Teach Yourself How to Learn

 "Teach Yourself How to Learn" Lessons from VSU Students

These strategies were taken from the book Teach Yourself How to Learn by Sandra McGuire, Ph.D.   The book was the focus of an undergraduate research course in which students were assigned the book. The goal was to identify the obstacles preventing students from implementing the new strategies. The final conclusion is listed below.

Students were hesitant to adopt new study strategies because of:

1. the presence of competing priorities and over commitment (ie job and other responsibilities)

2. the lack of consistently practicing time management (ie lack of time)

3. the inflexibility of habitual (and ineffective) study habits and strategies

4. unwillingness (or lack of experience) for using a meta-cognitive approach to examining what was not working in order to make adjustments

Recommendations:

The adoption of new study skills should be viewed for what it is, a type of personal development that draws on a characteristics such as determination, commitment, goal-setting, discipline and consistency. There are also characteristics necessary for any worthwhile pursuit,  including a spiritual practice.

Ten Strategies to Optimize Your Academic Performance

1. Previewing the lecture material or textbook before class
2. Preparing for active-reading (Writing based  or Memory courses). 
1. Read over (skim) the material to get a general feel for what is being presented
2. Have a pencil and notebook ready to assist in the reading
3. Paraphrasing (Writing or Memory based courses)
1. Review the material by writing it out from memory in your own words
2. Create lists that are organized in a way that you understand
4. Reading Actively (Writing or Memory based courses)
1. Highlighting text is the least effective way to commit it to memory
2. Cornell method or summary statements are more helpful
5. Using the textbook even if it is not required
6. Going to class and taking notes by hand, then re-organizing them
7. Doing homework without using solved examples as a guide- (Math based courses)
8. Teaching material to real or imagined audience
9. Working in pairs or groups
10. Creating your own practice exams

Sensory Story Illustration Assignment

Textbook Module 2.1 Coloring book assigments and Vocabulary Terms Complete List

Textbook Module 2.1  The concept of the Synapse

The important thing about this chapter is the idea of a synaptic network of 3 neurons. We identified them as Cell A, B and C.  You should have indicated this network in the coloring book from the exercise done in class. 

The first actual network described in class was the reflex arc.

For this text book module:
 Please connect the book figures and these coloring book pages./ Taken from Blackboard 

Neurons and other Cells of the Nervous System	TEXTBOOK	COLORING BK
Neural morphology	Fig 2.5 pg 31	CB 3.1 pg 32
Cell organelles	Fig 2.2 pg 29	CB 3.2-3.3 pg 34-36
Lipid bilayer and receptors	Fig 2.3 pg 30	CB 3.7 pg 44

Myelination		CB 3.6 pg 42
Glia Cells	Fig 2.10 pg 33	Fig 3.8 pg 46

BY THE MIDTERM EXAM YOU SHOULD KNOW THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND THEIR DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION  (* =terms used by the professor).  REMEMBER THAT IN THIS CLASS WE ARE VIEWING THE SAME TOPICS THROUGH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ANALYSIS. (i.e. BIG PICTURE,-nervous system anatomy SMALL PICTURE individual nerurons, BIGGEST PICTURE behavior  AND TEENY-TINY PICTURE synaptic transmission

Astrocytes	Axon	Axon hillock
Buttons, Terminal buttons* or axon boutons*	Cell body or *Soma	Cell membrane or *Lipid Bilayer
Cytoplasm	Dendrites	Dendritic spines
Dendritic arborization*	G-protein	Golgi apparatus
Interstitial Fluid	Ionotropic receptors	Macroglia
Ion channels	Microglia	Microtubules
Metabotropic receptors	Neurofilaments	Neurotransmitter molecule
Nodes of Ranvier	Nucleus	Oligodendrocytes
Post-synaptic membrane	Presynaptic membrane	Receptive area
Receptors	Ribosome	Endoplasmic reticulum
Schwann cells	Signal proteins	Synapse
Synaptic vesicles

Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology: The Basics

Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology: The Basics

Lecture Notes

I.  Brief, Basic Chemistry Review (Appendix A- pg 486)
  A. Elements and Compounds

1. As stated in Chapter 1, the Big Bang initially produced 4 forces- 1. gravity, 2. electromagnitism  3. strong nuclear forces and 4. weak nuclear forces.  Chemistry is the study of the weak nuclear forces found in compounds. The weak nuclear forces allow for chemical reactions which are the transfer of ions and molecules to make new molecules and compounds. When wood is burned it turns into ashes and gases and water vapor and also produces heat. These are all chemical reactions. The basis of chemical reactions is the interaction of  elemental chemicals.  The periodic table lists 92 elements of which only are few are found in living organisms. Some of the most important are listed here.

Q. What are the most important elements in living organisms?

2. Compounds are made from molecules which are made from elements. Elements that  are listed on the Periodic Table are comprised of atoms.   For instance, when listed on the Periodic Table, Hydrogen has an atomic number of  #1 and Oxygen is #16. The atomic number corresponds to the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of that element. It also corresponds to the number of electrons in the neutral atom. When atoms come together, they make molecular compounds. Water is a compound or molecule. Compounds are created  when electrons from different atoms join each other in chemical reactions. For instance, the molecules of water are elements Hydrogen and Oxygen. On each water molecule are two atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen (H20). Each atom is composed of subatomic particles, protons, neutrons and electrons, which are positively charged, neutral and negatively charged- in that order.  Protons and neutrons are found in the center of the atom, the nucleus and electrons are found in the space around the nucleus. It is very very difficult to separate protons which is a property of strong nuclear forces. The result of breaking those nuclear bonds is an atomic bomb. In a stable state, an atom will have the same number of protons as electrons. Molecules prefer a stable state to an unstable state and this is what drives ma

Q. What  is the atomic number for Oxygen, Hydrogen and Carbon? What do these numbers mean?

    B. Ions

3. An atom that has gained or lost one or more electron is called an ion.  When the compound salt NaCl (Sodium and Chloride) is placed in water it dissolves or dissociates into ions: Na+ and Cl-.  Sodium atoms lose electrons and become positively charged (has space available to accept an electron).  A negatively charged ion, like Cl- has an extra electron. Thus ions with opposite charges attract each other and ions with the same charge repel each other. This is a property of electromagnitism and contributes to the property of weak nuclear forces.

In some cultures physics and chemistry are taught before biology because these fields underlie the very complex mechanisms necessary for biological systems. The topics above provide an extremely brief background for processes that are involved in synaptic transmission.

Textbook Module 1.2 Genetics and Behavior

Module 1.2 Genetics and Behavior   January 20, 2015

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE MODULE 1.2 FROM THE TEXTBOOK AND THEN READ THESE NOTES. PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE MATERIAL IN RED THAT IS BELOW. THE RED TEXT MAY BE USED FOR QUIZ/TEST QUESTIONS.  

Mendelian Genetics

The book concludes that it is both Nature and Nurture since the Module begins with the statement "Everything you do depends on both your genes and your environment."

The evidence provided for this statement is facial expressions. What kind of observations led to the conclusion about facial expressions?  Other behaviors listed are intelligence, sexual orientation, alcoholism and weight gain.  Could you provide evidence for both genetic and environmental influences on these behaviors?

 I understand that many of you may have taken Biology some time ago, so you may be unfamiliar with Mendelian Genetics. I've tried to provide a brief but effective re-introduction, starting with this video.


A much broader view of Figure 1.7 and Figure 1.9 
Here you will be reminded that living tissue is made up of cells. Every cell has a nucleus, Every nucleus contains materials for the replication of the cell, genes. Genes are made up of DNA.  RNA is used to replicate the gene from the DNA.
 
According to the text, Genes are units of heredity that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another. Genes are defined as a portion of a chromosome which is composed of the double-stranded molecule DNA. Here's a movie to help visualize this.  (Please watch the videos SEVERAL times in order to answer the questions in red below.)

Genes are reproduced through a process of DNA replication and DNA transcription.  A strand of DNA serves as a template for the synthesis of RNA, a process called transcription.

From the Videos above answer the following questions.
1. could you explain how the following terms differ from one another?
DNA,  Chromatin, Chromasomes, Histones, Nucleosome

2. How many molecules of DNA are synthesized by RNA.

Once there is a single strand of messageRNA or mRNA (copied DNA), the strand leaves the nucleus and is joined to ribosomes where amino acids sequences produce proteins. This process is translation.

Genes can be dominant, recessive or intermediate.  Here's an explanation using what Mendel used, peas.

From the Video define- allele, genotype and phenotype.
 The list of traits given at the beginning of the chapter include intelligence, sexual orientation, alcoholism and weight gain. Now that you have a clearer understanding of genotype and phenotype, do you believe there is a genetic basis for intelligence, sexual orientation alcoholism or weight gain.  Be able to explain your answer?


Genetic Changes

Genes can change and therefore the transcription by mRNA will be altered as well as translation of proteins as the final outcome.

Mutations of the gene (incl. duplication and deletion)
Epigenetics- Various experiences can turn a gene on or off.  Evidence of epigenetic effects come mainly from animal studies, several of which were described on pg. 12.

What did Godfrey et al, 2007 discover about obesity and heart disease?
What did Weaver et al, (2004) find out about the effects of maternal care on stress levels of rat pups?

How does an experience modify gene expression?

Heredity and Environment

Evidence about the influence of heredity and environment often come from twin studies. Why?

What does it mean to be a monozygotic or dizygotic twin?

Evolutionary Psychology

Define the terms: altruism, kin selection and reciprocal altrusim

Textbook Module 5.1 Neural Development

Neurogenesis 

Please review the links to help understand the process. 

ONLINE VIDEOS to Visualize Neural Tube

Closer look at neural tube formation

Brain Development video

Fetal Development

Coloring Book Assignment for Neurogenesis (Understand these processes)

CB 4.2 Processes of Early Neural Development

 Stage 1- Proliferation

Stage 2- Migration
      Radial Glial cells

Stage 3-Aggregation
    Growth Cones and Circuit formation

Stage 4- Process Growth and Synapse Formation
     Circuit pruning

Stage 5- Neuron Death

Stage 6 Myelination

CB 4.5 Axon Growth: Correctly Wiring the Nervous System

A. Chemoaffinity theory

B. Blueprint theory
       pioneer growth cones
       fasciculation

CB 4.6 Adult Neurogenesis

Adult neurogenesis and recovery from brain damage.

 

Textbook Module 1.1 Coloring Book Assignments

FROM A colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain 2nd Edition John Pinel and Maggie Edwards (2008)

Neurodevelopment-
   Coloring  Book Unit 4.1 (pg 53) through 4.6 (65) and Review (pg 66 - 69) and 5.2 ( pg 74 )
 Review your paragraph on neurogenesis.


Planes of Section
     CB Chapter 2 (Entire Chapter) and Review Exercises 2.1 through 2.4 (pg 28 - 30)
Exercise done in class.