A student’s brain learns through the student’s environment and experiences. Ultimately student’s learn through their senses; or their modalities, the five senses (Massaro & Wallis, 2010). It seems that the more or less of different stimulus through the senses designates the amount and type of learning. The learning is accomplished through two main steps.
A student’s senses pick up signals about the environment and are processed in the thalamus, step one. The thalamus is the “server” or the central switch room of the brain (Jensen, 2008). At the same moment that the thalamus is obtaining all the incoming stimulus and information this information is also being routed to the “specialty processing facilities” of the brain (Jensen, 2008). The two previous information processing steps combine to make the first step of learning.
The second step of learning is accomplished by the amygdala and the hippocampus. Depending on how the information was perceived by the “specialty processing facilities” the emergency switch handled by the amygdale is activated. If the emergency switch is activated there is a procedure handled by the amygdale (Jensen, 2008). If the emergency switch is not activated then the hippocampus then becomes responsible for the information and is either filed and stored or it is shed as not needed.
Therefore, if a student is to learn then their brain needs to process environmental stimulus and retain it. If the brain is to retain information it must see the information as needed. It will perceive information as needed if it is introduced in a proper fashion.
References
Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-based learning (2nd ed). California: Corwin Press.
Massaro, C & Wallis, S. (2010). Using Your Senses for Fast Learning). Retrieved on March, 26, 2011.
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