Heather Francis
Teaching Portfolio 2014
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205 Washington Street, Unit 4 Somerville, MA, 02143 heather_francis@mail.harvard.edu
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Heather Francis Teaching Portfolio Table of Contents
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General Information Letter to the Reader Teaching Philosophy
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Plans Curriculum and Instruction Hands-on Materials Interdisciplinary Unit Sample Lesson Plan Online learning for ELLs
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Delivers Effective Instruction Student Work Samples Fifth Grade Student Work Samples Kindergarten
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Manages Classroom Climate and Operation Classroom Management Philosophy Classroom Samples
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Promotes Equity Assistive Technology Profile Assessment and Evaluation
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Meets Professional Responsibilities Professional Goals Response to Intervention Implementation Plan Brain Basics NEA Foundation Brain and Learning Online Course Course Assistant Materials
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" " " Dear Reader, "
Welcome to my teaching portfolio! I am a passionate and dedicated special educator who has been working in the education sector for 6 years. I have worked in both public and private school settings, supporting students by providing special education support during the school day and also developing after school and summer programs.
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I am focused on applying knowledge of cognitive neuroscience, psychology and child development to learning and teaching. I am committed to providing educational opportunities for at-risk students using technology and limited resources in urban public settings.
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Most recently, I have been working as a research assistant studying dyslexia and the bilingual experience. I have also been leading a student organization at Harvard called Brain Basics which strives to provide relevant and accurate neuroscience information to students, teachers, and parents. Other projects I have recently engaged in include collaborating on an international schoolbased research project as part of Research Schools International, and developing an educational neuroscience online course for educators through the NEA foundation in collaboration with field experts.
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My strengths are in curriculum design, program development, research-based approaches, and data-driven instruction. I aim to use these skills to create universally designed learning experiences for students of various ability and skill levels.
" Please contact me for further information. " Sincerely, " " "
Heather Francis Ed.M Candidate, Harvard Graduate School of Education heather_francis@mail.harvard.edu
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" Teaching Philosophy "
As a child-centered educator, I value student collaboration, exploration, and independence. I intend to serve as a guide in the classroom, encouraging students to take risks in a setting that is both developmentally appropriate and aligned with their needs and interests. I aim to help students navigate the iterative processes of learning by providing them with opportunities to construct their own knowledge and understanding. I strive to reach all students through universally designed and accessible learning opportunities. I believe that children are unique individuals who learn best through interactions with their environment. One of my goals is to include all children in general education experiences. To do this, I work to develop flexible environments that scaffold knowledge construction while providing opportunities to practice and generalize skills. I firmly believe that when challenged appropriately and with the right level of support, all students can experience success. My compassion, natural curiosity, and love of learning are what have drawn me to the teaching profession. From these traits, I have cultivated a passion to teach so that every child can learn, and to help children understand what supports they need to learn best. I believe that helping students to become better learners in the short term with help them to become life-long lovers of learning.
“Education doesn't need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.� -Sir Ken Robinson
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Plans Curriculum and Instruction Hands-on Materials
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I developed these materials for a student who needed support in sensory integration, fine motor, and school readiness skills. These materials assisted the student in practice with letter formation, counting, matching, color identification, and shape identification—skills outlined in his IEP. The student was eager to work with these homemade, highinterest materials that were designed to reinforce concepts in multiple ways.
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Plans Curriculum and Instruction Interdisciplinary Unit In this project, I collaborated with two educators to develop an interdisciplinary and exploratory social studies and science unit focused on the American Civil War. Anchoring this unit was a Civil War Train Ride website, which provided students multiple entry points and multiple representations of content through visual and auditory modalities. The design enabled students multiple means by which to express their learning; through online check-ins, conversations with peers, construction, and writing. *Images used with permission.
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LESSON TITLE: Exploring Letters, Shapes, and Numbers Teacher’s Name: Heather Francis
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Background Brief Description of Group to be taught: This lesson will be given to a kindergarten student in a 1:1 pull out setting. According to his IEP, this student is working toward goals in school readiness skills.
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Overall Purpose of This Lesson: “Exploring Letters, Shapes, and Numbers” is an interdisciplinary lesson that reinforces important topics in English Language Arts and Math. The purpose of this lesson is to develop student understanding and generalization of letters, numbers, and shapes.
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Teacher’s Purpose: I will focus on the area of planning curriculum and instruction throughout this lesson. My focus will be on designing flexible experiences for individual learners.
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LESSON Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Strand and Learning Standard(s):
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Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2011 Reading Standards, Foundational Skills. MA 1.d. Recognize and name some uppercase letters of the alphabet and the lowercase letters in one’s own name. Language Standards. MA 1.f. Demonstrate the ability to speak in complete sentences.
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Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics, March 2011 Counting and Cardinality. PK CC MA 1. Listen to and say the names of numbers in meaningful contexts. PK CC MA 2. Recognize and name written numerals 0-10 PK CC MA 3. Understand the relationship between numerals and quantities up to ten. PK CC MA 4. Count many kinds of concrete objects and actions up to ten, using one-to-one correspondence and accurately count as many as seven things in a scattered configuration. PK MD MA 3. Sort, categorize, and classify objects by more than one attribute. PK G MA 2. Identify various two-dimensional shapes using appropriate language.
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Behavioral Objectives/Learning Outcomes for students: Content: The student will be able to identify and write uppercase letters. The student will be able to count, read, and show numbers to 10. The student will be able to recognize shapes, including triangles, circles, squares, rectangles, and ovals.
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Materials: • Sorting and counting box • Making letters placemat • Counting colors cubes • Finding shapes cards
• Dry erase markers • Making shapes cards • Learning Target • Daily schedule
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Stickers Markers Fruitloops I-pad
Procedures: Instructional Practice:
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Introduction to Activities (5 minutes): 1. Student will be introduced to the on-going learning target. Today we will be playing together and working on meeting our learning target. Let’s read our learning target together: • I can identify and write uppercase letters. • I can count, read, write, and show numbers to 10. • I can recognize shapes. 2. Student will read the daily schedule with the teacher. We are going to do a lot of fun activities today. Let’s look at the schedule together. As we finish our activities, your job will be to make a check mark on the list.
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Activity 1: Sorting and Counting (5 minutes) • •
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The student will be shown the sorting and counting box. The teacher will explain the sorting and counting box to the student. To use the sorting and counting box, you need to think about your math smarts and your color smarts. First we will empty the counting box. Next, you will place the colored pom-poms in the section of the box that is the same color, counting as you place them in the box. Finally, we will check together to see if the pom-poms are the same color as the section they are in. Throughout the mini-lesson the teacher will observe the student to see how they sort the pom-poms. The teacher may prompt the student with the following questions: What color pompom are you holding? I’m noticing that you’re sorting the green pom-poms, what color is this pom-pom? How many red pom-poms did you find? The student will be asked to clean up the sorting and counting activity. Transition to next activity: During our sorting and counting activity, I was noticing that there were words in each box. Let’s practicing making some letters and find out if we can write any words together.
Activity 2: Making Letters (5 minutes)
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The student will be presented with the making letters placemat. The teacher will explain how to use the making letters placemat. Now we will practice making letters. Do you know what letter this is? To make these letters, you will have to complete a few steps. First, you will use fruit loops to fill in the circles that make up the letter “J.” Then, you will practice writing “J’s” on the other side of the chart using a dryerase marker. The student will engage in independent while the teacher observes.
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The teacher will conclude the lesson. I noticed that you were working hard as you practiced making J’s. You really thought about the shape of the J that you made with the fruit loops. Transition to next activity. Now you will take a break and play with play-doh
Activity 3: Finding Shapes (5 minutes) •
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The teacher will show the student the shape cards, asking the student to identify the shapes on the cards. If the student is unfamiliar with the shape on the card, the teacher will say that name of the shape on the card several times. This is a yellow hexagon. Can you trace the hexagon with your finger? You might see a hexagon on a stop sign. What shape is this? Once the shapes have been reviewed, the teacher will present the activity. We are going to play a game using these shapes. I am going to hide these cards around the room. I will tell you a colored shape to find, and your job will be to find where I’ve hidden the shape. The teacher will ask the student to retrived different colored shapes. If the student is having difficulty retrieving the correct shape, the teacher will provide the student with clues. Can you find the purple triangle? Remember, triangles have three sides. This marker is purple. This is the shape of a triange (show drawing), can you find this shape? Once the student has retrieved all of the shapes, the teacher will transition to the next activity. You have worked so hard to find these shapes. Do you think you could make some of these shapes with me? Let’s see which shapes you can make.
Activity 4: Making Shapes (5 minutes) •
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The teacher will present the making shapes cards to the student. Now that you’ve practicing finding shapes, we will try to make some of the shapes that you found. On these cards are shapes, and each shape is a different color. Your job is to use the pipecleaners that are the same color as the shape to make the shape on the card. If I chose the purple triangle card, I would find the purple pipe cleaners and make a triange on the card. The student will engage in independent practice while the teacher observes and notes student choices, If the student is having difficulty completing the activity, the teacher will provide assistance to the student. Throughout the activity, the teacher will ask the student the following questions: What do you notice about the square? How many sides does a pentagon have? Where is the octagon? What color is the hexagon? After completing the activity, the teacher will transition to the next activity. You were really thinking about how many sides each shape had and what color each shape was. Now we are going to work on counting and think about colors some more.
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Activity 5: Counting Colors (5 minutes) •
The teacher will present the materials to the student. Now we will work on counting and think about colors. Each of the apples has a number inside it, can we count them together? Teacher and student count apples together. Wow, you were really thinking
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about your numbers! Now I’m wondering if you can fill each of these apples with the same number of pom poms that I have written inside them. Each of the pom poms inside the apple should be the same color. The teacher will observe the student engage in independent practice. I am really noticing how you are sorting the pom poms by color. Hm, I’m noticing that this apple says 4, can you show me how to count out 4 pom poms. The teacher will transition to the final activity. You have worked so hard today! Now you will play a game on the iPad.
Activity 6: iPad Game (3 minutes)
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The teacher will provide the student with the “Little Writer” app on the iPad. The student will chose which skill he would like to work on; ABC, 123, or shapes. The teacher will note student performance and assist the student if he is struggling with letter, number, or shape formation.
Motivational Techniques: (Activators): The student will be using hands-on materials throughout the lesson, which is a motivating activity for this student. Different textures will be explored throughout the mini-lessons, which will appeal to the student’s sensory integration needs. The student will have the opportunity to play an iPad game, both of which is a high interest activity for this student.
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Wrap up (Summarizers): The teacher will acknowledge the work the student did during the session. Student, you worked so hard today! You were really thinking about your letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. What is one thing you really liked working on today? What is one thing you remember? The student will chose a sticker before returning to his classroom.
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Assessment: (Evaluation of Behavioral Objectives/Learning Outcomes) The student will be observed throughout the lesson, and the teacher will complete observation notes throughout the activity.
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Adaptations/Modifications This lesson has been individually designed to meet the needs of a student in a 1:1 setting. Tactile activities have been integrated into the lesson to meet the student’s learning style. Bodily kinesthetic components, such as movement during the “Finding Shapes” activity and use of play-doh, work to accentuate the student’s strengths in intelligence. Technology is also integrated into the lesson in order to maintain high interest and practice with fine motor skills. Overall, the lesson is language-rich to meet the student’s need in the area of vocabulary.
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Pitfalls and Solutions This student presents difficulties in the areas of sustaining attention and interest in an activity. I need to be flexible in my delivery of these lessons, potentially changing the order of activities or omitting activities as needed.
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Reading research presents several pathways through which reading abilities develop. In each pathway, word recognition plays a major role. Particularly for young adolescents, vocabulary is a major predictor of reading ability. ELLs are often expected to comprehend and analyze text in a language in which they are not yet fully proficient. Reading Pathways helps to build vocabulary and support skill development in both home languages and English.
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Plans Curriculum and Instruction Online Learning for ELLs " " " " " " " " " " " " "
" " Reading Pathways is a research-based, Common Core and WIDAaligned curriculum that teachers can use to meet the needs of English language learners in the classroom. Combining computer-based activities with classroom-based practices, Reading Pathways can be easily integrated into an existing curriculum.
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The goal of Reading Pathways is to support language development and reading comprehension in English, while fostering a child's home language. Using an online platform and classroom activities, Reading Pathways supports teachers in differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. Below are descriptions of the two types of activities offered by Reading Pathways.
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VO CA B U L ARY BUI L DE R Vocabulary Builder uses a series of slideshows to present students with five contextually related and relevant words represented in multiple ways; using pictures, in insolation, and in a sentence. At the end of the slideshow, students practice saying each word, prompted by visual cues. Vocabulary acquisition is assessed using a five question, multiple-choice Check In activity following the slideshow. Students will then engage in a series of Try This activities which prompt students to generalize, practice, and apply their vocabulary knowledge.
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Extension activities provide opportunities to practice and generalize conceptual vocabulary.
R E A D IN G COM PR E HE NSI O N Reading Comprehension activities use culturally relevant, context-rich story supports to develop grade-level skills as students continue to learn English. Reading comprehension assessment is scaffolded using a student's home language in the early stages of language acquisition. Practice activities involve partner and small group work, multiple means of representation, opportunities for vocabulary development, and address Common Core grade level standards.
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Comprehension support in students' home languages helps to develop grade level skills.
https://sites/google.com/site/readingpathways
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Delivers Effective Instruction Student Work Samples Fifth Grade
These student work samples are from a modified unit in math based on the TERC Investigations curriculum. Students explored the use of decimals in real-world situations in order to practice and generalize concepts and skills. Providing additional practice of classroom lessons using relevant examples supported students in learning how to add, subtract, and multiple decimals to hundredths.
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Delivers Effective Instruction Student Work Samples Kindergarten
I developed an six-week intervention plan for a kindergarten student focused on pre-academic skills. These work samples are from the end of the intervention period. The student was able to write most letters in his name, match written numbers to objects, and match shapes during this assessment. As I monitored the students progress through the intervention, I adjusted the delivery of instruction to meet his needs.
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Classroom Management Philosophy
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Providing students with a safe, predictable, and accessible environment is key to effectively managing a classroom. As a special educator, I value universal design for learning that promotes accessibility and equity among students. I strongly believe that a teacher sets the tone of her classroom, and both the physical environment and daily routines contribute to a successful learning community. I employ several strategies to manage the climate of the classroom. Physically, I arrange materials so that they are easily accessible and on the students’ level. I incorporate meaningful, relevant, and aesthetically pleasing items into the environment. Clear displays of schedules, labels, and active use of clocks empowers students to be independent learners. I aim to design a calming environment by integrating plants, pets, and lamps into the classroom. Routines are another integral component of classroom management. Students benefit from predictability established through daily schedules and rituals such as morning meetings. I value active student participation in the classroom community, through collaborative construction of norms and democratic decision-making. My goal in managing a classroom is to provide students with the tools to regulate their behavior, collaborate with other members of the community, and better know themselves as learners.
" “I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all students, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” -Haim G. Ginott
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Manages Classroom Climate Classroom Samples
These are examples of supports I have used to manage the classroom climate. Anchoring students with clear expectations, and supporting them in a calming environment has proved particularly helpful when working with students with special needs.
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Promotes Equity Assistive Technology
I completed an Assistive Technology (AT) profile assessment with a student diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The goal of completing the profile was to see what supports the student currently received, and how those supports could potentially be improved. Understanding and assessing AT usage promotes equity for students and helps ensure inclusion and accesses to curricula.
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Promotes Equity Assessment and Evaluation Engaging in a case study of a first grade student allowed me to assess his performance in reading, writing, math, language, and English language ability. Through this course assignment, I learned to communicate assessment results to both educators and parents. I also learned to consider student work samples and classroom behaviors when evaluating students for special education services. 19
Obtain an initial license as a teacher of English as a second language for grades PreK-6.
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Step 1: Pass ESL or ELL MTEL
Step 3: Additional training for best practices
Step 2: 150 hours ESL teaching mentorship
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Meets Professional Responsibilities Professional Goals
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Enroll in a Ph.D. program and study the language and literacy development of English language learners with and without special needs.
Step 1: Obtain more teaching experience
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Step 2: Publish a paper in an academic journal.
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Step 3: Prepare application materials.
Standardized+progress+ monitoring+schedule+
School&wide+ progress+ monitoring+plan+
Progress+monitoring+ team+mee7ngs+ Progress+monitoring+ form+ Targeted+professional+ development+
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Meets Professional Responsibilities RTI Implementation Plan
I developed this Response to Intervention Implementation Plan in collaboration with a group of colleagues at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This plan targets students who need Tier II or Tier III supports. In our school-wide plan, the goal was to create systems that supported teachers in their work with struggling learners. 21
Brain Basics Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 1, November 2013
Brain Basics Newsletter
BRAIN BASICS
BRAIN BASICS
Neuroscience for everyone | A Student Organization at HGSE
Faculty Spotlight
Neuroscience for everyone | A Student Organization at HGSE
What is Plasticity?
Faculty Spotlight
By Rajita Kumar!
Plasticity refers to the changes in the connections between certain brain cells, more specifically called neurons. Such changes in connections are thought to impact learning and memory abilities among children and adults.!
“One of the most amazing characteristics of the brain is its plasticity! It remains flexible and open to experience throughout our lives. Our brains can learn a new language or master new environments or develop juggling skills or recover from a stroke even when we are mature. Somehow we have evolved remarkably flexible learning organs that retain their adaptability throughout our lives." Dr. Kurt Fischer is the Charles Bigelow Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, founding president of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and founding editor of the journal Mind, Brain, and Education.
Volume 1, Issue 1
“We often encounter situations or events that we consider to be 'emotional': they reflect our feelings for the better or worse, they reflect the reactions of our body and brain, and they influence how we take in and remember information about our worlds. At different stages of the lifespan, we have different patterns of daily emotions.... Adolescents are no more or less happy, on average, but their positive and negative emotions tend to be very powerful and capable of influencing the kinds of decisions they make."
One commonly proposed mechanism is that pre-synaptic terminals, or endings of axons, can vary the amount of neurotransmitter release to regulate which connections should be strengthened. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that start responses in connecting neurons. The pre-synaptic terminal on an axon terminal of one neuron will release neurotransmitters that will attach to receptors of the postsynaptic terminal on the dendrites of another neuron. Scientists are also investigating how the environment can induce gene expression changes and other cellular level modifications that alter the number and types of receptors available on post-synaptic terminals of dendrites to bind to neurotransmitters. These changes in the neurons can facilitate changes in the connections between neurons by making them stronger or weaker depending on the stimuli the environment provides.!
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Emotion and Cognition By Sophie Turnbu!" Students and teachers experience a whole range of emotional states through the course of the school day, from curiosity, pride, and enthusiasm to anxiety, frustration, and sadness. We know that these emotions affect our behavior and how we think, but neuroscience is also beginning to shed light on how and why our emotions impact cognition, which can help us make the most of them."
Researchers have proposed several different types of plasticity. Different regions of the neurons are responsible for these mechanisms. A neuron is generally comprised of a cell body spiked with dendrites, which receive information from other neurons. The cell body is flanked by long axons, which transport neural signals to other cells in the brain.!
Brain Basics
Volume 1, Issue 2, January 2014
A primary example is that anxiety and stress have inhibiting effects on control of some kinds of attention. When we feel anxious, stress pathways are activated and certain chemicals (noradrenaline and dopamine) are released that increase activity in emotional parts of the brain (the amygdala) and inhibit activity in the “CEO” of the brain (the prefrontal cortex or PFC). This reduces our ability to direct our attention. On the other hand, when we feel sleepy, low levels of noradrenaline are present in the PFC. This is also associated with poor working memory, so an optimum level of emotional arousal is necessary for good control of cognition." Stress and emotional arousal also affect the forming and retrieval of memories. An event that is emotional is more likely to be remembered in the long term, perhaps because of the connections between emotion and long-term memory processing areas in the brain. However, stress can prevent recall of memories: firstly because during stress, energy is diverted away from memory-related areas of the brain towards muscles. Secondly, when levels of the stress hormone cortisol reach their peak, about 30 minutes after stress begins, brain regions related to memory are less active. This may explain why we sometimes experience “mental blocks” when we are in a stressful situation like an exam." Positive emotions, such as joy, curiosity, and love, have been demonstrated to influence cognitive functions, making adults more creative, aware of the big
Leah Somerville, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard
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Volume 1, Issue 2
Brain Basics November Newsletter
Brain Basics
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Brain Basics January Newsletter
Meets Professional Responsibilities Brain Basics Brain Awareness Week Youth Conference slideshow.
HGSE news story on the Brain v. Mind event here.
Brain Basics aims to foster motivation, self-confidence, and awareness of individual learning strategies by bringing brain research directly to local K-12 students, teachers, and parents. Through this student organization at Harvard Graduate School of Education, I edited and published a monthly student newsletter, organized and hosted a youth conference, and planned an interdisciplinary faculty discussion for the Harvard community.
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Meets Professional Responsibilities Invisible Coach
" Invisible Coach aims to promote independence in learners using cutting edge technology. Our digital platforms provide metacognitive supports that can be customized to include task management, goal tracking, and emotional regulation. The Universal Design for Learning framework is at the heart of our design, making our supports accessible to many learners.
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Thank you for visiting my portfolio! Please contact me for teaching or consultation opportunities.
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heather_francis@mail.harvard.edu
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