Factors Affecting Brain Development • Relationship between cognitive abilities and developmental experience is bidirectional-certain patterns of brain function has a genetic basis, but can be changed by experiences • Main Factors affecting development: • Genetics • Environmental Stimulation • Critical and Sensitive Periods • Plasticity • Nutrition • Teratogens • Gender Differences

18. Brain Activity During Learning • “Cells that fire together, wire together” • “Use-it-or-lose-it”

19. How Brain Research can Inform Teaching • Memory • Successful instruction involves repetition and plenty of opportunities to practice essential skills • Reading • Reading disability=decreased functioning in the temporal-parietal region of the brain • Trained remediation is necessary for children with reading disabilities. Systematic phonics instruction (applying sounds to printed letters) has been shown to improve reading performance • Cultural differences in reading disability

20. How Brain Research can Inform Teaching • Math • Different learning strategies to solve the same problem lead to different patterns of brain activation • Sequencing of hands on vs. paper and pencil lessons • Emotion • Classroom fear and stress makes it more difficult for students to pay attention to the learning task because of the activation of the amygdala • Chronic fear and stress can lead to destruction of neurons in the hippocampus, which helps regulate emotion and memory

21. Image borrowed from:www.BrainConnection.com

22. What is your opinion on brain-based learning based on what you have read?

23. Main Sources: Bohlin, L., Durwin, C. C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2009). EdPsych: Modules. New York: McGraw-Hill National Geographic. (2007). The Science of Babies. United State: Pangloss Films