Hi, I am a K-3 sped teacher and am interested in discussing information processing with others. Particularly, I have an interest in the measurement of working memory's capacity for information processing. I know that working memory is measured by the digit span test. I have given a few of my students this digit span test, courtesy of the Brain Builder program that I bought. Some of my students have digit spans of 2 or 3. This is definitely a deterent to their processing.

How can I get their digit spans up to at least a 5 so that they learn easier and quicker? The Brain Builder program is good, however, I do not have time to do this with each of my students and teach the needed skills required per the curriculum. Also, it is very boring, and my students hate it, knowing that the kids next to them are doing something much more fun on the other computers.

I know I can help them to compensate for the processing issues - extra time, breaking down skills, not requiring memorization, use of manipulatives, mnemonics, kinsethetic, project-based (constructivist) activities, etc. However, I would just like to "fix" the problem. I know that if I could get the digit spans up, they would be able to learn more information at a time, and I wouldn't have to use compensatory methods or repeat instruction day after day, the same skill that doesn't seem to stick to poor short term memories.

What activities can I do to increase their digit spans that might be tied into the curriculum? In other words, is there a way to teach the curriculum, without compensation or repetition, that would increase digit spans in the process?

Am I making any sense?

We have discussed implications of brain research for teaching literacy skills and mathematics in great detail on this forum, but have engaged in considerably less dialogue considering implications for science education. Do we have some thoughts on this?

Best,
Christina

Dear forum members,

We have created a Teach-the-Brain forum invitation, which you are invited to share with interested colleagues.

The invitation is attached to this post and can be downloaded.

All the best,
Christina

It's short notice, and I don't know if anyone is interested, but the U.S. Dept. of Education has a solicitation out for research on applying cognitive science to learning ... it's due November 10. Here is the link to the .pdf file that contains the solicitation.

[URL="http://www.ed.gov/programs/cognition/2006-305h.pdf"]

Vicki :-)

PLOS Biology has just published an article on "Training, Maturation, and Genetic Influences on the Development of Executive Attention" which mentions our teach-the-brain website. If you would like to look at it, and if you have any comments on it, they would be welcome.

See: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/53/35467621.pdf

PILOTed is a monthly newsletter on online learning, their October issue is on Learning and the brain: what can we learn from what we now know about the brain. Over the past year, I’ve seen more and more references to “scientifically based learning” or techniques that purport to incorporate the latest findings from what we know about the brain. So I’ve been researching what is known about the brain and how that could be applied to education and learning.

You can view and subscribe to this newsletter here if interested.

http://nl.pilotonlinelearning.com/

Greetings! My name is Vicki Kerman, and I am an early childhood special educator in Columbus, Ohio USA. I work with members of the education community in helping them to understand the biological basis for student cognition and behavior, and the types of strategies that they can implement in order to address their students' academic and behavioral needs.

I just discovered this forum this morning, and it is wonderful! The basic premise that educators need to have a better understanding of the role of brain in learning is so well-founded!

My particular area of interest lies in the neurophysiological/neurochemical impact of untoward influences present both prentally and in early childhood. This includes prenatal alcohol/drug exposure, early trauma, emotional neglect, sensory deprivation, malnutrition, etc. These influences, although spread throughout the US, are highly prevalent among children in foster care/adoption situations.

My experience has been that literature/information on these is scattered, with sources focusing on studies pertaining to single areas of interest (e.g. impact of cocaine, of early trauma, etc.). I would like to provide the educators with whom I work a single source that they can read for further information. Can anyone recommend a single source/volume/book that presents current thinking/research on how the brain learns, as well as how each of the insults mentioned above affects this process (as well as how they interact within the brain)?

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Vicki :-)

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For more information and the latest on bird flu visit http://www.drugdelivery.ca/bird-flu.aspx

To begin with, I read an article on Numeracy:
Learning Place Value in First Grade Through Language and Visualization
Joan A. Cotter Ph.D.
Visualization vs. Counting
"Another major difference is the view of counting. In the U.S. counting is considered the basis of arithmetic; children engage in various counting strategies: counting all, counting on, and counting back. Conversely, Japanese children are discouraged from counting; they are taught to recognize and visualize quantities in groups of fives and tens. Children using counting, which is slow and often unreliable, to add and subtract develop a unitary concept of number. For example, they think of 14 as 14 ones, not as 1 ten and 4 ones. Such thinking interferes with understanding carrying and borrowing in larger numbers."

Contemplating the Japanese avoidance of 'learning to count'.
I extended this approach to Literacy development.
Where I swapped Numbers for Letters.
Letters and the Alphabet.
I then reflected on Children's exposure to the Alphabet. Which often begins at birth, with Letters plastered across the 'Baby Room'?
Parents typically give attention to introducing the Alphabet in early child-hood.
Though I then began considering the actual purpose and effect of introducing Letters at this formative stage?
I would ask what you consider as its purpose?
My conclusion was that it is singularly for the purpose of Writing?
I cant think of any other value?

I then introduced into my contemplation. The fact that the major problem in Literacy acquisition, is with Phoneme and Dipthong understanding.
Where having learnt all Letters individually, this knowledge now needs to be seen as half right and half wrong? Unreliable?
Having learnt the letters P and H , the phoneme Ph as an 'F' sound is an irrational contradiction.
As are the letters O and U to represent the various sounds of the dipthong 'OU. In enough/ fought/ out/ could/ route/ soul ... .

Though as an extension of the Japanese numeracy approach:
"Conversely, Japanese children are discouraged from counting; they are taught to recognize and visualize quantities in groups of fives and tens."

I would draw a parallel with phonemes and dipthongs as 'sound quantities in groups'.
Crucially the early child-hood learning of phonemes and dipthongs is experiential based. So that instead of learning the letters O and U, rather to learn OU , which can than later be 'De-constructed' to the letters O and U.

Where the learning of the Alphabet becomes a 'side-effect' of phoneme and dipthong recognition?

Essentially what I am suggesting, is instead of an Alphabet based way of 'Constructing' words. That we take a 'De-Constructional' experiential approach, based on the phonemes and dipthongs of already learnt verbal language.

Where I would suggest that 'de-constructing' the 'known', is more readily understood?

Anyway, this is something that I've been reflecting on for a couple of days, and I would interested to hear any thoughts on this.

Ban The Alphabet?
Geoff.

A wonderful video on Jean Piaget:
http://gsevserv.harvard.edu/ramgen/ht100/Jean_Piaget.rm

Enjoy,
Christina