The Brain

1. What I learned about the brain and the variability of learners:

1.1. People with autism showed an enhanced ability on a particular section on Raven’s Progressive Matrices

1.2. The brain is a complex web of integrated and overlapping networks.

1.3. "The approximately one trillion neurons in cortex are linked by approximately 100 trillion connections" (p. 30).

1.4. Three types of networks:

1.4.1. Affective: (center of the brain)

1.4.1.1. monitor the internal and external environment to set priorities, to motivate, and to engage learning and behavior (p. 31).

1.4.2. Recognition: (back of the brain)

1.4.2.1. networks that sense and perceive information in the environment and transform it into usable knowledge (p. 31).

1.4.3. Strategic: (front of the brain)

1.4.3.1. networks that plan, organize, and initiate purposeful actions in the environment (p. 31).

2. Changes to current schema, what I'm thinking now, and questions:

2.1. Do the three networks correlate to parts of the brain?

2.2. Move away from the idea of "one size fits all" education

2.3. Are the trillions of connections related to schemas?

2.4. I'm interested in analyzing how different people perform on different tests. What does that tell us about their learning style? How can we fit that knowledge into UDL?

3. What I already knew about the brain:

3.1. A human brains weighs approximately three pounds.

3.2. The brain is made up of three main parts: forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.

3.3. The cerebellum regulates balance and coordination.

3.4. The cerebrum cortex is where dreams during REM sleep occur.

3.5. Although our brains have similar functions, they vary slightly (ex: not every student learns the same).

3.6. CT scans can be used to show diseases in the brain

3.7. Schema Theory: all knowledge is organized into units