Educational Psychology I - QED520

I must say today's lession is a shocker to me. Tons of technical terms in Psychology was thrown against my head and frankly, these terms are still swimming in my mind. Here's some of the homework for me, someone who doesn't have a clue about psychology... ( I have to know them now as its part of personal development to be a teacher, :) )

Homework 1

Brain waves

There seems to be 4 main types of brain waves in our minds:

• Beta - apparently their frequency is between (some say) 13-38Hz/(other say) 10-30Hz (how they got this is currently unknown to me, will find out more later). These waves are present when our minds are actively problem solving, thinking, considering options, daily activities like play... Seems like some stimulates (coffee, tea, alcohol..) can be used to create such brain waves.
• Alpha - frequency is around 8-13Hz, these appear when we are at peace, calm or relaxed... Some say, this is present in Extra Sensory Perception and meditation. There are indications that the mind is open to suggestion in this state, or subconscious programming. In deep meditation or deep sleep, the next brain wave (Theta) comes to mind.
• Theta - between 4-7Hz, is associated with Rapid Eye Movement, deep sleep or deep meditation.
• Delta - less than 4hz, there is very little brain activity and we can classify the brain to be in a state of comatose. Serious injury to the head or alcohol can induce such a state. Zero brain activity means that the brain is dead.

There are additions to these brain wave types:

• Gamma - around 39-100Hz. These link to higher brain functions and processing of data/information.
• Something called Senory Motor Rhythm, said to be the wave activity between brain and body functions.

References

1. http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/Brainwaves.html
2. http://www.brainandhealth.com/Brain-Waves.html
3. http://home.dmv.com/~tbastian/files/brain-wv.txt

Left and Right Brain Characteristics

Left side Brain

1. logical
2. linked to right side of body
3. risk adverse
4. linguistic
5. links past and present
6. structured and sequential
7. looks at details

Right side Brain

1. emotional
2. linked to left side of body
3. risk taking
4. visual
5. links present and future
6. spontaneous and random
7. looks at big picture

References

1. http://brain.web-us.com/brain/right_left_brain_characteristics.htm
2. http://www.viewzone.com/bicam.html
3. http://www.mathpower.com/brain.htm

Homework 2

Question: What is volition threshold?

Answer: All I say is volition is the cognitive consideration process anyone looks into before deciding to acting. So these two words strung together would probably mean: the limit or turning point of consideration before taking any action. Like throwing a tantrum, before doing so, teenagers will tend to consider the consequences and whether they live with such effects.

Reference

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volition_(psychology)

Homework 3

Question: Dopamine(metaphorically speaking), how is this linked to a students motivation?

Answer: Computer games/blogging can be the Dopamine for students. In this sense, it becomes a necessary evil for them and they get addicted to these actions/activities. Most of the time, its the students' need to do these things that will over-rule their logic to finish their homework or assignments. It becomes a must for them to spend time on these necessary evils as they can give the students the "high", the students crave for. So the more the students indulge themselves with such activities, the more addictive these activities become. (This is all only in my opinion) :)

Homework 4

Jean Piaget's Theory of Educational Development

The areas of his work I'm interested in are related to Intellect Quotation (IQ). Apparently I should know more about all the stuff he did when he was working in the IQ lab.

Ahhhh!!!! My brain's like swiss cheese now after all that reading. Will continue on this part in my next writing, so stay tuned. :)

References

1. http://www.essortment.com/all/jeanpiagettheo_rnrn.htm
2. http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm
3. http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_cognitive_development

New IT stuff in teaching...

Blogging?!?!!?! Yikes!!! I'm not someone who likes to write blogs. Such attitudes can change. See, I'm writing blogs now. This is the process of learning and this is my new challenge in life. As I embark on my journey in education, I reckon newer stuff will emerge that'll make our jobs and lives better.

Its an eye opener to see the interesting developments in using Infocomm technology in the field of education. Stuff like Facebook, Second Life and blogs can be educational tools too.

Too much on this dry stuff. I love playing computer games and in good time, I believe I can use my experiences and time spent in games to benefit my future students. :) Game on!!!! Hey this will an interesting area to explore...