Neurodevelopment

**//"...I believe fervently that to treat all children the same way is to treat them unequally. Different kids have different learning needs; they have a rich to have their needs met." // **

The Human Brain
===//"Babies have it a little easier. Born with more than 100 billion brain cells, they are wired to quickly start making the connections (forming the synapses) that will allow them to make sense of a baffling world. Harry Chugani, a neuroscientist, suggests that a child's peak learning years occur between ages 4 and 10, when the brain needs twice the glucose that an adult brain does to form those synapses." (Scherer) //=== media type="youtube" key="FZ3401XVYww" height="344" width="425"media type="youtube" key="Li5nMsXg1Lk" height="344" width="425"
 * "Many educators hunger for scientific data to help them structure their lessons, and neuroscience is beginning to offer them broad guidance about what works best. One of the most startling recent revelations in neuroscience has been that the brain's structure is much more flexible (a concept called neuroplasticity) than was previously thought; this understanding may help teachers find ways to train the brain to better solve math problems or understand a book." ([|Nelson Hernandez]) **

=Jeff Hawkins: Brain Theory & = ===//"Evidence abounds that throughout life, the human brain restructures itself according to what it learns. For example, one study shows that taxi drivers who had driven extensively had larger hippocampuses, a part of the brain involved in spatial learning, than non-taxi drivers. Nuns who into their 80s had engaged in intellectually challenging activities, such as teaching and management, had more neural connections and less incidence of senility and dementia than did those who had engaged in less intellectual work. A 3-year-old who had one brain hemisphere removed because of severe epilepsy managed to regain almost normal mental and physical abilities. Evidently, the circuits in the remaining half of the child's brain took over most of the functions of the lost hemisphere. The concept of plasticity offers hope to educators, who impart the importance of lifelong learning to students." (Scherer)// media type="custom" key="3631539"media type="custom" key="3631611" ===

Memory
===//"...short-term [|memory] allows for the very brief retention (usually about two seconds) of new information, while long-term memory is the warehouse for more or less permanent knowledge; it's your hard drive. Long-term memory is where your child stores his name, address,a dn telephone number, to say nothing of common spelling words, math facts, and the all-important state capitals. Long-term memory makes use of an elaborate and intricate filing system. Children also insert material into active working memory, which fits neatly between short-term and long-term memory. Information rests in active working memory for seconds to minutes to hours-not as briefly as short-term memory, nor as permanently as long-term memory. Active working memory is the memory you operate when you temporarily hold in mind all the different components of what you are trying to do right now." (Mel Levine)//===

media type="youtube" key="grZuwo_YlY0" height="344" width="425"media type="youtube" key="2vrVXWjKdQo" height="344" width="425"

 The Active Learner
===//"Humans build knowledge and skills through actions. In learning experiments, rats who controlled their ration of food pellets retained longer memories and realized better success than did the rats whose actions did not affect the outcome. Likewise, students who are in control of their own learning are apt to remember information and apply skills better. Teachers who make learning meaningful and relevant to students are gearing their teaching to this principle about learning." (Scherer)//=== media type="youtube" key="MemaPvcPU9Q" height="344" width="425"