Module 1 - Reflections

Woolfolk chapters one through three was an interesting but tough read this week.  It was a lot of information about effective teaching, how the different cognitive theories of Piaget and Vygotsky can impact education and how this influences the self, social and moral development of an individual.  As I read through chapter 1, I was intrigued by the sections and parts of the brains, especially regarding how the brain works and which brain section controls the different functions.  I have two sons with different forms of ADHD and coexisting conditions and my father this past year had a benign brain tumor removed from the frontal lobe.  I was also reminded of the neurons, synapses and other such terms in how the information is transmitted from the axon to the dendrite.  The brain is an amazing thing.  My father had a tumor removed that was the size of an orange from the right frontal lobe.  He was fortunate that his only symptom was a seizure.  The doctors were surprised by the size as it was the largest tumor of its kind they ever saw to date.  My family jokes that his case may end up in a medical journal someday!  Once the tumor was removed, the MRI showed the empty space left by the tumor.  It was large but within two weeks the space was already getting smaller.  My dad is 66 years old and the brain was already healing and filling in the empty space.  Now the removal was not without side effects.  My dad's vision in his left eye is cloudy and the vision is not consistent from day to day.  In addition, he experiences more headaches and his personality has changed to an extent.  The doctors advised this would happen due to the area in which the tumor resided.  As the brain heals and fills in the empty space, he was told his personality and emotions will become more "normal" but he may not be exactly his old self.  We read about plasticity and how "...the brain is ever changing, shaped by activity, culture and context" (pg. 41). Well in this case the brain for my 66 year old Dad is completely changing and I am thankful for its' wonderful resiliency.

There is so much information regarding development and the different theories to explain human behavior.  I found Chapter 3 to be most interesting as I applied most of it to my sons.  As I stated they both have ADHD where one has it with anxiety and depression and the other has it with anxiety and oppositional defiant disorder.  They both have their own types of sensory issues with sound being the one consistent between them.  When they were young, their gross motor skills were on track for their age but it was their fine-motor skills that were slower.  My oldest is left-handed which was interesting to learn is preferred by 10% of people and a more boys than girls showing that preference (pg. 74).  Little facts like this always make reading interesting when I can apply it  to my own life experiences.  The other interesting fact is the impact recess and physical activity has on our brain and development.  I am a firm believer that it helps us think and improve our cognitive ability.  On pages 76 and 77, there are several paragraphs discussing the importance of free play, recess and physical activity.  For myself, I never considered myself to possibly have ADHD but knowing I have two sons with it and the traits my oldest son exhibits makes me realize I probably have some conditions.  I was able to manage it majority of my life since I was active in sports since I was 5 years old.  I was in organized sports like gymnastics, volleyball, cross country, track & field and basketball but I also played outside in the neighborhood.  We played kickball, red rover, running bases, rode our bikes and so many other games.  All that activity released the necessary chemicals for my brain to function that I was able to manage any symptoms with my study skills and organization habits that were established at a young age.  I continued that activity well into my adult life until about 7 years ago when some health conditions really impacted my activity.  I have struggled getting back into a routine again.  With that struggle, I have dealt with headaches, lack of motivation, absent minded and less organized than my typical self.  I truly believe my lack of regular activity resulted in less chemicals to manage my scatter-brained tendencies.  I can relate so much more to my oldest son than ever.  I have seen the impact activity has for my youngest son.  This past year he joined cross country and volleyball and with daily practice and exercise he did not need to take his afternoon booster to get through his homework.  He was alert and engaged and not frustrated to complete his homework.  It was nice not to have to give him additional medication.  I wish I could keep him motivated to continue to run regardless if he is in a team sport or not.  Motivation is a different topic which I saw will come in a later chapter.

Overall the brain is a fascinating part of human development.  There is the biology and physical make-up of the brain  That part is just facts and information but helped bring some further understanding to my dad's condition.  The other part is the cognitive development and the different theories from Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson  to explain why we behave and interact the way we do.