Dakota Miller
ENG. 111
28JAN2016
Natural Human Learning Process
Are You a Better Learner than the Rest of the World?
Everybody, no matter how they learn, goes through the exact same process of learning; both physically and biologically. All over the world,
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be it a child in China learning how to read, or an Adult in Brazil learning to drive for the first time, we will all do it the same way. Not with the same
materials or at the same pace, but it with the same emotions, steps, hormones and brain functions.
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Dr. Rita Smilkstein believes that all people learn in six basic ordered steps. The first step is finding a reason, or motivation, to learn something new.
Oncethey get motivated they begin the second step of beginning to practice, be it trial and error, hands on training, or just asking questions about it.
After beginning to practice comes advanced practice. At this point they have learned enough about the skill to do it repetitiously, experiment with it,
and work with others. Finally they come to skillfulness, which means they become talented at what they are learning and others start to notice. Also,
what they are doing starts to feel good and they wish to continue working on it. Thus, next comes the refinement stage in which the individual will
challenge themselves to reach higher and higher levels of their skill by working with experts and performing or competing with others. The final level
is mastery. Mastering a skill may not be possible, however in this stage of the learning process, the learner is very good at what they do (Smilkstein).
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Although I didn’t know it; I followed the stages of Dr. Smilkstein’s process when developing my skills as a precision shooter. Growing up on
a farm I always had access to rifles to hunt small varmints and practice shooting targets. Throughout my life I continued to buy rifles and work on my
shooting skills, but it wasn’t until I joined the Navy that I really got motivated about learning more about it. I had always been good at shooting, now
I wanted to be one of the best. I began practicing by going to the gun range a couple times a month and reading and watching videos of the experts.
The better I got, the more I started enjoying it. The more I enjoyed it the more advanced my practice became and eventually my skillfulness was
undeniable. I started taking classes and refining my skills. My levels increased over time and I began to compete with friends and strangers. I have
even been asked to do some instructing, and have helped improve the skills of many people. I’m still working and learning with the goal of getting
even better and competing on higher levels. Perhaps one day I will be considered a master. In order to do that I must start growing my neurons.
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Most people probably wouldn’t compare neurons, or brain cells, to a tree. They are very different things, but oddly enough they are very similar.
They are so similar a part of the neuron, known as the dendrite happens to be Greek for “tree like”. However, first we are going to talk about the cell
body. The cell body is very much like a tree seed. Until it is stimulated electro-chemical impulses it will not begin to grow, the seed of a tree will also
be unable to grow until it has found what it needed to begin its process. From the cell body a trunk, or axon, as well as the development of a root
system known as axon terminals. They communicate with other neurons and bring information in and out of the cell, causing it to grow, just as the
root system of a tree brings in nutrients and allows it to grow. At the other end of the axon are the dendrites. Like the branches on a tree the dendrites
grow because of the work of the axon terminals, or roots. The final similarity between a brain cell and a tree is the myelin sheath around the axon, and
the bark on a tree. The myelin sheath acts as a shield or cover for the axon. If it were to be damaged or destroyed, the neuron would die. If the bark
on a tree is damaged or destroyed, the tree will die as well. Finally, just as trees grow through the gathering of nutrients through the root system,
neurons grow through the gathering of information through its root system, the axon terminals. They do this through the synaptic firing, or
communicating with other neurons, between the synaptic gaps of each neurons axon terminal (Smilkstein, Chapter 3).
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The synaptic gaps between neurons also share similarities with an object that one would not imagine, spark plugs. Just as a firing spark plug
makes a vehicle work, firing between the synaptic gaps of different neurons makes them work as well. Both of these firings need fuel to work
properly. Spark plugs require and mixture of fuel and oxygen, and for there to be a synaptic firing the correct endorphins need to be present.
However, if there is no learning or stimulation the brain cells will not learn or grow due to a lack of synaptic firing. This is similar to what happens if
there is no conductivity to a spark plug, if there is no current of electricity, the spark plug will not spark. Just as the body can undergo stress from the
creation of norepinephrine an engine can undergo stress and not work as well if there is water present in the fuel. Norepinephrine is a hormone
produced when we feel stress. The opposite of what is produced when endorphins are produced. The spark plugs stop firing and the synapses fail to
fire correctly just the same when the wrong element is introduced into the mixture, causing there to be a disruption in the functioning of the respective
machines. The synaptic firing, and therefore learning, can be impeded or accelerated depending on how somebody feels. When one feels anxious or
stressed, norepinephrine is produced in the body and it suppresses the ability of the axon terminal bulbs to create synaptic firing. If they do are not
firing the brain is not learning. Instead, the brain is in fight or flight mode. It is trying to survive and find a way out of the stressful situation. The
opposite will happen when a learner begins to learn and gain confidence. Even if a learner is in a stressful situation where synaptic firing has stopped,
and they gain confidence, they will begin to learn. Being confident, or just feeling good causes the brain to creates hormones, or endorphins, that
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make synapses and the brain work faster. They begin to learn and the neurons begin to grow from the learning.
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I have a difficult time getting my neurons growing when I can’t keep up with the teacher and the notes they are giving. I feel that maybe I won’t
get allof the information down and when the test comes around I may not be able to able to answer the question correctly. When this occurs I tend to
lose focus and concentration. This is followed by frustration and I get further behind in my note taking. This issue can sometimes carry over to the
next time the class meets. This is a classic example of how emotions affect learning. As soon I walk into the room the very thought of getting behind
on notes makes the norepinephrine start to flow and my learning is impeded. This is an issue I’ve had for quite some time and I plan on getting it
fixed as soon as possible.
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In order to take further steps in the learning process and keep my neurons growing I’m going to need to work hard on my note taking skills. I
have decided to sit closer to the front of the class and make sure I write down more of the key words the teacher emphasizes or underlines. Finally I
plan to start reading the textbook ahead of the class so I know what we will be talking about and know what is being said, even if I miss a couple lines
of notes. I believe these skills will help me succeed in gaining confidence in my notes and overall in the class.
Works Cited
Smilkstein, Rita. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create Today's Curriculum, 2nd Ed.
Thousand Oaks, Cal.: Corwin, 2011.