4 page

Module5-2.pdf

The Brain CDEV 65

Class #5

Discussion Questions

Additional discussion question:

On page xvi, Healy states, “Understanding a child’s brain and the way it develops is the key to understanding learning.” What do you think this means?

The previous slide referenced p. xvi. What does that mean? Let’s take a look at Roman Numerals!

• I = 1

• V = 5

• X = 10

• L = 50

• C = 100

• D = 500

• M = 1000

• Keep your place values separate.

• You can’t have more than three of

the same letter in a row.

• Numbers must stay in their

“families”. You can take 1 away

from 10, but nothing larger.

• IV = 4

• VI = 6

Think About It…

• How does it feel to learn something new?

• Is it exciting? Scary? Overwhelming?

• Imagine how kids feel when they’re learning something new

• Sometimes it’s very exciting, especially when it all makes sense and you “get it”

• Sometimes it’s scary, especially if the teacher rushes through the material and doesn’t take time to explain things in a way you understand

Roman Numerals

2020

MMXX

1888

MDCCCLXXXVIII

**Extra Credit**

Write your year of birth in

both Roman and Arabic

Numerals

Submit on Canvas.

The only device you’re

allowed to use is your brain!

The Young Brain

• Although it appears to be fully developed, the brain is the most immature of all organs at birth

• A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks

• The lungs are typically “done” around 34 weeks of pregnancy • This means a baby born after 34 weeks of pregnancy can likely breathe on their

own – without the help of any machines

• Babies born prior to 34 weeks usually spend time in the hospital hooked up to breathing equipment.

• The heart is usually “ready” around 37 weeks of pregnancy • This means that a baby born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy might have trouble

regulating his heartrate.

• Babies born earlier than 37 weeks usually spend time in the hospital while the heart matures.

Parts of the Brain

RAS (Reticular Activating System)

• Located in the brainstem

• The gatekeeper of the brain

• Tunes out unnecessary stimuli so you can focus on important information

Thalamus

• Sorts information and sends it to the appropriate location

Amygdala

• Emotional spot of the brain

• Information with strong emotional content is more likely to make it to LTM (long-term memory)

Parts of the Brain

Hippocampus (not just where hippos receive a

higher education!)

• Organizer for information (names, places, pictures, text)

• If information is deemed relevant, the hippocampus sends it to LTM

Cerebellum

• Movement

Parts of the Brain

• Divided into left and right hemispheres - each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body

• Makes up 85% of the brain’s mass Cerebrum

• Thin layer on top of the cerebrumNeocortex

• Fancy name for brain cells

• Messages travel from one neuron to the nextNeurons

Neurons

• Messages start at the dendrites

• Information travels through the cell body

• Once at the end of the neuron, information “jumps” across the synapse due to a chemical release called a neurotransmitter

• Myelin coats the axon of the neuron in order to speed up the messages

• What is myelin?

• How can we myelinate a child’s brain?

• What might cause problems in the myelination process?

Myelin

• Myelin is a fatty substance that coats the axon of each neuron

• This insulation helps speed the messages along, and keeps the messages moving in an organized fashion

• A brain is myelinated in a predictable sequence – from back to front, and bottom to top

• The last part of the brain to fully myelinate is the prefrontal cortex – more on that later

• A brain is myelinated due to a combination of experiences and nutrition

• The process of myelination is predictable, and cannot be rushed or sped up!

How long does it take for a brain to fully myelinate?

• A human brain is not “done” developing until the mid- to late-20s!!

• Male brains take a little bit longer than female brains to finish the myelination process

• Think about when you were in your teenage years…

• Think about all the “less than brilliant” things you did, yet you thought you were invincible

• Although the neurons may have finished the myelination process, the human brain is still capable of learning new things throughout life

• “The brain’s plasticity is at a height in the newborn, but even adult stroke victims can develop new connections to bypass damaged areas” (Healy, p. 26)

More Myelination

• As the growing brain is exposed to the same experiences over and over, a path is formed, making it easier for messages to move efficiently

• Babies consume breastmilk or formula, both of which are loaded with good healthy fat

• Although many say breastmilk is the best option for a baby, it is not always possible for mom to breastfeed. In that case, formula is the best option.

• The process of myelination can be hindered by exposure to stressful experiences, or harmful substances

• Small bits of stress are not likely to cause damage, but long-term trauma (abuse, neglect, etc.) will likely have a negative impact on the developing brain

Substances that hinder brain development

• Because the brain is still developing into early adulthood, it is possible that exposure to dangerous substances during adolescence can cause long-term, irreversible damage to the brain

• Alcohol, drugs, and smoking can hinder brain development

• Damage to the prefrontal cortex can result in an adult’s inability to plan ahead, use good judgement, think about consequences, etc.

• The next slide shows images from Amen Clinics. They are scans of healthy brains (in the middle), and brains exposed to various substances.

Cortisol and Pruning

• When a person is under stress, a hormone called cortisol is produced

• Cortisol can shut down the process of messages moving through neurons

• When neurons aren’t being used, they are pruned away to make room for the remaining neurons to grow

• Use it or lose it!

• This is not something to be concerned about – as mentioned above, it is necessary to make room for other neurons to mature

• How much does the average brain weigh at birth? At 12 months? In adulthood?

Answers

• The average brain is 1 pound at birth

• At 12 months, the average brain weighs 2 pounds

• Think about all the milestones a baby reaches in the first year of life:

• Rolling over

• Sitting up

• Crawling

• Standing (and possibly walking)

• Language comprehension

• The neurons for all of these skills, and many more, have become so mature that even with all the pruning going on, the weight of the brain doubles in the first year of life!

• The average adult brain weighs 3 pounds

The Triune Brain

• A theory created by Paul MacLean

• Three brains in one

• Reptilian brain (lizard)

• Basic instincts

• Fight, flight, or freeze

• Mammalian Brain (mama cat and kittens)

• Loving, nurturing, caring brain

• We spend most of our time in this part of the brain

• Human Brain (child)

• Exclusive to humans

The Triune Brain

• When under stress, most humans will revert to the Reptilian brain

• Think about how you behave when you’re overwhelmed, rushed, worried, etc. You probably don’t make rational decisions

• We would all like to think that we use our Human brain most frequently, but in reality we spend most of our time using our Mammalian brain

• If adults can quickly and easily go from the Human brain to the Reptilian brain when under stress, imagine how much fast children can get there…

• This is when we observe behaviors like biting, hitting, screaming, kicking, etc.

• It is not a good idea for the adult to ask, “What were you thinking?”

• The child was not thinking, her Reptilian brain had taken over

• Our job is to ensure that children don’t reach stress levels that put the Reptilian brain in charge (easier said than done, but we should try anyway)

Lobes of the Brain

• Occipital Lobe

• Vision

• Parietal

• Touch and spatial understanding

• Temporal Lobe

• Hearing and some aspects of language

• Frontal Lobe

• Motor cortex

• Planning and regulating body movement

• Prefrontal cortex

• Reasoning, memory, judgement, planning ahead

Hemispheres

• The brain has two hemispheres – left and right

• The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body

• Each hemisphere has all four lobes

• The two hemispheres are able to communicate with each other because of a band of fibers called the Corpus Callosum

• It takes about 5-10 years for the Corpus Callosum to finish developing

• One way to know if the two hemispheres are communicating with each other is if the child can cross “midline”

• If a child can cross their right hand over to the left side of the body, this is an example of crossing midline

• Pediatricians typically check for this milestone at the 12-month check-up.

In May 2010, I attended a Jane Healy lecture, here are some of my notes:

• Children are always learning – although they may not be learning what you think or hope they’re learning!

• Different does not mean disabled

• 50% of entrepreneurs have been diagnosed with dyslexia at some point in their lives

• Cerebrodiversity – no two brains are alike, and nobody has a perfect brain

• “Late Bloomers” are often gifted

• Brains that take longer to develop often have more robust connections