DAY 5 The Human Brain in Action

So, why did I give you a pop-quiz (that I will not be counting in your marks) on the eight Multiple Intelligences from Gardner's theory?  As you now know, you are responsible for everything we do in class each day, even if you miss school for any reason.  The information from class will always be on the blog so you can always access it.  Also, I tried to teach you that the best way to study is to skim/scan your entire set of notes a few times a week, every week.  That constant repetition and practice, even though it's not intensive or too demanding, will most definitely help your mind form permanent and easily accessible memories and understandings of the information.  Try to get into the habit of doing just that, skim/scanning your entire set of notes a few times a week.

Today we looked at various functions of the human brain starting with a look at the old "science" of Phrenology - reading bumps on one's head.  Mine's nice and round like a cue-ball so there's not much inside to worry about.

Here's the completed "map" of the brain with a bit of information about various parts as discussed during class and in the PowerPoint Presentation on the Brain that we looked at today.

The reason that I asked you to take notes during my presentation and then afterwards I gave you a completed set of notes is so that your brain had to perform several more functions than if I had simply given you the completed set of notes.  By performing more tasks involving processing that information about the brain and its functions via my presentation you are much more likely to understand and retain more of the information.  You had to listen, see, interpret, ask questions, and finally formulate it all into your own notes - lots of work for your brain to process but now you will better understand and remember the information.

In addition you can have a look at the article, "Fertile Minds: How Our Brains Grow..  This article explains how neurons connect with each other in a developing brain and then what effect that might have.

DAY 4 Multiple Intelligence Theory

Yesterday everyone did the Mensa Mental Workout test - then we discussed various aspects of test taking, what the test actually tests, what does "Intelligence" actually mean.

Then I asked everyone to begin discussing your opinions to help with your thinking on the Mensa Follow Up.

So far so good, everyone - I'm thinking that you are all doing a great job so far!!  Yay!

Remember - I never ask, "How Intelligent Are You?".

Rather, I ask, "How Are You Intelligent?".

Here's a link to the lecture on the nature of intelligence and our school systems' inability to embrace all intelligences.  Here's the link to Sir Ken Robinson.

We discussed the nature of Intelligence further today and then we distributed a handout on the current thinking about Intelligence.

Here's the Multiple Intelligence Handout for the day (and here's the 2nd one for the day on MI.)

We went through the definitions of Intelligence and then you got into groups and created lovely chart pages, life-size! - with all the information on intelligence that we need and then you all did a great job of presenting your information to the class - now it's much clearer where Multiple Intelligence shows up in society.

DAY 3 Multiple Intelligence and Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity

You enjoyed your first test of the semester today - you all did a Mensa Mental Workout - the Mensa organization has an interesting website with many fun mental acuity tests like the one you did today.  We didn't spend much time on taking up the answers, we'll do that on Friday, at least we'll help resolve the question about whether such a test actually measures one's intelligence or not.

We followed up with the TED Talks Sir Ken Robinson lecture on how modern education kills creativity.  Much to think about in his ideas . . . more on that on tomorrow.

DAY 2 "Let's Start Sorting This Thing Out"

Today was a slide show indicating various ways that the fields of Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology would look at different situations from around the world.  Great discussion everyone!

DAY 1 Oh the Places You'll GO ! ! !

We began the first class with an old fashioned story-time story, "Oh the Places You'll Go", by Dr. Seuss.  My personal message to all of you is that you are at the beginning of the best journey of your life, the journey into fully fledged adulthood and you are all well on your way to great things.

After the story we had a good look at some ideas about Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology through a slide show and accompanying questions.  Some of the ideas centred around what makes people think, say and do the things they think, say and do.  This will be one of the underlying themes in most days of this course, that is, trying to understand human behaviour, within our own minds, with others in social settings and with the larger population in culture.  I can't wait for us to really get under way in this class!

DAY 77 Performance Task - Demographics

Demographics - the study of populations, often viewed as different groups by such things as:
Age
Income
Education
Religion
Gender
Job
Nationality
Ethnicity


Here are the links for clips on the topic of demographics:

Generation X - Life Without High Points

Generation X vs. the Boomers

Boom Bust & Echo

Population Pyramid and Projections from Census

DAY 64 Intro to Sociology Continued . . .

Continuing the Intro to Sociology Lecture today.  See Monday's Post for the lecture link.

DAY 63 Anthro Test

Today is the Anthropology Test.  Hoorayy!!

DAY 62 - Sociology Intro Lecture Continued

Here's the link again to the Sociology Lecture.

Remember, tomorrow is Anthropology Test day.  Similar in format to the previous test - you will have some choice in what to answer.

DAY 61 - Work and Study

I was absent today so you all had time to catch up and continue studying for Tuesday's test.

DAY 60 - Introduction to Sociology

We spent the day on the Introduction to Sociology - here's the complete lecture Sociology - we finished at the point of Hubert Blumer's theory on Symbolic Interactionism.

I used the example of the five dollar bill.  Holding up a real $5 bill and a piece of paper with a happy face and the number 5 on it you all agreed that the two items were pretty much the same - each a piece of paper, each with 5s on it, each with a face.  True the real bill is more colourful, is on higher quality paper and has ink on both sides, but still, very very similar.

Given the choice, all of you would choose to keep the real $5 bill over the fake one BECAUSE of the meaning it has to you.  It has value that is transferable into an item of value from a store, for example.  That is the idea of Symbolic Interactionism - that we react to things based on the meaning they have to us.

Remember, Test next Tuesday!

DAY 59 Anthro Test Review

Culture as an Adaptive Mechanism - Culture is the complete set of learned human behaviour patterns.  It is an "ancient", or evolutionary tool or technique to obtain food/safety in a particular environment.


How are Cultural Traits transferred?


Discovery - someone uncovers something that already exists and it's useful - e.g. mould that kills bacteria, E=mc2, fire, radio waves.


Inventions - people create new tools and uses of things they discover or create.  Metal, agriculture, the wheel, printing press, modern telecommunications.


If, and when, people create good things or discover useful things, they spread to other cultures through trade, discussion, etc.  We call this, Diffusion of Innovation.


Cultural Universals - marriage, importance of meal-time, transportation, music, complex communication, entertainment, social hierarchy structures, architecture, religion (ways of explaining the unexplainable), etc.


Does culture evolve or is it static?  ALWAYS evolving - just look around at your own lifetime.  People are very clever and there are more of us around than ever, so new ideas will continue to develop at an accelerating rate.


What mechanisms cause cultural evolution?


Alienation - feeling disconnected from or unwanted in a situation. e.g. environmental groups want to change how Canada deals with the oil sands, they see the damage being done and want that to stop.  Their anger (alienation) over the oil sands makes them take action.  Eventually society might take a different stand on the oil sands - if this happens culture will have changed in Canada.


Conformity - wanting to alter your behaviour or attitude to match that of a group that you want to be part of.


So, over time, attitudes and behaviours change in general.  The catch-phrase I've used is this:


Change occurs when reality conflicts with a new idea - tension rises to a crisis point at which time it must be resolved.  The resolution is the change.


Sometimes there are barriers to change:
- traditions
- religious beliefs
- money
- human nature = avoid change
- dominant paradigm (paradigm is the framework through which we think about something).
- cultural values


Forces that help cultures change - 
- "acts of God"
- new technology - Google, Facebook
- charismatic leadership: Hitler, Trudeau, Mao, Ang Sun Sui, Dalai Lama, Gandhi.
- Media
- Pop Culture: sports celebs, music celebs, Hollywood celebs


Ethnocentricity and Subjective Validity.


Can you explain a big cultural change that has happened somewhere in the world?

DAYS 40 - 44 (April 12 - 18)

You all did a marvellous job getting going on the two projects, Subcultures at School and Food & Culture Day, in my absence, so thank you for that.  Mrs. Boychuk reported to me that you were a good group to work with and that those present (most of you) really got into the projects.

It was helpful to have a few days to get caught up with me so that's what we have done for the past few days.  I was able to direct you, to cajole you into finishing, and to guide you with your questions.  Most of your Subcultures at Schools projects are done and your Food & Culture Day work is coming along nicely.  Due to mid-term reports coming out this Friday we also spent a day or so getting everyone caught up on any missing work.  Again, it's helpful to have me around to guide you to what you need to get caught up on.

Well done everyone!

DAYS 34 - 39 Culture Projects in My Absence

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, April 2, 3, 4.  Library Lab.

Introduced last Friday, here's the Subcultures at School Project.   Here's the Marking Sheet for it.

I have left extra copies with Mrs. Boychuk and she has extra copies of the school map too.

Thursday, April 5.  Classroom, 308.  
Use this period to complete your project - most of you will have produced a poster-type board so today's the day to put it all together and wrap up the project.  Please ensure your names are on them  :-)

Tuesday, Wednesday, April 10, 11.  Library Lab.
Introduced Friday, March 30, Food and Culture Day Preparation

This is one of the highlights of the course and a good chance to show off a part of yourself that you don't normally get to show off - you're cultural / ethnic / national background.  Because every one of us has some ancestry from outside of Canada it's important to highlight it for the school.

Here's the handout and marking sheet for it:  Food and Culture Day & Marksheet.

We will hold the event on or around Wednesday, April 25 Monday in period 3 - that's the day we'll set up tables and your boards in the Bearpit and run the event for the period.

DAY 33 Viet Nam, Cultural Change, Sub-Cultures at School.

We continued and finished today with my lecture on How Cultures Change.


Included here is a link to a James Burke, "The Day the Universe Changed" episode wherein a Scottish Witch Trial occurs 300 years ago.  The events in the clip are easy to understand, a suspected witch is tortured, tried and then burned alive at the stake.  What we see is quite barbaric and meaningless because we (tend not to) do not believe in witches or such crude means of holding a trial and certainly we do not think it's right to burn people alive any more.  But what the people involved in this trial saw was something entirely different - a witch who needed to suffer and then be burned alive so that her soul could be saved and then sent heavenward on the smoke of the fire.

This raises the question of how two groups of highly intelligent people, one group from the 16th century and our modern group, could possibly see the event so differently?  The answer, of course, is in our belief systems - if the common belief is that it's a good thing to catch a witch and then torture and burn her to save her soul then people will certainly follow that belief.  If your belief is that witches do not exist and that torturing people is not acceptable behaviour then you will consider such behaviour unacceptable.

This idea of creating a reality (set of truths) based on beliefs, customs, teachings, values, etc. and then living your life accordingly has great implications for all societies.  In fact, that is exactly how societies and cultures operate - whether or not the set of "truths" are correct or not!


We ended up with a fine example of a changing modern technology and how it swung the debate against the US involvement in the Viet Nam war in the early 1970s.  Here's a link to that slideshow.  Viet Nam War Portrayal in the Media.

I will be away for the next six classes (April 2 - 11) so I'll post one blog entry for those days - it will be called DAY 34 - 39.  There are two projects for you to work on in there - Mrs. Boychuck will be with you for those classes, mostly held in the Library Lab, so please work well for her, she's a wonderful teacher and person.