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    Raising Bright Sparks: Book 3 -Brain-based Learning
    Raising Bright Sparks: Book 3 -Brain-based Learning
    Raising Bright Sparks: Book 3 -Brain-based Learning
    Ebook74 pages1 hour

    Raising Bright Sparks: Book 3 -Brain-based Learning

    By Michele Juratowitch

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Recent research in neuroscience, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), has shown that the brain has the ability to change, growing new neurons, developing new synaptic connections, thus building capacity and skills. Known as neurogenesis or neural plasticity, the changes taking place in the brain highlight the capacity of the brain to grow and develop new skills. A large body of research shows that at any age, the brain has the capacity to develop and we should not regard levels of intelligence as static or fixed at birth.
    A synthesis and understanding of this knowledge about the brain can guide each of us to maximize intellectual potential.
    Dr Beverly Sher maintains that scientists who conduct experiments develop an understanding of how they know what they know. Dr Sher, writing in the Systems Newsletter of the Centre for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary, states: “A student who has grappled with the limitations of his or her own data will approach data from other sources more skeptically than a student who has only assimilated “facts” from a textbook possibly could.” Students who undertake research may learn as much about the process of research and about themselves as scholars as they do about the topic they are researching.
    To become lifelong learners, we have to develop research strategies which allow us to handle the incredible volume of information that is available through multiple sources. The ability to access, select and understand information; utilize data appropriately; know how to formulate an argument and communicate it effectively are valuable life skills. The ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the material is a critical aspect of making informed decisions throughout career and personal life. All of this requires an understanding of the optimal function of the brain.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichele Juratowitch
    Release dateOct 18, 2020
    ISBN9780992288235
    Raising Bright Sparks: Book 3 -Brain-based Learning
    Author

    Michele Juratowitch

    Michele Juratowitch is Director of Clearing Skies and supports gifted children, parents, institutions and organisations through a range of services, including counselling and education programs, professional development, project management, consultation, advocacy, research and resource development. Through her work with GERRIC, at UNSW, Michele lectured in postgraduate courses for teachers, delivered and managed programs for parents and students. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study the needs of gifted children. Michele presents at conferences, writes articles regularly, wrote Study: The Simple Facts, co-authored Make a Twist: Differentiating curriculum for gifted students and Releasing the Brakes for High-ability Students.michele@clearingskies.com.au

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      Book preview

      Raising Bright Sparks - Michele Juratowitch

      RAISING BRIGHT SPARKS

      BOOK 3

      Brain-based Learning

      by

      Michele Juratowitch

      Published October 2020

      Copyright © Michele Juratowitch 2020

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

      Published by Gredbrook Pty Ltd

      Contact Clearing Skies at admin@clearingskies.com.au

      http://clearingskies.com.au

      ISBN: 978-0-9922882-3-5

      Brain-based Learning

      CONTENTS

      Introduction: Maximising Intellectual Potential

      Sleep Patterns

      Impact of Sleep Deprivation

      Nutrition for Brain Power

      Food for Thought

      Brain Fitness

      Cognitive Exercise

      Muscular Brains

      Learn Fast; Think Slow

      Neural Power

      Gaming

      Energy

      Going Bananas

      Brain Battle

      Nudging Choices

      Rituals

      Brain Safe

      Brain Protection

      Screening Screen Time

      Carpe Diem

      Caution to Competence

      Executive Function

      Executive Control

      Practical Strategies

      Language Increases Cognitive Capacity

      Memory

      Genius and Eminence Research

      Mental Time Travel

      Plastic Paradox

      Juggling Multiple Tasks

      Mono- or Multi-Tasking

      Soma and Psyche

      Intelligence is the New Black

      Overthinking

      Connected

      Power Up

      Introduction: Maximising Intellectual Potential

      Recent research in neuroscience, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), has shown that the brain has the ability to change, growing new neurons, developing new synaptic connections, thus building capacity and skills. Known as neurogenesis or neural plasticity, the changes taking place in the brain highlight the capacity of the brain to grow and develop new skills. A large body of research shows that at any age, the brain has the capacity to develop and we should not regard levels of intelligence as static or fixed at birth.

      A synthesis and understanding of this knowledge about the brain can guide each of us to maximize intellectual potential.

      Dr Beverly Sher maintains that scientists who conduct experiments develop an understanding of how they know what they know. Dr Sher, writing in the Systems Newsletter of the Centre for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary, states: A student who has grappled with the limitations of his or her own data will approach data from other sources more skeptically than a student who has only assimilated facts from a textbook possibly could. Students who undertake research may learn as much about the process of research and about themselves as scholars as they do about the topic they are researching.

      To become lifelong learners, we have to develop research strategies which allow us to handle the incredible volume of information that is available through multiple sources. The ability to access, select and understand information; utilize data appropriately; know how to formulate an argument and communicate it effectively are valuable life skills. The ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the material is a critical aspect of making informed decisions throughout career and personal life. All of this requires an understanding of the optimal function of the brain.

      Sleep Patterns

      Humans establish patterns of sleep, a necessary part of life, with changes occurring from foetal to adult life stages. During periods of rapid growth and development, such as infancy and adolescence, longer periods of sleep are required in order for physical growth and cognitive maturation to occur. Giulio Tononi, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, emphasises the link between sufficient sleep and the capacity to learn, stating: Sleep is the price we pay for learning.

      Factors such as increased exposure to artificial light and use of technology devices disrupt natural circadian rhythms, while significant changes in activity and eating habits during adolescence can have a detrimental impact upon sleeping patterns. Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkley, Matthew Walker, highlights the influence of recent changes upon sleep patterns: Humans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and when sleep occurs has all been comprehensively distorted by modernity.
      Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable time. Bedtime autonomy tends to increase as students become older and academic workload increases. Despite healthy sleep requirements remaining static at approximately 9¼ hours per night during adolescence, longitudinal studies have shown that sleep on school nights tends to decrease 1½ to 2 hours across the period of adolescence. Heightened stress levels interfere with memory function and trigger sleep disturbance, resulting in sleep deprivation. Focus and learning is impaired by sleep deficit and students become further stressed by this downwards spiral. Inadequate sleep negatively effects mood regulation, culminating in what Dr Chris Seton, an Australian paediatric and adolescent sleep physician, refers to as a ‘perfect storm.’
      A natural adjustment in the timing of the release of the biochemical melatonin results in a shift in sleep patterns and delays the onset of sleepiness during adolescence. Students performing tasks late at night are not optimally productive as brains go into shut-down mode as the late night ‘tipping point’ impacts on the quality of academic production. Students who can’t get to sleep at night still need to get up early the next morning, experience difficulties getting ready in the morning and appear to be ‘jet-lagged’ with their brain operating at restricted capacity. Restricted sleep does not allow the brain to adequately learn by consolidating learning that may (if not too tired) take place during the day. It is a vicious and unproductive cycle.
      Parents who established patterns of hygiene in young children need to focus upon establishing patterns of sleep hygiene during adolescence. Discussions about the importance of sleep and its role in learning are an important starting point in sleep education. Establishment of positive, relaxing, pre-sleep routines can gradually retrain and prepare the brain for sleep. Restrictions on the timing and duration of the use of digital devices,
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