1. Watch the two movies.
2. What is meant by the term "hyperlinked minds."
3. Schools traditionally focus on left-brain thinking....list an example of a lesson you use to focus on the left-brain thinking and the right-brain thinking.
4. Why is brain research important in learning about digital natives? From this research, what can we infer about teaching reading?
Children’s brains are wired differently these days due to constant digital exposure and digital experiences. Most of our students have spent their whole lives surrounded by computers, ipods, DVD’s, video games, and cellphones. Researchers used to think that our brain’s neural pathways and our fixed intelligence were set by the age of three. According to Ian Jukes, they now know that children’s brains can be affected by input and experiences and the intensity and duration of those experiences. Basically, our students’ brains are wired differently than my generation and they process information differently, too. They don’t process information sequentially, like we do, because of their “hyperlinked’ minds. It’s important that we keep up with this current brain research, so we can understand how our students learn and how we assess learning. We can’t keep teaching the same way we always have, because students are not learning the same way. If more than 60 percent of students are either visual or visual kinesthetic learners, and digital learners process pictures, color, and video before text, we need to rethink how we are teaching reading. According to this book, digital learners also prefer to randomly access information and at their own pace. But, as educators, haven’t we always controlled the flow and pace of information? This is why we need to change the way we teach. Recently, we did an author study of Arnold Lobel in my classroom. Instead of spoon- feeding the information to students, they collaborated with each other and decided what they wanted to learn about the author and his books. They worked in small groups, using books, laptops, digital cameras, and iPods. They communicated their findings through various projects, which they shared with their classmates. Some of the projects involved technology, some of the projects included research and reports, and some of the projects were art projects. So, students were able to display what they learned in a way that best suited their learning styles. I think this is an example of a lesson that used both left-brain thinking and right-brain thinking.
ReplyDeleteHyperlinked refers to the way children's brains are wired. In the past, researchers thought that brains were established by age three. Now there is more research established thinking otherwise. It is important for us to continue this research based on the technology that children as exposed to in the current times. In regards to a lesson, I would say that I would try to use real objects with my kids along with visuals and auditory input. I would probably also use the computer for a video with my preschoolers or something that they could relate too. Technology is also good to work with kids who have articulation and language impairments because it gives them that consistent auditory input along with the visual and they don't even have to produce any words verbally. Technology also bridges that gap with kids where English is a second language. You no longer have to go out to the store to purchase a CD. You can just "google" or "you tube" it. In preschool just learning concepts of top/bottom, left/right are precursors to learning how to read. Also, phonetics and implemented letter recognition. Kids these days do not process a lesson in the same way. They need less of "lecture" or presenting the information and more "hands on experience.
ReplyDeleteThe term "Hyperlinked minds" suggests that children's thinking and construction of knowledge is not linear or necessarily sequential. Contrary to what has been traditionally understood, new research in neuroscience has found that children construct knowledge by connecting ideas to one another, like a honeycomb. The more related experiences a child has, the more neural pathways they develop and more connections between these pathways are developed as well. Researches have also learned about the plasticity of the brain, it changes over time as the result of new experiences. Intelligence is not fixed as it was once thought. All of this poses new questions for teachers. If children don't just learn sequentially, but learn by connecting various ideas in a structure built on commonalities, we can teach very differently. Learning can be much more task oriented and "big picture". Technology would be a natural fit for this type of teaching because children could explore related ideas and have an endless source of information at their fingertips. They could also create various ways to communicate with others about their learning using technology. This type of teaching would enhance the use of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. In my classroom, I try to allow the students many opportunities to use technology to create projects that allow them to research various topics and communicate what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteHyperlinked minds refers to the idea that the brain isn't linear in the development of neurons and pathways. Old thinking was that by age 3 the brain's pathways were set and there wasn't anyway to add to them. We now know that the brain is constantly changing and developing, so that the more a pathway is used the stronger it becomes. The more experiences we have the more pathways are connected and developed. Traditional left brain thinking and teaching focuses on order and sequence, however we now know that students are capable of much more. Brain research shows us that digital natives learn through trial and error and self directed browsing of what is interesting to them. If I think about the teaching of reading in this way, I would think it becomes necessary to expose children to books and print in a variety of contexts.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the videos and reading about brain research. Many years ago it was believed that by the age of 3 our brains were fixed, but over the years it's been proven that our brains can change, it's highly adaptive, plastic. Our brains can reorganize itself and the intelligence we're born with isn't fixed. The brains of our digital natives are wired differently because of their exposure to a variety of technologies such as computers, iPods, iPads, video games, etc. To the children today, digital is their first language and so they process information differently-their brains are hyperlinked. They are visual and visual kinesthetic learners who process video before text, sounds, pictures, colors and don't process information sequentially. In order to reach and teach the 21st century learner, teachers must change their pedagogy. The digital learners want to be challenged, they prefer to receive information from many multimedia resources, enjoy networking with others, learning at their own pace, their learning should be relevant, active, useful and most of all fun.
ReplyDeleteMy students are working on their fairy tale/folk tale projects this month. In the past, I sent home a copy of their assigned story for them to read with their parents. This year, I changed my approach. The assignment was to watch a video of their story on an internet website. From the video they created an outline and then wrote a retelling of the story. They are going to publish their retellings and create a multimedia project recording their own voices. The children are having a blast with this project because it's their creation; they are taking pride in the ownership of this project. An at home project many times becomes a mommy made project and isn't a true representation of a child's abilities. It's interesting to listen and watch their interactions with one another as they communicate with their friends about their project. They are watching each other's video stories and using the iPad which also has apps for many fairy tales and folk tales.