After watching the videos on brain architecture, plasticity, and understanding the impact of the environment on a child, how does this information impact you as a teacher?
This information has made me more aware of the influence that I may have on a student. I think that a child's experience in school can shape the developing brain more than most educators and parents realize. After birth a child's brain grows at a rapid rate until they are approximately two years old. At that point it is whittled down to take the shape it will have as an adult. Think of the child's brain as a sapling that grows into a tree. After age two, the tree gets cut down and whittled down into a sculpture. The neuronal paths that are used more often get solidified while the ones not used disintegrate.
When children are in school prior to age 25, their experiences there will influence this whittling and solidification of their brains. This means that the students in my classes are still going through this process. Their experience in my science classroom will hopefully solidify the way that they think about science, biology, and school overall. So I will use this information in my classroom to ensure that I make the experience in my classroom as positive as I can, remembering that I am literally shaping their brains.
