All the readings and attention on the brain this week has started to make mine a little sore. I am not trying to complain, because it has been a while since I have been left this exhausted because of the amount of thinking I have had to do, and the amount of information that I have had to process. On the topic of process, here are a couple more resources to share that deal specifically with the brain and the learning process.
The scholarly journal, Brain and Cognition, is a collective body of research I stumbled upon while trying to find some good resources on the brain and learning. This journal is for the scientifically-driven mind with a love for data and experiments. When I first gained access and started browsing around, I was not too sure that I would find anything of interest. Then I found an article with results data that analyzed reactions and engagements with tasks based on selective attention. It turns out that "fluctuations (in attention) can be driven by changes in cognitive states or task context and are often accounted for as resulting from mechanisms of conflict, control, and inibition" (Saetrevik, Huster, & Merrmann, 2013, p. 31). This journal is more accessible than it at first seems, and I found numerous beneficial articles from it. The only concern is that it can seem dry and esoteric to a reader who does not prefer to encounter much technical jargon.
Another, and slightly easier to read, resource on the brain and learning is the blog from educator and neuroscientist think-tank, Learning and the Brain. The blog provides a space for members of the organization to share on a wide range of topics, from recent research to current events. There are book reviews on the blog too, which I especially am finding useful. Thanks to a post reviewing the book Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators that was both thoughtful and well-explained, I have now placed the book on my reading list.
Does anyone have any good, easily accessible websites on learning and the brain? While Google, is my friend, I do not feel like wading through its results without the feedback from others so that I can avoid unnecessarily viewing random sites.
O'Neil, L. (2013, Sept. 30). Boosting executive skills in the classroom: A practical guide for educators by joyce cooper-kahn and margaret foster. Retrieved from http://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/boosting-executive-skills-in-the-classroom-a-practical-guide-for-educators-by-joyce-cooper-kahn-and-margaret-foster/
Saetrevik, B., Huster, R., & Herrmann, C. (2013). Proactive and reactive effects on selective attention. Brain and Cognition, 83. Retrieved from http://http://ac.els-cdn.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/.
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