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Topic One: What neuroscience tells us about the learning process
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this reading you will be able to:
1. Describe how memory influences what we choose to pay attention to
2. Explain why critical thinking leads to more efficient problem-solving
3. Articulate why "multi-tasking" inhibits focused attention
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this reading you will be able to:
1. Describe how memory influences what we choose to pay attention to
2. Explain why critical thinking leads to more efficient problem-solving
3. Articulate why "multi-tasking" inhibits focused attention
![Picture](/uploads/3/8/6/0/38604647/4903587.png?347)
_Conceptual Framework
We use previous experience to predict where we should pay attention. What we pay attention to is profoundly influenced by memory. The brain needs to make sense of chaos. The human brain searches for patterns. The center of the curriculum must be critical thinking and analytical reasoning that leads to efficient and effective problem-solving & decision-making. We combine symbols to derive layers of meaning. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously. That is why "multi-tasking" is an oxymoron. The human brain has the ability to attribute characteristics and meanings to things that don’t actually possess them. Learner-centered education must be about individualizing the learning process. Does it make any sense that schools expect every child's brain to learn in the exact same way?
Doyle, T. (2011). Learner-centered teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
We use previous experience to predict where we should pay attention. What we pay attention to is profoundly influenced by memory. The brain needs to make sense of chaos. The human brain searches for patterns. The center of the curriculum must be critical thinking and analytical reasoning that leads to efficient and effective problem-solving & decision-making. We combine symbols to derive layers of meaning. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously. That is why "multi-tasking" is an oxymoron. The human brain has the ability to attribute characteristics and meanings to things that don’t actually possess them. Learner-centered education must be about individualizing the learning process. Does it make any sense that schools expect every child's brain to learn in the exact same way?
Doyle, T. (2011). Learner-centered teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
![Picture](/uploads/3/8/6/0/38604647/5726780.png?343)
_Example
When I was in elementary school, I was frequently told that I was not trying "hard enough. The result: When I felt over-whelmed with a concept and asked for help, I would be told: "Figure it out on your own." Without a framework to provide me a reference-point, I would get stuck and not able to problem-solve effectively.
When I was in elementary school, I was frequently told that I was not trying "hard enough. The result: When I felt over-whelmed with a concept and asked for help, I would be told: "Figure it out on your own." Without a framework to provide me a reference-point, I would get stuck and not able to problem-solve effectively.
![Picture](/uploads/3/8/6/0/38604647/1468761.png?343)
Potential Positive Interventions
When you get stuck on a task, remember that the brain wants to make sense out of the "chaos" that it senses. Instead of allowing yourself to divert your attention, search for a pattern that can bring sense to the problem.
When you get stuck on a task, remember that the brain wants to make sense out of the "chaos" that it senses. Instead of allowing yourself to divert your attention, search for a pattern that can bring sense to the problem.