Where I Am & Where I Want to Go: The Brain

My topic for this blog is going to be "biological bases for behaviour"

Generally speaking, this is going to be the brain.
I intend to look at the anatomical structures of the brain, their functions, and if I have an opportunity to go into detail, maybe some concepts like neuroplasticity and/or development.

This can be really dry, academic, and seemingly artificial content for introductory psychology students. However, it's integral to many later lessons; if I can find multimodal resources, make real-world connections, and/or make texts with high-caliber vocabulary accessible to a variety of learners, I think they would be set up for success when we reach other aspects of psychology. 

Where I Am

My knowledge on the topic is relatively basic. My knowledge is probably just beyond what I would expect a high school sophomore or junior to know at the end of a unit on the topic: I can identify the four lobes of the cerebrum and their functions/associations. I can identify several major structures in the midbrain and their functions. I can identify the cerebellum and its functions, as well as the components of the brainstem. I can describe basic functions of each hemisphere of the brain, and the location and purpose of the corpus callosum. I can provide basic details about neuroplasticity, and lateralization. I can recite details from a couple of interesting case studies on the topic.  

Where I Want to Go

I would like to be more knowledgeable about the minor structures of the brain and how they relate to one another. I'd be interested to see if there is any information from evolutionary psychologists on why certain structures developed in these specific locations in the brain. I'd also like to learn more about their day-to-day operation and influence on behaviour.

For the purposes of an elective, high-school level course, I'd like to find more ways to connect these biological, abstract constructs to the social, concrete realities of students' lives. I'd like to know more about the processes that go on inside of our brains when we have experiences that students live every day. What does your brain do when you're anxious about a test? When you see your crush in the hallway? When you're bored because you're learning something you're not interested in? I'd also like to demonstrate connections between biological bases for behaviour and growth mindset. 

Potential resources: 

King, L. A. (2011). The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Bailey, Regina. “Anatomy of the Brain.” ThoughtCo., 8 Mar. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/anatomy-of-the-brain-373479.

Human Brain: Information, Facts, and News. (2017, September 15). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain/

Myers, D. G. (2011). Psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: Worth. 

Introduction

... half kidding.

My name is Elizabeth: I am a former MPS student, current MPS intern & student teacher, and aspiring future MPS teacher. In the short-term, my professional goals are to (1) build relationships with my students and colleagues at Audubon Technology & Communication Center High School, where I'm teaching an introductory psychology course, (2) pass the edTPA & graduate from the UW-Milwaukee School of Education, and (3) maintain some semblance of composure.

In the long term, I want to work as a social studies teacher in Milwaukee. My primary focuses in my philosophy of education are culturally responsive pedagogy and standards-based practice. I think that integrating local history, culture, and geography can be compelling ways to connect academic content to students' prior knowledge and real lives.

Here are some resources that I have used, or plan to use:

OldMapsOnline:  an online index of over 400,000 maps from archives and libraries from around the world.

Google Arts and Culture: a great resource for art, artifacts, archival photos, and other images for instruction, but also a tool that I'd love to set students loose on for research projects (they can curate their own galleries!)

Google Expeditions: I'd love to have enough Google Cardboards for students to use the VR features (and use their phones for good), but even without, an awesome resource for students to experience faraway destinations (and medical models!).


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