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Inside a Learning Mind

Imagine being at your elementary school and we are ready to learn. You and the students

are preparing for a lesson given by the teacher. Everyone is in their seats and the teacher gives a

lesson that leaves a mark on everyone. You are left with multiple feelings. These feelings make

you feel good, curious, and leaves them wanting more. You feel like you are part of the lesson.

These teaching approaches have a biological construct that connects students with the lessons.

One may ask how our school lessons develop us into who we are. Humans learn

something everyday, whether you are at school, work, or learning a new hobby, etc. Our minds

are trained to learn things that can shape into yourselves. Although our brains are grown and

developed in various ways because of nature and nurture, sometimes we may wonder if our

brains will develop differently if we are taught in a different aspect of learning. Upon personal

experience, students have more difficulty learning certain subjects than others that may come

from the way the subject is being taught. This results in students having negative feelings

towards school, not engaging in the school environment, or simply just acting inappropriate in

the class. As teachers, it is their job to tap into the feelings of students by giving a social

effective teaching that can result in the students brain development. With my interests in the

psychology of education, my question is: What can cognitive science and neuroscientific

developments tell us about effective teaching approaches?

In the school environment, everyone wonders what is the best way to teach something in

front of an entire class. There are a lot of elements that effective teachers need to have to be

successful in the teaching field. The number one priority is the students. “Students not only learn

by being exposed to learning opportunities but they also need to be explicitly taught those things

it is important for all students to know. Some students will learn these things quickly and with
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only minimal direct teaching. Other students will need concerted direct teaching and correction

by the teacher before they master the learning required” (Department of Education). Teachers

need to create curriculums that can fit for all types of learners. Having a wide range of lesson

plans can lead to better improvement in learning.``Research from the US National Training

Laboratories Institute has shown that some teaching methods are more effective than others. A

learning activity that requires students to actively participate results in better retention level”

(How Psychology Works 172). If you only are teaching a subject one type of way to your

students not all your students will be able to learn and proceed. In the teaching world, there are

many teaching methods that fit into multiple intelligences. But first, what are the different types

of intelligence?

Everyone learns differently, this results in learners having different intelligences.

Teachers have to understand that not all students are the same.That explains Howard Gardner’s

Intelligence. “The term intelligence is often used to mean learning ability. In the 1980s, Howard

Gardner of Harvard University published his theory of multiple intelligences. His research and

observations led him to the idea that individuals have a broad range of types of intelligence, each

to a different degree” (Kato 199). Everyone has an ability to apply their intelligence in a

particular way when learning. Whether it’s applied to language, visual, or artistic the list goes on.

“Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

1. Verbal-linguistic intelligence (well-developed verbal skills and sensitivity to the

sounds, meanings and rhythms of words)

2. Logical-mathematical intelligence (ability to think conceptually and abstractly, and

capacity to discern logical and numerical patterns)

3. Spatial-visual intelligence (capacity to think in images and pictures, to visualize

accurately and abstractly)

4. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (ability to control one’s body movements and to handle

objects skillfully)

5. Musical intelligences (ability to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch and timber)

6. Interpersonal intelligence (capacity to detect and respond appropriately to the moods,

motivations and desires of others)

7. Intrapersonal (capacity to be self-aware and in tune with inner feelings, values, beliefs

and thinking processes)

8. Naturalist intelligence (ability to recognize and categorize plants, animals and other

objects in nature)

9. Existential intelligence (sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human

existence such as, What is the meaning of life? Why do we die? How did we get here?

(Howard Gardner).

Having different types of intelligences can be beneficial in a school setting. Teachers can plan

activities, lessons, and academics that can strengthen their intelligence. “They look for other

strengths, particularly in underperforming students, and begin to devise ways to use these to

improve learning. This, in itself, can improve students’ attitudes toward learning” (Kato 200).

When recognizing the differences between each student and creating a curriculum that is for all,

allows the students to engage and learn at school. Therefore from what we learn in school, how

does it affect our brains?

When it comes to the psychology aspect of education one of the key elements that plays a

part of teaching and learning is neuroscience. Neuroscience focuses on the brain and how they
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develop from learning. “Working memory plays a critical role in the learning process because it

has been shown to facilitate the formation, strengthening, and expansion of LTM. The control

component of WM has been associated with the DLPFC, and this region appears to be involved

in the selection, monitoring, and maintenance of goal-relevant information held temporarily in

the posterior association cortex (PAC). The WM system is only capable of processing a limited

subset of items at any one time, but remains active until new information is selected”

(Neuroscience and Learning). This shows how neuroscience is affected when your brain is

learning. When you train your brain to memorize lessons on different subjects, the brain

develops. “Research pioneered by neuroscientist Nathan Spreng has revealed that practicing a

task can change brain structure.” (How Psychology Works 170). The development of our brains

grows and as it grows it reaches to multiple parts of our brain when having effective learning.

“The most effective learning involves recruiting multiple regions of the brain for the learning

task. These regions are associated with such functions as memory, the various senses, volitional

control, and higher levels of cognitive functioning” (Kaufer). When having effective teaching the

brain will start working with its other parts. It benefits your brain to become more balanced and

leveled. The neuroscientific part of your brain works with your cognitive developments in order

to learn and process.

Cognitive science plays a huge part in brain development when having effective learning

and teaching. Cognitive science is the study of thoughts, learning, and mental organization. The

difference between neuroscience and cognitive science is that neuroscience focuses on the brain

when learning while cognitive science explains more of the thoughts when learning. They both

work together when it comes to learning or obtaining information. The cognitive science works

with the brain when it comes to memory. “Strong memories depend on “top-down processing,”
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in which learners select and elaborate on what they perceive, actively shaping their learning as it

takes place. (This is related to Daniela Kaufer’s point that learning is more effective when the

student engages brain regions responsible for volition and executive function as well as for

memory.) “Bottom-up processing” — passively allowing perceptions to occur and hoping to

automatically construct a field of knowledge from them — is more commonly tried, but far less

effective; it tends to result in weaker memories” (Cognitive Science). There are benefits of

education when it affects our cognitive development. “...Education seems the most broadly and

consistently successful cognitive enhancer of all. Education provides, for instance, access to

strategies for abstract thought, such as algebra or logic, which can be applied in solving a vast

range of problems and increase mental flexibility” (Brain Waves). Education helps our mental

process and we become more intelligent when we work through a set of problems. Although

what ways can help us get to that point in our development?

When grabbing the students attention during school the teacher has to build a curriculum

that creates a connection between the two. There are not a lot of teachers that do that but Kaitlyn

Diebel knows how to. Mrs. Diebel is a 3rd grade teacher at Walnut Acres Elementary. She

studied psychology at San Diego State University while getting her teaching credential. She

happens to be my ROP master teacher. She feels that connecting her students to the real world is

best for effective teaching. “ I think that is really important, especially with 3rd graders because a

lot of what we are teaching is starting to get away from concrete and moving a little more to

abstract, so they still need those tangible things to connect them to and analogies to help them

understand harder concepts that we are going through” (Diebel). Connecting the students to real

world problems gets them to think more on the abstract side. This also engages the students if it

relates to them in any way. Although there are different ways to teach and help students learn
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effectively, like memory. “Measures of transfer play an important role in assessing the quality of

people’s learning experiences. Different kinds of learning experiences can look equivalent when

tests of learning focus solely on remembering (e.g., on the ability to repeat previously taught

facts or procedures), but they can look quite different when tests of transfer are used. Some kinds

of learning experiences result in effective memory but poor transfer; others produce effective

memory plus positive transfer” (Bransford, 51). Memory can be very helpful when retaining

information since it works with the cognitive development of your brain. Although some

teaching methods do not work for some learners. In school there are different learners that you

have to recognize when planning out curriculums so all students can work together.

Everyone is a different learner and students need to learn something in a specific way for

it to be effective. Types of learners can expand but there are a few.

1. Visual learners

2. Auditory (or aural) learners

3. Kinesthetic (or hands-on) learners

4. Reading and writing learners

(Flavin).

Having a wide range of teaching styles helps students and can proceed to the next lesson without

excluding others. “Knowing how each student learns best allows teachers to help individual

students. Also, when teachers know their own preferred learning style, they can make certain

they do not emphasize only that style in teaching or favor students with a similar style” (Kato,

197). If teachers limit their teaching methods it could lead to students confidence in learning and

feeling left out. In addition, Radha Richmond feels that more teaching methods is effective for

students but for teachers. Radha Richmond is an educational psychologist, who has a Masters in

Education Psychology from Chapman University. She also works with many children with
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learning disabilities.“Having a diverse set of teaching techniques is best because you can

incorporate two teaching techniques and this will help students become more knowledgeable and

learn from multiple methods” (Richmond). It can be a challenge teaching a full set of students

because one can proceed to the next step while a few others need more time. Many effective

teachers are inclusive to the way they teach. The way we learn and teach is how we develop as

human beings.

When we see how we develop from learning, you can mentally see how we work when

handling problems. This explains Piaget’s cognitive development. “Jean Piaget believed that as

people develop from babies to adults they build a vast series of knowledge units that shape the

way they understand the world. Everytime they encounter something new, they draw on their

previous knowledge to assimilate it. When they cannot, they are forced to learn and

accommodate new information” (How Psychology Works 168). As we change we handle

situations differently and each stage of our lives we take in what we learn and retain our

information by applying to real life problems. As we continue with our lives we develop skills

and intelligences from what we effectively learn. When students learn something new the brain

reacts and finds a connection within themselves and the lesson. “The concept of neural plasticity

has vast educational implications. From learning a new language to making connections between

subject matters, the brain responds to and adapts to new experiences. Neuroscience sheds light

on when and how to go about creating these experiences and making the most of students’

windows of opportunity” (Parker-McGowan). Neuroscience shows that when the brain develops

it shows they adapt to new settings and can easily adapt to effective teaching. Developments

show how we become as human beings from what we learn in school.

As a result, regarding my question students develop within the lessons we learn in school.

When we develop we tend to connect our lessons with our lives. From babies to adults, not only

do we develop physically but we develop mentally. Not only as a student but as a student

teacher I have experienced effective teaching that helps students. I have done student teaching

for over four months and I’ve experienced a lot of curriculums that connect students with their

personal lives. In order to be an effective teacher who really has to care about the students. You

have to care about the students when you’re presenting a curriculum that is inclusive to all types

of intelligence and all types of learners. I have noticed that with not only my mentor but I have

noticed that with a lot of teachers at Northgate. Many people view lessons or curriculums either

good or bad but I see it as a part of school that you can connect, learn, and develop. It develops

where we are and where we stand today.