Group+Three


 * Notes from 7.7.09**

Ideas: No particular order to the the cycle. It can or cannot follow the loop in order from back to front, or bounce around a while. Experience necessary for understanding.

Grabbed Interest: The act of reading a suspense novel for example. Emotional, hypothesis, prior memory, but no action. Found the integrating process fascinating, and the idea of early adoloscents making constant corrections and adjustments in behavior due to stimuli, or outside forces.

Connections: Learning happening regardless of content. The teacher's role is so crucial. But, the role should not be to dominate, but to facilitate and get out of the way. Student's will remember things that about a lesson that have nothing to do with content.

Thinking deeply: Importance of true differentiation. Individualized learning seems validated by Ed. Psych. and Neuro-Science.


 * Notes from 7.8.09**

Ideas: Facilitator must understand emotion in regards to control, fear, desire, and joy. Create situations or classroom culture that takes these powerful factors into account and uses them in positive ways. The concept of balance is crucial. A balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and the balance between information overload and not enough data.

Grabbed Interest: Data is data until the student does something with it. Front of brain represents the future and the rear the past. The brain requires time to consolidate.

Connections: The mind wants to be safe and happy. Learning cannot happen when fear or tension is high. Meaningful, and intensive work will put the amygdela into hibernation.

Thinking Deeply: Taking the time to create a safe environment, working out motivation, and discovering how each other learns best in the first few weeks of school important. Maintaining balance in instruction and meeting students where they are at. Utilizing peers to ease tension and relax aggression, fear, or resentment. Empowering students with this knowledge of the brain so that they can better understand what is happening within themselves.