Reflections on Teaching 1

I truly believe that had I received the training I have had at Harvard during the past 4 weeks prior to my teaching career, I would have been a much more effective teacher. (Well, or perhaps I needed to experience to fully understand the implications of what we're studying and doing). It is absolutely amazing to be in the hub of educational research. I am truly blessed, and I feel a need to communicate what I've been learning. Blogging is, of course, a rather fragmented approach, but a nevertheless valuable one. I think I would just like to take all of the information I've learned and travel around the States and give presentations. A liaison for the MBE program? A Neuroeducator Liason for MBE (Mind, Brain, and Education) at Harvard. There. I've created my own job :)

Anyhow, I have extracted a few ideas from the following articles: 

Carey, S. (in press, 2010). Precis of The Origin of Concepts. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Fischer, K. W., & Bidell, T. R. (2006). Dynamic development of action and thought. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Theoretical models of human development, Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 313-399). New York: Wiley. pp. 313-336, 347-399

Learning is really dynamic and not the traditionally seen linear approach. We have commonly seen education as a linear system (imagine a ladder where each step up signifies learning new skills, understanding concepts, etc.). This ladder metaphor does not truly represent what happens in the brain; rather, individuals go through a series of progressions and regressions. Before a new concept is fully understood, and individual will go through a series of "dips" before acquiring the new material. We build knowledge on past experiences and past knowledge. In essence, a boot-strapping mechanism is in place (Carey). When learning a new concept, students have what's called a placeholder (Carey) for the knowledge they do know, and then they grapple and negotiate with the new concept (a series of ups and downs) until it is embedded in their minds. 

As Fischer discusses in his essay, “When individuals are beginning to develop a new skill, they shift between two different representations or two different strategies, each of which is only partly adequate to the task” (as qtd in Fischeràpg. 355). Therefore, learning any new concept takes quite a bit of time and periods of uncertainty are to be expected.

Here is a graph that shows these progressions and regressions in various individuals:

 Pretty cool, huh?

Here's what happens to students' learning over time when they receive support (optimal level) vs. no support (functional level). Notice the HUGE leap over the course of years! We really need to have smaller class sizes, implement RtI, etc. to make this happen for each student!

And then I leave you with one final thought:

“To flourish, living systems must be more than just organized. They must be dynamic. Systems must constantly move and change if they are to carry out their functions and maintain their integrity and their interrelations with other functioning systems. A system that becomes static—unable to change and adapt to varying conditions—will quickly parish” (Fischer, Bidell, p. 308, 2006).

A living system applies to not just biological beings, but to social and mental entities as well. If something does not adapt, it will fall apart. The world of education is changing, and I couldn't be more excited about what this means for our society :)

There are so many other cool models I could post here, but I need to do homework for now.

MBE Group Outing

Before classes started a small group of MBE students went to Harvard Square to get oriented. Here we are!

A really cool group of people! So much talent!! We went to Burdick's where the smallest sample of hot chocolate is all you need--it's that rich!

Walden Pond 1 of 2...

Today we visited Walden Pond. Why Walden Pond? Well, Kasia took particular interest because the great writer Thoreau spent the greater part of his writing time at Walden Pond. We spent the greater part of the day exploring, and Kasia was really excited that we were experiencing the place where Thoreau did most of his writings. Well, after meeting the park ranger, he assured us that, although Thoreau did pass through here, he actually did most of his writings in the other Walden Pond. You might be asking yourself: two ponds in Boston that have the exact same name? That's exactly what we were thinking. And, yes, there are two ponds in Boston, and they both share the same name.

Even though this isn't the famous Walden Pond known for hosting Thoreau, we still had an awesome time exploring and experiencing a lot of cool things. Here are the pictures we took:

 We spent a few hours here reading and having lunch.

 Can you spot Kasia?

 The park was full of huge rocks that were everywhere. There were many that were even bigger than this one.

 We spotted an island. So what did we do? We claimed it for ourselves of course!

 If you look closely you can see a trail of rocks. These rocks (which were probably thrown in by various explorers who had come before us) made it easy for us to hop across the water and explore the island.

 Kasia about to embark on the journey across.

 Kasia officially claiming the island. She was also making a variety of chanting noises during this pose. Unfortunately I'm not able to record voice at the same time I'm taking a picture on the iPhone.

 Huck Finn? It was too dangerous to cross the water with shoes; one slip and that could jeopardize the rest of our explorations (which included a trek up an enormous hill to Stone Tower!). So, naturally, I ditched the shoes and hopped across!

 View from the island.

 Can you hear me now? Kasia testing her cell phone range...

 The view from Stone Tower.

 All of the windows had bars on them. Apparently the tower has been closed for 40 years, and they just recently reopened it. We happened to come by when the park ranger was there and he was kind enough to open it for us.

 Kasia at the very top.

 The city we left behind (Boston). It's hard to believe we were this far away.

 The tower itself! I didn't get a picture of the hill we had to climb to get here. And, upon seeing the hill, we almost didn't make the journey, but we sure are glad we did!

 The tower was actually built back during the great depression for reasons unknown. Perhaps a fire-lookout tower?

 I stopped for gas, and while I was fueling I turned around to the car and Kasia was gone. I looked around and saw an ice cream store, so I knew exactly where to find her!

Not only were these the 'small' cup, but they were buy one get one free. All of this ice cream (coffee and oreo & black raspberry) for $4.

We're planning on going to the 'real' Walden Pond where Thoreau did most of his writings sometime this season. However, from what we've heard, we both agree that were Thoreau alive today he would much prefer this pond! We'll definitely be coming back. And, if you're ever in the Boston area you should definitely check this place out. The Stone Tower is worth the visit alone.

Plum Cake

I will attempt to make a plum cake tomorrow (before church, and before I lock myself in the Gutman Library and study all day). The purpose? 1) I love to bake 2) I can have a snack while studying 3) there are leftover plums 4) Lulu (my kitchen-aid) hasn't been used in awhile.

So if you're an MBEer, and you're reading this, you might need to redirect your attention to studying, or finding a slice of this cake. 

Plum Cake
from Everyday Food

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup sour cream
3 plums, halved, pitted, and cut into eights
confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 375. Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter ans sugars until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated; beat in vanilla and lemon zest. Beat in 1/2 the flour mixtures, then sour cream. Add remaining flour mixture; mix until just combined.
Spread batter into pan and smooth top with a knife. In a bowl, toss plums with 2 tablespoons flour and arrange over batter.
Bake until cake is golden, about 30 minutes; loosely tent with foil and bake until cake pulls away from side of pan and a cake tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes more (Note: I found the cake only needed an additional 10-20 minutes). Let cake cool completely in pan. Run knife around cake edge and remove cake from pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Sensory Lobes

The following video belongs to Prof. Todd Rose from Harvard University. It is linked to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVD3JCXdrTA


It covers the following material:

Term	Definition
Parietal Lobes	Processing somatic signals, sensory integration, and spatial navigation
Somatosensory Cortex	(Parietal) Target area for signals from skin; has "somatic" map
Posterior Parietal Areas	(Parietal) Major multisensory integration area; links to motor areas
Temporal Lobes	Processing auditory signals, critial for certain kinds of memories
Primary Auditory Cortex	(Temporal) Target area for signals from cochlea; has "tonotopic" map
Auditory Association Areas	(Temporal) Involved in more complex processing of auditory signals
Occipital Lobes	Processing of visual signals; the smallest of the four lobes
Primary Visual Cortex	(Occipital) Target area for signals from retina; has "retinotopic" map
Visual Association Areas	(Occipital) Involved in more complex processing of visual signals

Frontal Lobes

The following work belongs to Prof. Todd Rose from Harvard University. It is linked to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zJwkDUZKec

It covers the following concepts:

Term	Definition
Cortical Lobes	Functional division of the cortex (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital)
Frontal Lobes	Involved in many different functions (e.g., motor, language, reason, etc)
Primary Motor Cortex	(Frontal) Generate movement; has map of muscles that is controls
Motor Association Areas	(Frontal) Plan and refine complex movements
Prefrontal Cortex	(Frontal) Executive functions (e.g., impulse control, delayed gratification)

The Cerebrum

The following material in linked to YouTube, and belongs to Prof. Todd Rose of Harvard University.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58fnNuFkpME

Term	Definition
Cerebrum	Grouping of brain areas involved in (among others) the control of voluntary actions
Cortex	(Cerebrum) The thin, outermost layer of cerebrum; aka: "gray matter"
White Matter	(Cerebrum) Just below cortex; consists of myelinated axons of neurons
Corpus Callosum	(Cerebrum) Bundle of axons (white matter) connecting the hemispheres
Basal Ganglia	(Cerebrum) Subcortical area involved in movement & behavioral selection
Amygdala	(Cerebrum) Subcortical area involved in (among others) fear response
Hippocampus	(Cerebrum) Subcortical area involved in formation of explicit memories

Brain Organization

Once again, the following belongs to Prof. Todd Rose of Harvard University:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_unYyMUZ8

The above link is about the following terms:

Term	Definition
Brain Stem	Grouping of brain areas that control automatic functions (e.g., heart rate)
Cerebellum	Brain area key for functions like skeletal-muscle control & coordination
Diencephalon	Grouping of brain areas involved in a range of regulatory functions
Pineal Gland	(Diencephalon) Helps regulate sleep/wake cycle by producing melatonin
Hypothalamus	(Diencephalon) Internal regulation (e.g., temperature, thirst, appetite)
Thalamus	(Diencephalon) Relay station for sensory signals (except smell) to the cortex

The Neuron

Here are some YouTube videos that my professor posted to help us get acquainted with the brain before we delve into its role in our every-day life. I thought some of you might be interested in perusing this, too. They are really fascinating. There are 5 videos, which I will post as different posts. They are linked to YouTube. All of the material below belongs to, and is credited to, Professor Todd Rose of Harvard University:

Session 1 Vocab:

The Neuron
This video covers the following terms:

Term	Definition
Neuron	Specialized brain cell capable of sending and receiving information
Dendrite	(Neuron) Branches that capture incoming signals from other neurons
Cell Body	(Neuron) Largest part of the neuron; contains the nucleus
Axon	(Neuron) Fiber bundle that carries signals away from the cell body
Myelin	(Neuron) Insulation around some axons that increases speed of signals
Neurotransmitter	(Neuron) Chemical used for communication between neurons
Synapse	(Neuron) Specialzed site (small gap) for communication between neurons

Sam Adam's Brewery

For Matt's birthday we went to the Sam Adam's Brewery. It was really neat and we learned quite a bit about different types of beers, how to drink them to get the full flavor, and how the beer is made. We also got A TON of free beer, plus a free glass :)

Sending out postcards (aka soliciting for Sam Adam's) and inviting everyone to Boston :)

Matt taste-testing before the tour begins :)

Our tour guide telling us how the beer sits in those vaults for 30 days or so before people drink it. It makes the flavor (I tend to think it makes it an icky bitter taste oj!)

I think Matt disagrees with my opinion on the flavor...

 

 

:) It's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Shaq and Broccoli Salad

 

I feel like every post should really be titled "Random Things" because, well, I have so many random things going on in my mind. I'll tell you why that might be the case after I have completed my coursework :)

At any rate, here is a link of pictures that show Shaq at Boston (if you're interested): http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/photos/photos_galleries/shaquille_shaq_oneal_visits_boston_and_cambridge/#/7


I have many more things to say, but I don't want to post them until I have corresponding pictures (because how many of you would actually go back?).

In the meantime, Paula Dean is my favorite cook, and so here is the latest recipe I borrowed from her:

 Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli
• 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup raisins, optional
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.
 
I modified mine to fit the ingredients we had. Of course, it turned out brilliantly because one can't go wrong with Paula Dean :)

Tonight is home-made pizza with fresh veggies (squash, onions, tomatoes, garlic, olives) and feta cheese in a stone-ware pan.

And, on a side note, the things I write didn't necessarily occur on the day I wrote them. It's all about convenience and time, but I'm sure you already assumed that.

By the way, I love Harvard-- and this will be the emphasis, along with Boston life in general, in my next post.

Love.