Educational Theory & Practice

I have learned about brain research and optimal learning prior to this journey. Wesson provided insight into the power of visuals and visualization. He stated that, “80% of the information entering our conscious sensory world comes through our eyes.” As a teacher of struggling readers, I recognize this is a piece that I am missing while instructing. I do many tactile hand on activities, but want to incorporate more visual aides and practice visualization with the students. He discussed using mind maps and reinforces the importance of using visual aids to support and build reading comprehension. Furthermore, the Bird Units textbook supports the importance of the use of graphic organizers for student learning. I use graphic organizers when teaching in the classroom, but studying brain research and how we learn, helped solidify and substantiate the purpose of their usefulness.