Talk Topic #3

After watching the video on "How Humans Learn: Brain and Mind", I have learned many different ways that human beings can learn. First of all I learned that the brain was the organ and the mind is what gives us being, and gives us our conscience. Input data that we receive, or information is transported to the thalamus in the middle of the brain, and goes up to the cortex. Though information doesn't just go one way, there is almost ten times more information that goes from the cortex to the thalamus, which is the information we use in our daily lives. People who know more are able to learn more. Learning is a change in cognitive structures that occurs as a result of experience. People who already have knowledge use that knowledge to learn or absorb new knowledge. There are two types of learning. Rote learning is when you take in information, but it's not connected to anything, if you don't understand what you take in, what good is it? Meaningful learning is when you take in new information and it's connected to information you already know, the more you know, the easier it is for you to understand new things. Learning changes the physical structure of the brain. The neurons in our brain connect in different ways as we learn new things. New neuro pathways are created and neuro networks are made greater. As you learn you change the structure of your brain. We also create our own reality. We use our brain to fill in the blanks, our brains look for patterns and uses these patterns to create our own interpretation. After watching the video, I knew a little bit about the brain, but not too much, and taking in all of that information, going to the thalamus and up to the cortex, my brain has began to make connections between neurons to create new neuro pathways and larger neuro network in which I can now use to learn more and more new things.

-Alex Brown

Sources:
Johnson, Andy, Dr. "1. HOW HUMANS LEARN: BRAIN AND MIND."YouTube. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz5ZG_R8i_c>.