Teach the Brain Forums

January 7, 2005

It seems that our basic instinct for learning does not cease after high school or college. As a matter of fact some of our great things we do throughout our entire life is learn. We are living longer and stimulating our brain more with hobbies, and intellectual and physical exercise [remember good health includes the whole body]. I truly believe that humans have a natural instinct for learning and that if inclusion of information is free to all sociocultures.

If we put Erik H. Erikson's book The life cycle completed by Joan M. Erikson [1997], along side of ages, stages and learning through very old age, we will easily conclude that flexibility in obtaining information, total inclusiveness in access to information and learning is in need of resolve.

It seems that we learn at a rather interesting pace throughout our life. Why would we have so many senior citizens wanting to volunteer and help. The need for life long learning is natural with a degree of urgency. The urgency comes in the socioculture differences in the acceptance of old age in differing culture. Many countries revere their elderly...many countries ignore their elderly...but open access and
total inclusion of learning must be provided to all.
Actually [life long learning] is enhanced by self-efficacy espoused by Albert Bandura.[Stanford University]
Be well,
Rob

January 9, 2006

Good Morning ,

It seems to me that with the longevity of life increasing that our education may be addressed in terms of Life Long Learning.

It is sort of like[example] Janet didn't finish her doctorate for 9 years. Is this really a big deal now that we are looking at Life Long Learning. What did you do for the last nine years...did you spent your time any better than Janet. I doubt it. So why are we always looking for the downside....Life Long Learning allows us to study subjects that are interesting to us in greater depth. Another thing to think about...Life Long Learning does not necessarily mean that you have to be goal oriented in terms of a career.
We do not all have the same amount of time for viable discourse, yet Life Long Learning put things in real perspective.
Be well,
Rob

January 11, 2006

But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight,
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future's sakes.Robert Frost*

Poetry by Robert Frost heads chapter eight: Lifelong Learning and Integrated Development in David A. Kolb's excellent book Experiential Learning: EXPERIENCE AS THE SOURCE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

Learning is meant to be life long and experiential learning takes us most if not all of the way there. How come people who retire and travel say [what a wonderful learning experience this has been]. We do learn by experience and when we have time...learning is soooooooooo much fun. It could be that way our entire life. Too much politics gets in the way of natural learning...there has got to be a better way to assess what a person has learned without having to quantify it. Once we quantify it, the politics begins.......
Be well,
Rob

*From "Two Tramps in Mud Time" from THE POETRY OF ROBERT FROST edited by Edward Connery Lathem. Copyright 1936 by Robert Frost. Copyright
1964 by Lesley Frost Ballantine. Copyright 1969 by Holt, Rinehart and Windston. Reprinted in Experiential Learning: EXPERIENCE AS THE SOURCE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT by David A. Kolb.

A while back we had a strand in this forum on math. From that forum I got in touch with others who wanted to find out more about how students learn math. Keeping myself open to new ideas has put me in touch with others who have helped me develop my interests. I really believe in the art of listening and keeping yourself humble enough to admit that others can help.
So, now I'd like to know what happened to the strand on math. I have purchased the books Number Sense and Where Mathematics Comes From. They are very interesting, but I'd like to discuss them with others to help my understanding.
I'll admit I don't know how to create a new strand on math, so I'm using this one to find out:o .

February 3, 2006

Morning

I really enjoy the principle stated in the Understanding the brain: Towards a new learning science - OECD "Trust the Informed Learner's Demand"...It is especially germane to life long learning. Learning is a biological-inclination for life if we want it. If we want it, it must be nurtured and motivation is truly intrinsic [not a selfish form of intrinsic]. The principle stated above does not say...Trust the High IQ of the Learner's Demand It says "Trust the Informed Learner's Demand." BIG DIFFERENCE
Practitioners can be of great help in motivation to learn whereby the learner becomes truly informed and possibly builds his/her own construct.
Be well,
Rob

2-03-06

Good Evening,

It was only less than a decade ago when the scientists were really saying in essence that the brain is fixed at birth and very little can be done subsequently to change it. What a decade this has been....now with the modern noninvasive technology that has been refined...and [yet to be refined even more], we know that the brain has a great deal of plasticity and that neurogenesis does occur in the hypocampus. We know that learning creates a physical change in brain...[formation of neuronal networks] and we know that the brain can continue to learn a lifetime if not stopped by degenerative diseases...[even in Parkinson's disease which is a degenerative disease]. Parkinson's Disease is essentially a dopaminergic death of neuron cells in the substantia nigra and most difficult to diagnose since the number of dopaminergic nerve cells that must die to confirm a clinical diagnosis is between approximately 60-80%. There is new noninvasive technology to confirm this however...but it is extremely expensive to operate and many physicians see no purpose in the test as long as they are treating the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease presently. There is no cure. There are many new medicines of which contain mostly the dopaminergic agonist which helps control symptoms while knowing full well that the medicine will need to eventually be increased or even changed to a more powerful form of L Dopa. A life time learner can/might call upon his/her motivation to keep learning for the rest of their natural life. Life Long Learning....might change the scope of our curriculum in schools and look for the sensitive periods and address them fully, yet at the same time stretch out the learning over a longer period of time.....based on urgency, critical periods, sensitive periods etc.

I look forward to life time learning which is very exciting.
Be well, URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/newslet.html
Rob
URL: http://www.youramazingbrain.org.uk/brain...onsnew.htm

Morning, February 8, 2006

We are living longer...has anyone noticed this? Or...what is happening? A whole new ballgame is before us and why is this happening? We seem to be able to physically participate and mentally participate in things that were just a few decades ago, not able to do. Are we living healthier lives....? That is questionable. Is our environment better....? That is very questionable. Is there less stress in our lives....for most of us the answer is no....This leads me to wonder that with the increase in opportunities for stimulus and experiential learning if this is interacting with the plasticity of our brain and possibly keeping us more on focused and sharper. We all have our own theories and there is [in my opinion] a physical change in the brain that has never been so active. Learning does cause a physical change in the brain. This is fact...I believe that indepth learning has a large affect on the growth of neural networks [neuronal used as same as neural in this case].

One major item that is really important is that many neurological diseases that are not presently curable, do provide the opportunity for many to continue life by treating the symtoms... and help sustain an increased quality of life. One thing is for sure, we all die at some point in our life but this is part of living; so our goal is to continue providing a good quality of life for ourselve whether we have severe degeneration of our body. Many people in this world do not have the opportunity for a full life span [varies]. Many times these are people with no particular disease or illness; they seem to not live as long as others. Where am I going with this....I believe that good health is not just physical,but mental also...and a great portion of our world is undernourished and poor. They cannot take part in what the more affluent people can do in regards to access to medicine and physicians care and access to the what I might call the contemporary necessities of life. All life is precious and we should be helping each other much more than we do.

Life is good and we need to work on our positive out look on lifes ups and downs.
Take Care,
Rob

Februrary 8, 2006

All of our countries don't necessarily improve their life span....why? Retrieved 2-8-06 from the internet regarding life span.
Best,
Rob
URL:
February 2, 2006 - Volume XIV, Issue 5
Hungarian life expectancy worsens

HUNGARIAN life expectancy has worsened, the risk of becoming ill has increased and the possibility for a rapid recovery is lower than in most other European countries, according to two recently released reports.

According to research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Hungary ranks second last out of 30 countries on a list of life expectancy for male newborns. The mortality rate of men younger than 65 is three times higher than the EU average, with around 78,000 men dying of cancer per year.

Hungary is also leading the list of deaths through road accidents, and deaths caused by malignant tumors, mostly due to smoking.

However, the report concluded that there have been significant developments in cardiovascular treatments, modern medication and the spread of surgical interventions, decreasing the number of heart attacks by 50%.

Local research conducted by the Hungarian Dietetic Association (MDOSz) suggests that Hungarian inpatients lose at least two kilograms per week because of the lack of proper nutrition.

Throughout the research 206 patients have been followed in seven different departments, with the conclusion that the meals not only affect their recovery but are also responsible for several infections.

It said that 50% of all patients asked suffer from more than one disease at the same time, in which case the prospects for a fast recovery decrease.

According to the newsmagazine HVG, the association has forwarded the report to the Health Ministry, asking it to take action.

March 12, 2006

Good Morning,

Good read on life span in the report retrieve this morning from the internet....good read.
best,
Rob URL:http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2006/nia-09.htm

March 23, 2006

Good Morning

Interesting series of the brain retrieved today.
URL: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode5/index.html

Best,
Rob

June 13, 2006
Good Evening

Url retrieved tonight from the DANA FOUNDATION says it very well.
URL: http://www.dana.org/pdf/cerebrum/exc_v7n2goldberg.pdf
Best,
Rob