Learning, memory and perception are the main functions of the brain, and these functions are intimately related to one another. For example, learning also results in changes in memory and perception. What we perceive and remember is a function of what we have learned to expect in a particular situation. The ability of a pre-school or school-aged child to learn a designated task, whether it is a social interaction or an academic skill, depends mainly on two things:
⦁ the child's past history of learning and the changes to brain structure and function that this has produced
⦁ aspects of brain function and structure that are genetically determined
⦁ aspects of brain function and structure that are genetically determined
The relative importance of these two factors depends on the type of learning being considered. For example, studies of twins show that about 75 percent of the variation between children in their ability to learn to read is determined by genetic factors. But in other types of learning, such as social skills, genetic factors play a much smaller part.
What is important, is that the barriers to efficient learning resulting from the joint operation of genetic and environmental factors, may be eliminated by the use of carefully designed instructional programs.
Learning involves experience that results in a change in performance, memory and emotional state. All these aspects are represented in particular areas and pathways in the brain that, in general, are different according to the type of task being learned.
The changes in the brain that represent the learning that has taken place in the past are different for different people, because people differ both in their genes and experiences. This is why children differ in how they approach a given learning task and why some will be more effective than others in how they deal with the task.
Learning is a function of the nervous system. Memory is simply the representation of learning by neurochemical changes in brain structure at the molecular level. Both learning and memory can be made more efficient by the use of research-based instructional techniques.
Decades of research on children's learning, much of it done with children with learning disabilities, has identified certain aspects of children's learning that critically affect the level of success that a child will have as a learner. These aspects can be represented either by the child's learning strategies or by the brain functions that serve these strategies. In some instances both can be altered directly by the use of properly designed and focused training programs or by medication or other physical treatment. This is called direct remediation.
Unfortunately, direct remediation is not always possible. Nevertheless, learning problems may be prevented or minimized by the use of training programs that circumvent the basic problem. This can be done by structuring the task to be learned in such away that the impaired learning processes are not involved or are compensated for. This is called indirect remediation. An obvious example is the use of a sound amplifier or visual signs when teaching a child with a hearing impairment. The successful use of both direct and indirect remediation requires both skilled analysis of the child's learning processes and skilled construction and implementation of an appropriate remedial approach.
What is important, is that the barriers to efficient learning resulting from the joint operation of genetic and environmental factors, may be eliminated by the use of carefully designed instructional programs.
Learning involves experience that results in a change in performance, memory and emotional state. All these aspects are represented in particular areas and pathways in the brain that, in general, are different according to the type of task being learned.
The changes in the brain that represent the learning that has taken place in the past are different for different people, because people differ both in their genes and experiences. This is why children differ in how they approach a given learning task and why some will be more effective than others in how they deal with the task.
Learning is a function of the nervous system. Memory is simply the representation of learning by neurochemical changes in brain structure at the molecular level. Both learning and memory can be made more efficient by the use of research-based instructional techniques.
Decades of research on children's learning, much of it done with children with learning disabilities, has identified certain aspects of children's learning that critically affect the level of success that a child will have as a learner. These aspects can be represented either by the child's learning strategies or by the brain functions that serve these strategies. In some instances both can be altered directly by the use of properly designed and focused training programs or by medication or other physical treatment. This is called direct remediation.
Unfortunately, direct remediation is not always possible. Nevertheless, learning problems may be prevented or minimized by the use of training programs that circumvent the basic problem. This can be done by structuring the task to be learned in such away that the impaired learning processes are not involved or are compensated for. This is called indirect remediation. An obvious example is the use of a sound amplifier or visual signs when teaching a child with a hearing impairment. The successful use of both direct and indirect remediation requires both skilled analysis of the child's learning processes and skilled construction and implementation of an appropriate remedial approach.
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