Reflective Writing #3

PIDP 3100 – Assignment 4: Reflection 3

Objective

My third reflective writing assignment will be on Jill Bolte Taylor’s quote, “we may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think” (Taylor, 2009, p. 17). Here, Taylor is concluding that thinking, a function of the neocortex, is the last process in the brain’s information processing system. Merriam & Bierema explain, the limbic system “takes in sensory data and converts these data into units that are then processed in the neocortex” (2014, p. 169). “The limbic system, located just beneath the cerebrum on both sides of the thalamus, is not only responsible for our emotional lives but also many higher mental functions, such as learning and formation of memories.” (Boundless, 2016). Clearly then, the functions of the limbic system plays an extremely important role in education. I am going to explore the implications of this insight to my teaching.

Reflective

This quote brought about a feeling of enlightenment for me as so much of human behavior defies logic. When reading the news, one often finds themselves asking the question, “What were they thinking?” An example of this would be the spontaneous murder of a spouse in a heated argument. Logically, the quarrelers must know whatever it is they are arguing about isn’t worth taking another’s life and the consequences that entails. This quote presents the perspective that perhaps they weren’t thinking; they were operating on a more primal level, driven by emotion.

I’ve taken for granted the belief that people are capable of thinking 100% of the time. Obviously this is not the case, as in the case of crimes of passion. In Jill Bolte Taylor’s 2013 TEDx Talk, The Neuroanatomical Transformation of the Teenage Brain, she explains that the limbic system is constantly asking the question “am I safe? Is this familiar?” If it feels safe, then we are capable of learning, memory, and rational thought via the neocortex. If however, the limbic system feels unsafe, the fight or flight response is initiated and anxiety ensues, with no learning (TEDxYOUTH, 2013, Feb 21). The neocortex can regain control, but this is a learned skill, and depending on the situation may or may not be within the individuals capabilities. This has given me new insight into the biological mechanics of test anxiety.

Interpretive

My “Aha!” moment related to this quote is twofold: I’ve gained an understanding at how I may help students with test anxiety, and I’ve learned that the limbic system acts as a sort of emotional filter to all information that the rational mind works with.

I am guilty of putting a lot of emphasis on reflective thinking skills. As an instructor in electrical theory, I value the reflective skills of the neocortex above reflexive or emotional reactions of the limbic system. That said, when processing information, our bodies “would typically begin with this immediate reflexive response system and then upshift to a more reflective response” (Sylwester, 1998). This means that in certain situations when time is of the essence, reflexive responses would prove invaluable.

Decisional

This quote has helped give me insight into student test anxiety. To help students cope with this, I will build on Taylor’s explanation of the limbic systems constant assessment of “am I safe? Is this familiar?” I intend to help make students feel confident in their ability to answer the test questions by providing a lot of opportunity to work through similar problems. The problems will be set up to gradually build confidence by starting easy, and getting successively harder up to the level of the test questions. I will make it clear which problems are designed to challenge the students, and not necessary to master for the test. This instruction will be interspersed with regular mini quizzes. By making written assessment a common occurrence in the classroom, I would hope the experience would become familiar and cause less test anxiety.

Although most of the program I teach is competency based and absolutely requires reflective, critical thinking skills, I believe the reflexive emotional response from the limbic system could be of particular use in the Safety Unit. Because the limbic system “sees” information before our neocortex, the reflexive emotional response to danger happens faster than if we have to consciously assess the hazards of a situation. I would show videos depicting dangerous situations and get the students to imagine themselves in that situation. My advice to them would be to simply trust the hairs on the back of your arm – that could be very high voltage. Trust your sense of touch and ears – the subtle AC humming could mean something is energized. Trust the fear – treat everything like it’s hot. It is always better to err on the side of safety than to rationalize taking unnecessary risks.

References

Boundless. (2016). The Limbic System. Boundless Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/biological-foundations-of-psychology-3/structure-and-function-of-the-brain-35/the-limbic-system-154-12689/

Merriam, S. B. & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult Learning. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Sylwester, R. (1998). The Downshifting Dilemma: A Commentary and Proposal. Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Neurosciences/articles/Downshifting%20Dilemma/

Taylor, J. B. (2009). My stroke of insight. New York: Plume/Penguin.

TEDxYOUTH (2013, Feb 21). The Neuroanatomical Transformation of the Teenage Brain: Jill Bolte Taylor at TEDxYouth@Indianapolis. [Video File}. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzT_SBl31-s