Teach the Brain Forums

March 28, 2006

Good Morning

Who is the superior sex....check out the 'y' chromosome......retrieved from internet today....
Best,
Rob
URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/

March 28, 2006

Good Evening,

Introducing the father of neuroscience.....url retrieve this evening from the internet.
Best,
Rob url: http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/pr...n=fa/cajal

March 29, 2006

Good Morning,

Memory and learning cannot function normally when the myelin coverning the axons are cracking and degenerating.....Retrieved today from the internet is an excellent article regarding the autoimmune system and microglia cells.......Good read...
Best,
Rob URL: http://www.biopsychology.com/index.p...arch&x=12&y=18

April 2, 2006

Good Morning,

It is really amazing how a review of a subject or subjects creates a manifestation of "just reading it for the first time syndrome". Reading over material that you have once read before is like learning something new or additional for the first time.

Our minds tend to pick of certain important things on a first reading....and when we read again and reflect, new ideas and meanings are connected....I retrieved this particular url today about the brain....we all know this material or do we....I found that a good review and reflection of this material brought new ideas and thoughts...and tied things together....a little bit more.
Best,
Rob
Url: http://encarta.msn.com/text_761555359___47/Brain.html

April 3, 2006

Good Morning,

It is extremely important when teaching a subject that we take plenty of time for a complete understanding. If we expect any long term memory to come from a subject matter and end up in the higher levels of memory retention that being the cerebral cortex, it must be reached and the subject must be reflected upon from time to time to strengthen the connections; synaptic, etc.

Again the brain is the central figure in the central nervous system and that is exactly what it is...a system. Systems analaysis must be considered at all times and that goes for the PN system and all other systems in the body. One must remember that in systems analysis, the salient feature is that "one thing can affect another...so we are studying systems; not just the brain in isolation."

It is my recommendation that the practitioner teach anatomy and physiology along with biology in the primary grades if not before....this of course would most likely be the beginning of the students' prior knowledge and the development of neural networks [in these areas].

The trick of course is to make the subject meaningful and help the student learn and form his or her own constructs based on correct information that is received.

Be well,
Rob,

April 4, 2006

Good Afternoon

Yesterday I received an e-mail from one of my former students who is head of Special Education - Autism for on of the largests school districts in the United States....Many of us have heard this before but it means much more when personally delivered.
Best,
Rob
...something nice to think about~a thank you for all of the little things we do for each other throughout our busy days...

>Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat
missions,
>his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and
>Parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a
>communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures
on
>lessons learned from that experience!
>
>One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man
at
>another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters
in
>Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"
>
>"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
>
>"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise
and
>gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"
Plumb
>assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be
here
>today."
>
>Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says,
I
>kept
>wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a
bib in
>the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might
have
>seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything
>because,
>you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb
thought of
>the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the
bowels of
>the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each
>chute,
>holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.
>
>Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone
has
>someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He
also
>points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was
shot
>down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his
mental
>parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He
called
>on all these supports before reaching safety.
>
>Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is
>really
>important We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate
>someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a
>compliment,
>or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week,
this
>month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.
>
>I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in
packing my
>parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped
pack
>yours!
>
>Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without
>writing
>a word. Maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still
want
>to keep in touch, guess what you do -- you forward jokes. And to let
you
>know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are
still
>loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.
>
>So my friend, next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've
been
>sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of
today and
>your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a
smile,
>just helping you pack your parachute........

trying to homeschool a 7 year old boy because our small town local public school says I need to. He is both academically gifted and has mild hypotonia which caused slight motor delays and problems with handwriting and drawing. He also has some vision focusing problems that we are trying to correct with vision therapy. He can only read for about ten minutes before his eyes get tired and he needs a break. I take turns reading with him. Even with this problem he was able to read "A Kinght's Honor" from the TAKS 2003 grade 8 Reading Online Test and answered ten out of 13 questions at the end of the story correctly.

He read his first easy reader book at 2 1/2. He has always loved words and he used to sit with a dictionary looking for new words. When he hears or sees a new word he wants to know the exact meaning and will look it up. His vocabulary is amazing. He will actually use these words in his speech, which makes him stand out in the small town we live in--a town that doesn't even have a library because people keep voting against it. Football is the most important thing in this town. I notice people looking at him when he starts talking. I have heard people that had never met him before describe him as "scary smart" after hearing him talk.

Since I am not an expert, I try to find help online. I lurk on teachers.net message boards. I keep trying different things until I find something that works. I also try to take advantage of his interests. For example, yesterday he wanted me to look up information on alchemy. I printed out wikipedia's 11 pages of info on the subject. We read through it together, underlining words he didn't know, and then we looked them up. We are also reading through some of the old classic books.

I would appreciate suggestions from experts on how to educate this child.

I am just a mom trying to homeschool a 7 year old boy because our small town local public school says I need to. He is both academically gifted and has mild hypotonia which caused slight motor delays and problems with handwriting and drawing. He also has some vision focusing problems that we are trying to correct with vision therapy. He can only read for about ten minutes before his eyes get tired and he needs a break. I take turns reading with him. Even with this problem he was able to read "A Kinght's Honor" from the TAKS 2003 grade 8 Reading Online Test and answered ten out of 13 questions at the end of the story correctly.

He read his first easy reader book at 2 1/2. He has always loved words and he used to sit with a dictionary looking for new words. When he hears or sees a new word he wants to know the exact meaning and will look it up. His vocabulary is amazing. He will actually use these words in his speech, which makes him stand out in the small town we live in--a town that doesn't even have a library because people keep voting against it. Football is the most important thing in this town. I notice people looking at him when he starts talking. I have heard people that had never met him before describe him as "scary smart" after hearing him talk.

Since I am not an expert, I try to find help online. I lurk on teachers.net message boards. I keep trying different things until I find something that works. I also try to take advantage of his interests. For example, yesterday he wanted me to look up information on alchemy. I printed out wikipedia's 11 pages of info on the subject. We read through it together, underlining words he didn't know, and then we looked them up. We are also reading through some of the old classic books.

I would appreciate suggestions from experts on how to educate this child.

April 5, 2006

Good Evening,

Dear Chrismom,
I read your letter and suggest that you either form a group of homeschool parents or join a group of homeschooling parents. I was searching the internet this evening looking for homeschool websites and there are some of the online. I retrieved the following url: http://freehomeschooling.clobo.com/
Url: http://www.oup.co.uk/oxed/primary/

You son is very young and you have time to contact your county office of education where you live and ask for resources and suggestions. They will also have texts and other material through the local school district. My sister in law home schooled her son for a bit and she found many resources in the community that were of great help...but she worked at it. It sounds as if you are a caring parent and most likely doing the right thing for your child.

There is also cross-age student tutoring usually available....you can contact your local school or county department of education for these local students.....a visit to the state department of education in your state would also be of benefit.
Be well,
Rob

Thanks for your reply. I do belong to our local homeschooling group but it is very small and not very active. My son doesn't exactly fit in with this group.

We tried a free online course on the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe several months ago that my son really liked. I haven't seen any other free classes since that time. I checked out connectionsacademy.com and they don't offer free classes in my state. There is no way we can afford to pay for classes.

I have already sent emails to the state superintendent of public schools that went unanswered. We had a meeting with the special ed director at the local public school at the beginning of the school year and with a month left to go before school is out we still haven't heard back from him. My special ed teacher friend told me they are waiting to see what I want them to do for my son and I think by law they are supposed to try to come up with a solution. The special ed teacher told me she noticed my son in kindergarten when he wouldn't walk up stairs without getting down on his hands and knees and he seemed to have slight motor delays. She told my son's kindergarten teacher that he should be referred for testing but I didn't know about it until a year later when she told me about it. She noticed that my son still seemed to have some coordination and balance problems when she watched him trying to learn the dances in the musical theatre group that her son is also in. She suggested that I have him tested by a developmental pediatrician. The developmental pediatrician told us he has hypotonia and visual motor problems that cause difficulty with writing and drawing. He also has vision focusing problems which cause his eyes to get very tired after reading for about ten minutes. So he can't read or write for very long without taking a break. This is not a problem at home but it would be in school. I talked to the superintendent of the school about his achievement test results and he said they couldn't really do anything for him and that I should continue homeschooling. He said the school had never had a kid like him before. He also told me he realized this could be a problem for me but it was a good problem to have. I am not allowed to use any of the school's books, he can't receive physical or occupational therapy for the problems, and he can't play on the playground with kids during school hours. We pay taxes but get nothing. My husband finally sent an email to our state representative yesterday about the problems we are having with the school system.

I can see that it would be difficult to provide an appropriate education for a child who has visual and motor difficulties (but would not qualify for help) but who is also gifted. They can't just put a seven year old in with 8th graders for reading. They don't even want to put him with 4th graders for math. By the way, most of the 4th grade boys should be in 5th by age but academic redshirting is the rule in this town especially for boys with spring or summer birthdays like my son. I have also learned that kids at this school sometimes bully the boys who are into academics instead of sports.

As far as gifted education at our school, they have a one hour a week pull out and the kids still have to do the regular classwork. They also have proficiency based promotion available. In order to skip a grade a child has to make a 90% or higher on an end of year test for the grade to be skipped. Kids in that grade are not even required to pass this test before moving on to the next grade. I think if my son were tested today (math only) he would probably make an 85% on a 3rd grade math test, an 80% on a 4th grade test, and maybe 65% on a 5th grade test. He would make mistakes on easy stuff and get harder stuff right. So he would have to stay with age mates even though he would be bored out of his mind and would not learn anything.

I am not a trained educator. I have to rely on common sense. Common sense tells me that a child should build on what he already knows and that doesn't happen at my local public school, at least at the elementary level. I think it gets better in high school where they have mixed age classes. I wish the school would allow part time school so he could take math but they won't do it.

April 7, 2006

Good Morning,

Dear Chrismom,

You are to be commended for taking on this great responsibility. But first I must ask a question: Are you and the local school on good terms or how would you describe it? Most important.
Best,
Rob

I get the feeling that they don't like to see any kind of change at this small town school and I had the nerve to ask for changes. I questioned the need for T-1 for all little boys with spring and summer birthdays. They didn't like that. I asked about ability grouping and they don't like that--too much trouble or something. Most of the teachers have been there for years and have done things the same way for all those years. The superintendent was a former teacher at this school.

When my son was in kindergarten I was one of very few parents who helped in the classroom. My husband and I went to PTO meetings. I have two friends who are teachers. One is a special ed teacher and the other teaches reading. Both are parents of children in my son's acting class. The special ed teacher thinks it is wrong the way we have been treated but can't really help me because she needs her job and the special ed director and the superintendent are her superiors. She agrees with me that my son should be allowed to do part time school because that would be the best for my son and that should be the most important thing.

Part time school would be best for my son because he is doing vision therapy twice a day at home and working to build muscle strength and stamina using weight equipment and a trampoline. He needs time to practice piano to help develop his fine motor skills. He needs to be able to move around while we discuss things because that is how he learns best--not sitting at a desk.
He needs answers to his many questions. You have to be quiet and not ask very many questions at this school. He loves homeschooling. He doesn't want to go back to school even for a minute.

Another reason I don't want my son at this school all day is the way they talk and the lack of vocabulary. I think my son's gift for reading and language should be nurtured. At the school, if you use proper grammar you stand out. Kids and even some of the teachers frequently make grammatical errors in their speech and nobody cares. At home my son and I read and discuss articles from the paper and read from a history encyclopedia. We look up any words he doesn't know and then try to use them in our speech during the day. Recent vocabulary words were philosophy, fundamental, contemporary, chivalry, convention, rebuke, affront, obviate, adverse, obscure, alchemy, asset, charlatan, abstruse, speculate, undermine, manifest, panacea, mundane, inexorably, amorphous, enigmatic, espoused. We enter the words in an electronic dictionary that we carry everywhere and delete and add knew words as soon as he knows the words really well. He enjoys doing this. He enjoys using words that his 25 year old sister doesn't know.

I complained to the state gifted coordinator when my son was in kindergarten that nothing was done for gifted kids until third grade and I think this is wrong. The gifted coordinator called the school principal and he was not happy with me. So some people at the school might not like me very much.

April 7, 2006

Good Evening Chrismom,

You have indicated that the local school will not loan you text books for Chris whom you are homeschooling. I suggest that you put the texts and materials that you request in writing [principal] with a cc. to the Supterintendent. This should only be done if you have requested text and been turned down. You should also ask in your letter for help from a curriculum specialist or grade[s] level teacher to help you select the books. Suggest it could be anyone who is cordial and friendly.

I would also request in writing, permission for you to be able to review your child's cumulative record from the principal with cc. to Superintendent. Ask to review these files at the school site since they cannot be sent home. You will need this request in writing most likely since, it really sounds like there is great deal disagreement between the school and you. Keep to the point in the letter and be specific and short...don't bird walk. I would also request that your letter be replied in writing to you from the school and/or superintendent.
Register the letter and cc......and keep a copy;along with postal receipt. These are public text books and materials and the school and district should be more than happy to loan them to you. They may ask for a deposit but that is ok....it tells a great deal about a school. Generally speaking, the County office of Education is of great help in being a mediating body regarding homeschooling and the use of public materials and texts.

Just a word of caution and support....Please do not stray from the subject of what you want....be specific even if you are turned down. Stay with the one day agenda and do not bring up the past since this is simply proforma. I don't believe you mentioned that you had discussed this with the county office of education....by the way they will immediately call the local school district superintendent or principal. You have legal rights, but the day to day complaining will only wear you down and will not do any service to your young Chris.

If you do not receive a response in writing from the school or district within about two weeks...then you request the same letter [registered] to the school board members with cc's to the school principal and superintendent. My guess is that the school district does not know how to satisfy what you want....and have their backs up...and feet planted in cement.
Be well, and try to relax a little,
Chris sounds like he will make it through the young years and most likely will not shine at school until the school appreciates him. That may take until college.

The school district also has legal rights and that is something they would prefer not to do....attorneys are very expensive...and sometime a waste of tax dollars unless the school is feeling threatened by you. You should not give them that feeling since then the parents of the school will complain to you that the district is losing money because of YOU> There are better ways to resolve the dispute that you may or may not want to pursue. Keep your cool and be much more specific. You have many legal rights....but that can be ruined by your demeanor with the school and visa versa. Then only Chris will lose out on some addition materials and text....which quite frankly he can get most places from publishers. By the way, I don't know the size of this school, other that it is small. The county office of education might be your best bet......and they have access to materials and text. The county does not usually like to interfer with the local districts, but they must follow up on written requests.
Be well,
Rob

April 8, 2006

Good Afternoon,

My pleasure to refer you to the DANA FOUNDATION and Brain Works - The Neuroscience Newsletter....If you are interesting in neuroscience at all then this is a must....you can susbscribe...it is free...so far....
The March/April issue of Brain Works, The Neuroscience Newsletter can be found at http://www.dana.org/books/press/brainwork/.
It is a very good read....
Best,
Rob

April 8, 2006
Good Evening,

I am really impressed with the Dana Foundation. They have interesting materials to read and stay on the cutting edge with their research. The Dana Foundation can be found at http://www.dana.org/kids/
Best,
Rob

April 8, 2006
Good Evening,

I was sitting back reading some materials on the net and came upon this particular url of short sayings about learning. The url can be found at http://www.dana.org/books/radiotv/
....fun to read.
Best,
Rob

April 10, 2006

Good morning.....
The Howard Hughes Hospital or medical center is most efficient and you can read this interesting url found on the internet. Url:http://www.hhmi.org/news/kraves20060203.html
Best,
Rob

April 10, 2006
Good Morning,

Politics and power in education is both part of the formal and informal system. Politics and power is delineated by the same type of people that act like male dogs who try to capture or hold their territory by urinating on that area. It is a part [my opinion] of the evolutionary system that never really evolved.

It is a good feeling to be free from the brain stem intelligence of the past by keeping your integrity and your own good will. I have lived a long professional life and politics and power is really extant today as well as the male dog mentality when it come to territory. Never sell yourself or change your ideas for money or pride. Pride is integrity. Pride is everything.
Be well,
Rob

April 10, 2006
Good Morning

When we consider that educators must be experts in teaching learning...and that the general tenor of the press in the United States is Liberal....Yet, in California, we have voted for stem cell research but it is tied up in the courts. Whereas it is tied up in the courts, but the reality of it is this. If you are opposed to stem cell research for the population and you are a legislator...this is where the informal process of Politics and Power really comes in to play. You will get your own private embryonic stem cell therapy but it will be behind closed doors through the informal system, while you are voting against it.....Does this really happen???????? Oh, yes and it is the responsibilty of the press and lay persons along with colleagues to stop it.....
Cynical....yes....discouraged no.....
Best,
Rob

April 10, 2006
Good Morning

Some good resources can be found about the brain for educators at the following url: http://www.brainsource.com/for%20educators.htm url: http://www.brainsource.com/brain%20injury.htm
Be well,
Rob

April 11, 2006
Good Morning
Does the brain rule? I will refer you to BrainRule.Com for that answer. Turn your computer speaker on.................................................

http://www.brainsrule.com/kids/games/ne.htm
Best,
Rob

April 14, 2006
Good Morning,

Educators must be experts in teaching learning is not a trite sentence. Educators must be very familiar with the brain and central nervous system et al. to really help students with their learning process about same. The salient feature that I particularly like is the cycle of learning noted in Jim Zull's text: The art of changing the brain: Enriching The Practice Of Teaching and Exploring The Biology of Learning. Actually this is Kolb's cycle of learning that I believe originally came from Lewin....anywho........the Reflective portion of the cycle delivers biological and neurological substance to the long term memory of the human brain....[normal cortex locations].

The whole purpose of the first paragraph of this short letter is to stress reflection....
therefore I retrieved this morning a url from the internet that will really help you reflect on the functions and anatomy of the brain. Please take time to reflect, re-read and reflect again....url:http://www.brain.riken.go.jp/english/g_b...0_top.html

Rob

April 14, 2006
Good Morning,
SCIENTISTS SAY THEY'RE ABLE TO REVERSE CELL DIVISION
A very interesting and good read retrieved from the internet; San Diego Union and Tribune Newspaper url: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/...cells.html

Rob

Hi Rob ,
I would just like to pick up on your statement:
"Educators must be experts in teaching learning is not a trite sentence."

Which I would expand 'teaching learning', to teaching how to learn?

Where the crucial factor, is a recognition of the various ways in which we process information, and in turn, the way in which we learn?
Schooling is still based on the old model of a child's brain as an empty vessel, to be filled with declarative knowledge.
With little concern with recognising individual students 'way of learning', and teaching them skills that support their way of processing information.
Other than the division of Special Needs?
Which suggests that all of the others are the 'same'?
A most ridiculous assumption.
Even more ridiculous, is the 'one size fits all', teaching model.
Different ways of learning/ thinking need to recognised and helped develop on equal terms to the mythical average learner!

Rob, you introduced Gardner's different ways of thinking, where surely each is as equally valid, with equal potential.
Yet within the classrooom, many of Gardner's 'types', are categorised as having a learning disability. Where rather than helping such students to develop skills appropriate to their way of processing information?
They are forced to learn ways of processing information, that contradict their natural thinking style.
Which carries with it the suggestion that the way that they think, is in fact a deficit/disability?
But what if their different way of learning, was nurtured, rather than discredited?
Was helped developed, instead of 'accommodated'?

Much of what is currently classed as a Disorder/Deficit, needs to be recognised as bringing a unique strength to human thinking/ understanding.

Geoff

April 14, 2006
Good Morning Geoff,

I really enjoyed the way you couched the letter/note that you wrote. You are absolutely correct. One size does not fit all.....and that is what education is trying to do by throwing out materials and thinking that everyone processes according...[In this case accordingly is used to mean, the same way of processing]. Thanks Geoff.
Rob