Math Education Guest Lecture

The Learning Process and the Scientific Process.

What is your definition of learning? What is the goal of learning?

What is your definition of Science? What is the goal of Science?

Linking Learning and Science: Is it one Process?

Neurobiology of Learning

• Reflect Pathway
• The Brain    

Activity on Neurobiology

• Two Point Discrimination Test
• Conclusions of Test? What limits of learning?  What limits Science?

 What do illusions and ambiguous preceptions tell us about the mind?

The Brain as an informed guesser - observations as constructions

• The blind spot
• Visual illusions, St Louis Arch, Measurements of arch
• Parallel or... Not?
• The color problem and "reality"
• Perception as construction (color contrastor)
• Spining Ballerina
• More on our sensory systems and "out there/reality"by Laura Cyckowski and Paul Grobstein
• And it's not just visual illustions that demonstrate the mind choosing between interpretations... what about the auditory illusion of puns?

• When word play is more than some antics (symantics)?

• Resource page for Background on the Nervous System and Anatomy

 Summary thus far....

• blind spot reveals that our brain can "make things up"
• optical illusions demonstrate that our brain can lie to us
• ambiguous figures show that our brain can construct more than one interpretation, but we can be conscious of only one at a time
• two pt. discrimination reveals that our brain is ultimately limited in it's ability to construct meaning by the sensitivity of our sensory system. Some information "out there" is lost on the way "in" to our brains.
• imagination is an essential cognitive skill used in developing empirical understandings about the natural world

More Background on the Scientific Method

• Loopy VS Linear Science

One Process: Learning and Science

• Mapping Learning, Science onto the Brain

Web Resources

• Neuron and nervous system background from Kimbell Biology.

• Reflect Pathway

• Biology of Learning

• Loopy VS Linear Science

• Two point Discrimination Test