Discovering the Brain.

Now that I am reading about the brain structure and functions I realise how ignorant I was, as I knew (or remembered, as we should have touched upon it at school) almost nothing on the subject.

 

Firstly, the frontal cortex and the dopamine system responsible for reward, attention, short-term memory motivation. Dopamine limits the sensory information that comes form another region of the brain. I noticed that many of my students are able to shut down and just don't react to information coming from outside when they are tired or stressed. I wonder if their brains that developed in the conditions of overwhelming information stream adapted to such environment?

 

Secondly, amygdala, which performs the primary role in processing memory and emotional reactions. Memories ang reactions associated with emotional events are stored in amygdala. It is also involved in memory consolidation. No learning occurs without it. An important organ for us educators, isn;t it? Also, it's hardly a coincidence that the same organ is involved both in learning and emotional reactions.

 

It was also interesting to learn that amygdala is different with men and women. Then, men and women learn differently, don't they?

 

Thirdly, the limbic system, a set of organs communicating inside the brain that makes us emotional beings, amygdala being part of it. The prefrontal cortex is the part of a brain where affect and cognition, emotion and ratinale come together. Negative emotion empedes the cognitive prefrontal functioning.

 

Now that I know (and it's real science, not a myth) that emotion and learning are interwoven in the brain, I will definitely try to make the atmosphere of my lessons positive (though I always try to engage my students as much as I can).