Brain Development Presentation

Wow! That lady was animated, and I'm not just talking about her slide show! I thought it was really interesting how they have now developed virtual reality equipment to determine if someone playing sports has incurred brain damage. It also is amazing how the damage can take a long time to heal, long after the immediate symptoms are gone. It just makes me wonder how much we don't know about the brain, even with all of our up-to-date technology.

Clearly the hippocampus plays a huge role in brain development. Without memories being laid down and recalled, we wouldn't be able to build our skills or knowledge. It is unfortunate for those kids who aren't exposed to the "Basics" early in life and then can't really build on them in their later years. As teachers, we have to consider how we would try to reach those students and help them to catch up on what they might have missed out on. As a secondary teacher it seems to me that I will deal less with students who have fallen behind, because by high school those kids might have just given up if they weren't given the proper help and guidance. All teachers have the responsibility to spend time with students and help them to gain knowledge, no matter what level of development they are at.

If you want to learn more about the information that was presented go to http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/DEVEL/PR.html

Finnish Ahead in Education

The article on the education system in Finland was really eye-opening. Immediately I saw major contrasts between what the Finnish do versus what we do here in the U.S. As we discussed in class, our U.S. schools tend to emphasize a lot of extracurricular activities. School becomes a vehicle for competition and fun in those activities instead of for expanding students' thinking skills. Actual class time loses its value and kids don't see the purpose of sitting in class when their other activities, like sports, are being emphasized so much by parents, coaches, and friends.

I also think that the lack of competition to get into college is an advantage that the Finnish have. In the U.S. we often get caught up in working for the grade so that we can get into a good college. In college we work for a good grade so that we can get a good job. We don't go to class to enjoy ourselves or to solely work at our own academic progress. Rather, we go to class so that we can get the material that we need to pass the test and do better than our classmates. The classroom has become a competitive arena at many ages. Kids are comparing scores all of the time trying to see who's "better" or "smarter". This often leaves kids feeling inadequate and dumb. School shouldn't be a competition because when kids fear being the losers, then they won't want to try to succeed.

Chalk and Wire

Luther's Chalk and Wire program appears to be a simple way to organize and update a portfolio. Having it online makes it easy to upload documents and then submit them to professors for assessment. I think that it would take a lot more effort to keep a paper copy, update it when necessary, and then submit it for a grade. I doubt that professors would want to spend a ton of time wading through paper portfolios that may or may not be done well.

Portfolios are becoming a popular way of assessment. In high school I had to do it for my AP language arts class and it showed me the advantages and disadvantages of keeping one. It was neat to see how my work had changed over the course of the year and how I was able to incorporate feedback from the teacher into my work. The disadvantage was that it took a lot of time to write out comments on my work and keep it well organized in a binder.

I think that portfolios can be practically used as assessment tools for older students, such as high schoolers, but even for them it is important that guidelines are given so that they don't feel overwhelmed. When I first heard "portfolio" I was thinking, "What does that even mean?!" Helping students work through their first portfolio can be a confidence booster and it also provides concrete examples of how their work has improved over time.