Edu 5210 Portfolio Activity Unit 5

The past decade has been marked by a large number of findings on the learning brain

(Bavinckschool, 2020). Those insights have the potential to assist teachers in designing sounder

classroom environments to help them learn better (Understanding the teen brain, 2022).

Research-based data can inspire us to fully engage middle and high school students in the

classroom so that rather than doing drugs, getting pregnant, or being immersed in alcohol, they

will acquire the capacity to think, make good choices, regulate their emotions, handle social

conflict, consolidate their identities, and learn enough about the world to move into adulthood

with dignity and grace (Armstrong, 2016).

Instead of attending to all the incoming stimuli, the brain filters out about 99% of the

information coming from the senses unless the information has meaning or causes an emotional

response (Schunk, 2012). Focusing mainly on content creates student learning that may be

disconnected to life events and largely meaningless (Schunk, 2012). On top of that, the content

might not be retained much longer after the assessment is completed. We believe that we are

educated, but we do not remember most of the content we studied at school. If a topic about

nutrition or the importance of vitamins is raised, we will talk about the nutrition tips we read on

social media rather than remembering what we learned in a biology class, probably because we

didn't study nutrition in connection with real-life experience. The teacher can ask the students to

write a list of the foods they ate in the past week and discuss the following with their peers:

classify the food items as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fat, and protein using the list in the

projector, analyze whether their diet included everything and discuss how their diet can be

improved by replacing some of the foods in their list with the ones on the projector. The students
might also be asked to discuss nutrition with their parents in order to link the topic with real-life

context.

When covering a topic about the second world war, the teacher can discuss whether the

third world war can start soon? The western countries are helping Ukraine. Is there a possibility

that China and India might join Russia in the fight against the west? Is the real reason why

America is helping Ukraine with firearms while inflating its economy humanitarian reasons? Are

the lives in Ukraine more valuable than people who died in the war against Iraq and

Afghanistan? Is there something that the media is not telling us? We can also talk about the cold

war between the Soviet Union and America in the context of the conflict between Nato and

Russia. In a perfect world, content and context should equally be balanced, however, the

curriculum today is loaded with detailed content that must be covered (The adolescent brain-

learning strategies & teaching tips, n.d.). I would love to give context more attention but only if I

can catch up with the broad content. No one wants to produce students who have a good

understanding of the topic but fail standardized tests because they couldn't memorize small

details (Barkley,2020). The curriculum designers want students to know a lot but what is the use

if everything is going to be forgotten. We need a curriculum reform if we are going to give

context more attention (12 tips for teaching teens, 2009). My ambition to balance content and

context will always be limited unless drastic changes to the curriculum are made.

The hemispheres operate in concert; information is known to both of them at all times.

Speech delivers a good example (Schunk, 2012). If you are having a conversation with a friend,

it is your left hemisphere that allows you to produce speech but your right hemisphere is the one

that provides the context and helps you comprehend the meaning (Schunk, 2012). Because

functions are localized in brain sections, it has been tempting to propose that highly verbal
people are dominated by their left hemisphere (left-brained), while those who are more artistic

and emotional are regulated by their right hemisphere (right-brained). But this is a simplistic and

deceptive conclusion, as the instructors in the opening scenario now realize (Schunk, 2012).

Even if hemispheres have localized functions, they are also bonded and there is much passing of

information (neural impulses) between them. Additionally, we might ask which hemisphere

controls individuals who are both highly verbal and emotional (Schunk, 2012).

We usually recite timeless books by great authors who have changed the lives of many.

My focus had always been on what the author wanted to say, the metaphors, similes, or the

personification used. From this moment on (on top of the compulsory vocabulary and grammar

they must learn), I will try to help the students learn how they can apply the stories in real-life

events or how they can relate or learn from the characters to make learning meaningful and

useful throughout their lives.

References

12 tips for teaching teens. (2009, May 27). NAfME. https://nafme.org/12-tips-for-

teaching-teens/

Armstrong, T. (2016). The power of the adolescent brain: Strategies for teaching middle

and high school students. ASCD. https://www.weareteachers.com/wp-content/uploads/ASCD-2-

Book-Sample-PoweroftheAdolescentBrain.pdf

Barkley, E. F. (2020, September 16). 7 ways to use “The hook” to grab students’

attention. Wiley. https://www.wiley.com/network/instructors-students/teaching-strategies/7-

ways-to-use-the-hook-to-grab-students-attention
 Bavinckschool, H. (2020, May 14). Understanding your brain to help you learn better.

Frontiers for Young Minds. https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.00054

Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Pearson,

pp. 29-70.

The adolescent brain- learning strategies & teaching tips. (n.d.). Sun Protection Outreach

by Students.

http://spots.wustl.edu/SPOTS%20manual%20Final/SPOTS%20Manual%204%20Learning%20S

trategies.pdf

Understanding the teen brain. (2022). University of Rochester Medical Center.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=305