How we learn

This is what I found interesting about how we learn  This post will be a bit longer than usual but I will try to give a brief explanation of:

• the three main ways the brain learns,
• what children learn first in each, and
• the areas of the brain which are affected.  Future posts will develop each of these in more detail.

1.  From back to front

     Vision (occipital lobe)

     Hearing (temporal lobes)

     Language production (motor & speech area)

     Abstract reasoning, planning, and understanding consequences of actions (frontal

          lobes)

2.  From Inside Out

     Emotions (limbic systems)

     Processing of incoming information for thinking & planning, sensory processing,

          & memory storage (outer cortex)

3.  From the Bottom Up

     Body functions such as heartbeat, breathing and temperature control (brain stem)

     Ability to maintain focus of your attention, control your emotions, and coordinate

          fine motor movements (outer cortex)

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You can stop reading now.  However, if you want more information and have the time,

read on to see how Dr. Stamm demonstrates the brain is like a bagel, a pencil, and tissue

paper.

A pencil represents the brain stem (#3 above),

a bagel represents the limbic system (#2 above), and

six layers of tissue paper wrapped around the bagel represent the cortex

(the outermost area of the brain)--In a real brain, the cortex is the gray, highly folded

outer wrinkles we typically think of when we visualize a brain.

Brain stem (pencil) - your autonomic systems (breathing, heartbeat, etc.)

     These don't vary much except when under stress or doing strenuous exercise.

     Premature babies need additional support with these systems and even

          full-term babies may take a few months to regulate.  Anyone have a baby that

          took time to learn to sleep through the night?

Limbic system (bagel) - emotions

     Grouping of separate yet interconnected structure that process the emotional

          nature of all incoming information

     The most familiar function of this system is "fight or flight" response; it originates

           in the amygdala

     Storage and retrieval of one's memories is handled by the hippocampus

     The thalamus receives information coming into the brain through the senses

           (except for smell) and relays it to the proper area of the cortex (vision, hearing,

           and motor)

     The limbic system is essentially wired from birth to age five, which is why it is

           important for babies to have safe, secure, and loving environments.  When

           they don't have this environment, their amygdala and hippocampus are smaller

           and don't function properly.  They have difficulty learning if they have been

           neglected or abused because they sacrifice the ability to learn because they are

           constantly monitoring their environment for harm or how to satisfy their basic

           needs

Neocortex or cortex (tissue paper) - incoming information is both processed & stored

     Essential communication occurs between the limbic system and the cortex through

           the thalamus and the ability of the cortex to function optimally depends on the

           healthy formation of the limbic system underneath

     Important because this is where memory is processed and stored -- so important in

           school and life (remembering reading and language skills, creativity, solving

           problems, and standing quietly in line).  These skills also play a critical role in

           the self-esteem your child develops since the child can pay attention and more

           easily absorb information, retain more, and be better able to control behavior

           and emotional reactions to others.

That's it for the technical part (for now).  The next posts will discuss the development of some of these stages and what you can do to make learning easier.