Using More Of The Senses For Better Understanding
August 1, 2009
Have you ever noticed that you forget what you are reading almost as quickly as you read? Fortunately there is an easy solution that you can teach to your children.
Doesn’t it make sense that the more senses you use during reading, the easier it would be to retain and recall the information? It turns out this is true. In this article, I will describe an easy-to-use technique that incorporates this brain-based learning strategy.
Most of us simply look at the words on a page. All this does is bore the brain with what appear to be more useless words. Your brain needs to see, feel, touch, smell, taste, and experience emotion while reading. Let me demonstrate how to do this using Paul Revere’s famous ride as the example.
Paul Revere could smell and taste the salt coming off of Boston Harbor as he stood and waited for the signal from the church steeple. Suddenly, he spied one lantern which signaled they were coming by land. He mounted his horse, and could feel the sturdy saddle pressing against him. As he rode, he could hear the clopping of his horse’s hooves on the stone road.
Soon he entered the woods, and could hear the horse’s hooves gently striking the mud, and could smell the pine trees that surrounded him. He continued riding, and in the distance he could see the house of a minuteman. He sped up, and sounded the alarm, “the regulars are coming, the regulars are coming.”
Compare this story with what you typically see in a text book: Paul Revere warned the minuteman that the regulars were coming. Notice how much more engrossed your brain becomes by changing the text into a total sensory experience? You can apply this exact same technique to learn other things as well. For example, don’t memorize that the symptoms of malaria include high fever, vomiting, and delirium. Imagine lying down in bed with a high fever that is making you feel delirious while you are violently throwing up. Now your brain has something it can hold onto and remember.
This is an easy technique to apply to just about anything your children and you need to learn. With just a little practice it will become an invaluable brain-based learning strategy you can put to practical use.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Be sure to share it with your friends and family so they can also learn the advantages of learning with Mr. Reader.
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Understanding The Teenage Brain
August 1, 2009
The teenage years are for many a very dangerous time. Far too many young adults engage in risky activities that place them in danger. These dangers include excessive gambling, abusive drinking, risky sexual behavior, and a disproportionate number of auto accidents when compared to other age groups. The latest scientific studies reveal an unusual paradox behind these behaviors. It appears that excessive logic in teenage brains may be enabling them to rationalize their actions and it is wired directly into their brains.
There are numerous programs designed to help teenagers make better decisions; yet, many of them fail. Why? Many of these programs encourage youngsters to avoid dangerous activities that are associated with brief moments of pleasure. Teens are expected to see that the risks far outweigh the benefits of their behavior. Yet research indicates that most of the benefits derived from these programs disappear after only a few short months. This problem is directly linked to how the human brain develops over the years. The incomplete brain development that lasts through adolescence makes it easier for teens to rationalize taking risks to experience the benefits, no matter how brief the benefits may appear to an adult.
Studies on the human brain’s development indicate that gray matter continues to thin from the back of the head towards the front of the head until early adulthood. These areas of the brain are related to the higher brain functions including reasoning, impulsive behavioral control, and planning. The lack of development in these areas during the teenage years is associated with many of the behavioral patterns that upset parents.
Young people experience risk differently than adults. Their brains tend to exaggerate the benefits when compared to the risks. As a result many programs designed to frighten teens into choosing correct behavior may actually be encouraging them to make worse decisions.
Fortunately a new approach to modifying teen behavior appears to be successful. It encourages teens to think more intuitively like an adult rather than logically. For example, if I asked you, “would racing your car at 150 mph be a good thing?” You would immediately say “No!” But a teen might take some time to reflect upon the benefits and dangers and make the wrong decision. Your brain acted intuitively to address the problem and immediately had the correct answer. Encouraging teens to think more intuitively appears to help offset some of their risky behavior.
Hello, this is Howard Berg, recognized as the world’s fastest reader. I hope you enjoyed this article and share it with others with teens in their life as well. Be sure to check out our new Tutor Club – just right for all students of any age!
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