Teaching with the brain in mind Chapters 1-6

After reading chapters one through six of Teaching with the brain in mind, I stopped to note a couple things that seemed to me to be some of the most important notes in the text so far. The authors talk about the developing brain and what can be done to help a child maximize their learning potential. In the first several pages, the authors note that there are three main aspects that we can use to describe the human brain. The one aspect that I thought was most relevant and important to me was how the brain is incredibly adaptable. The text states that our experiences and actions and lead to changes in our brain. When we think about it, it seems funny that our environment has that much input in our cognitive development, but it’s true. Much like our own, we must accept that a student’s environment change how he or she acts or feels. Teachers can help by creating an environment that is relaxed, challenging, and open.

Continuing on, the authors discuss the process of preparing children for school. As anyone who has taken a class on child development knows, development begins in the womb. There are many things that women who are pregnant need to avoid like smoking, alcohol, and other drugs. That can go without saying, but it doesn’t take away from the seriousness that these vices carry, especially to an unborn child. Most of our brain cells develop in the womb, so don’t be that person that risks the further development of a child just because of a beer or cigarette.

There are other things that parents can do to prepare children for education. Much of what is mentioned can be achieved by spending time with your children. By spending time with them, a parent is given the opportunity to model proper social behavior, create healthy emotional bonds, and help them develop reading, writing, and memory skills. As a basic rule, a parent should be present in their child’s life. Playing games, singing songs, going on outings, doing chores, and reading books, are just a handful of the things that a parent can do to help their child grow. Another thing to mention is nutrition. It is briefly presented in the text, but I like the point made how eating healthy is just as important to the development of the child as social interaction and academics. I think that nutrition is something that we think about all the time, but tend to overlook when teaching students. We are far too focused on their learning that we forget about their physical development. With nutrition comes exercise and activities. As mentioned before, playing games is important to a child’s development. It teaches them fairness, the ability to follow rules that have immediate but not harsh consequences, and helps them develop fine and gross motor skills.

These are obviously not all the points made in the reading. If I noted on everything, this would be far too long. The points I noted were few, but to me they are the most important things a parent and educator can do to help a child grow into a healthy person.