Teaching Every Student: Chapter 2 Summary

In this chapter, you will learn how familiarity with brain research can help you understand your students better.

Graphical Organizer Concept Map:
Chapter 2 Concept Map
Click image to enlarge 		Key Ideas:
  • Learning is distributed across three interconnected networks: the recognition networks are specialized to receive and analyze information (the "what" of learning); the strategic networks are specialized to plan and execute actions (the "how" of learning); and the affective networks are specialized to evaluate and set priorities (the "why" of learning).
  • Learners cannot be reduced to simple categories such as "disabled" or "bright." They differ within and across all three brain networks, showing shades of strength and weakness that make each of them unique.
Chapter 2 Links:

Background Knowledge Background Knowledge: Neuroscience for Kids, a Web site for students and teachers, includes a concise and informative overview of brain imaging techniques.
Activity Activity: Try this online scanning task on the Learning Disabilities Resource Community Web site to see first-hand the "word supperiority effect" - how our brains use context to help recognize visual patterns. Click on "Try the Scanning Task," register, and try your hand at experiment 1.
Activity Activity: Individual differences that affect learning are apparent in brain images such as those found here.
Background Knowledge Background Knowledge: Explore the Web site of The Brain Injury Association of Washington. Click "Brain Injury 101".
Background Knowledge Background Knowledge: The connections between thinking and feeling is the subject of this text interview with neuroscientist Joseph Ledoux.
Activity Activity: Use the three brain network to analyze individual differences.
Activity Classroom Template: The Classroom Learning Profile Template gives tips and tools for considering learner needs and strengths in light of the three brain networks.
Chapter 2 Sections: