Week 2 - The Emotional brain and Motivation
Tony's Story was a great place to begin as it opened our minds to think about how emotions are involved in the learning process. It also shows us how emotions can be mysterious, even for the person experiencing them firsthand. As educators, we never know for certain how what we say or do will effect our students. Emotions are very personal and private. As educators we must pay attention and tread lightly.
For me the name Tony has deep personal meaning and is connected to many memories. Even scientific words which appear to be void of any apparent emotion can have deep personal emotional connections. When I looked at the word cloud, my eyes rested on "frontal cortex," because when I was almost 18, my brother Tony was killed in a traffic accident. He was a young 16 year-old out having fun with friends when he experienced severe head trauma, specifically to his frontal cortex. Simply looking at that word cloud started the memories flowing and as I read and learned more information about that part of the brain it reinforced learning I somehow intuited from that experience when I was younger.
The frontal cortex is so important that without it, we cannot interact with the world we live in. As he lie there in the hospital with no apparent physical injuries other than the swelling in his brain due to his forehead striking the windshield of the family VW van, it was difficult for me to understand exactly why he wasn't expected to regain consciousness. He appeared to be quite healthy. Other key body systems continued to function as the frontal cortex isn't necessary to keep one's heart pumping or lungs functioning sufficiently to supply the oxygen needed for those more "primitive" functions. So as I read about the frontal cortex, I became quickly overwhelmed by the number of mental processes tied to this essential part of the brain. It is a crucial part of most cognitive processes. Not surprisingly I kept putting off writing this reflection because the seemingly safe topic was connected to some powerfully emotional memories.
In retrospect, what this experience brings to my teaching is a heightened awareness of the responsibility we have with respect to the emotions of our students. As we try to make those emotional connections that help our students learn which this week has reminded us are so important to the learning process, we must always be on the lookout for what our students are bringing to the experience emotionally. We never know what else will be triggered by our choices of what is brought to the classroom. It is an awesome responsibility and I for one will strive even more to tread lightly.
Thanks to all of you for the amazing reflections posted. This class has already been an incredibly enriching experience. Thanks especially to Mila for her great summary. It helped me feel less lost in the wilderness of my past. I'll end with a quote from Julie Scott Taylor who feels that awakening the the emotional brain is essential. "Without including emotion in the learning process, it is impossible to truly engage students." I hope to engage them.
I'm a little late getting started but bring on week 3