There seem to be quite a few talks this year on brain science and how it relates to teaching… specifically math. The one I could attend in my schedule was Ed Laughbaum’s talk “Teaching Developmental Algebra Isn’t Brain Science. Wait… Yes it is.” Here is a link to Ed’s website, where I assume he will post the presentation.
Ed had a fantastic list of references (some of which I have read and some that I have not… so it will be time to abuse my Amazon.com account again):
- On Intelligence by J. Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee (2004)
- Wider than the sky: The phenomenal gift of consciousness by G. Edelman (2004)
- The first idea: How symbols, language and intelligence evolved from our primate ancestors to modern humans by Greenspan & Shanker (2004)
- How the Mind Works by S. Pinker (1997)
- The seven sins of memory: How the mind forgets and remembers by D. Schacter (2001)
- Minds, brains, and learning: Understanding the psychological and educational relevance of neuroscientific research by J. Byrnes (2001)
- Memory by Thompson & Madigan (2005)
- The power of mindful learning by E. Langer (1997)
- The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force by Schwartz & Begley (2003)
- The new brain: How the modern age is rewiring your mind by R. Restak (2003)
This last one looks like one I will definitely have to pick up SOON because I’m being rewired faster than I can adjust!
At the end of Ed’s talk, there was a “Call for Action” which I will republish here:
- Use contextual situations with the introduction of a mathematical concept
- Use visualizations at the beginning of a lesson
- Use teaching/learning/priming activities as homework
- Use questioning as a tool for teaching
- Use handheld technology
- Develop conceptual understanding first
- Vary the delivery/methods
- Re-visit concepts
- Use a variety of homework activities
- Use functions as the underlying theme to facilitate all research implications
(from Ed Laughbaum’s 2007 AMATYC presentation slides)
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