Saturday, December 12, 2009

Article 3

This article was interesting. I was a little confused. What are they actually doing with the fMRI? Are they jsut scanning the brain? How does that help? Maybe I do not understand how that actually machine works? If it can help students learn to read though it is great! Is this something that would be available to all students? Even in lower income areas?

How technology changes our views: As we learn more, understand more, our eyes are continuelly opened. There are many things we think happened for one reason, then find out they happen for another reason. This is important, especially when the "problems" are not the students fault, as many people sadly like to think. Also as we learn more we are able to change the way we teach to be geared more towards the disablity. It is no good if you are teaching in a way that does not help.

Implications for teaching and legislation: Teachers continuely adapt their teaching. This is due to new information coming out. That is why it is important to keep informed. For example if you know they students reading difficulties are environmental, not being exposed to reading, then you will teach in a way that helps them be exposed to a wide variety of things. If you know that it is a difficulty of the brain you would adapt accordingly. I am not sure exactly how, though I would hope a teach would not STOP exposing a student to reading (I would not). As far as legislation maybe the higher ups will stop consistently blaming poor progress on the teachers and realize that some disabilities are truly gentic or such and not always due to poor teaching.

2 comments:

  1. Um...yeah I just read that article again. I get it know! We are figuring out HOW they learn! Not improving learning. It all makes sense know. Sorry.

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  2. I think it is really interesting how they are starting to use fMRIs to help us better understand those with disabilities. I makes complete sense to do it and I think it will give everyone a better understanding of everything involving disabilities.

    I think this type of research should help teachers better adapt their teaching to their students. I agree that it is important to stay informed and up to date on all the information that is now out there.

    I really enjoyed this article. I found it to be very informative of the new technology out there. It makes me happy to hear that we can now look futher into what really makes a disability and what is really involved with a disability. It really shows how long we have come with our technology!

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