Web site: Comparative Neuroanatomy and Intelligence
Web site: WebMD's Brain & Nervous System Health Center
Web site: Franklin Institute, "The Human Brain"
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Your Brain: A User’s Guide
Learning 21st century skills means fine-tuning your brain. Let’s begin by examining a few myths and facts about the brain.
Brain Myths and Facts
Your brain weighs only three pounds but requires 20 percent of the energy your body uses. That makes it the highest-maintenance organ in your body. The cost is worth it. Your brain is more powerful than a supercomputer. The facts about your brain are more amazing than the myths:
Myths |
Facts |
|
I use only 10 percent of my brain. |
You use all of your brain, just at different times. |
|
My left hemisphere is logical, and my right hemisphere is creative. |
Your left brain controls the right half of your body, and your right brain controls the left half; but logic and creativity stem from both hemispheres. |
|
I have a set number of neurons, and they never grow back. |
Your brain is constantly growing new neurons and making new connections. You can change your IQ, up or down. |
|
Modern technology makes me less smart. |
Modern technology does rewire the way your brain works, but thoughtful use of technology can actually make you smarter. |
|
My brain works best under pressure. |
Excess pressure reduces performance. Your brain needs nourishment, sleep, safety, and social connection to work best. |
|
My brain works best without other people’s interference. |
Human brains are social. Your brain wants to connect with others. |
|
The best way to get smart is to do brainteasers. |
The best way to get smart is to use your brain to do things you want to do. |
|
There is no such thing as a sixth sense. |
There are more than five senses. Proprioception tells you where your body is in space. Nociception is the perception of pain. You have other senses, too, including a sense of balance. |
Your Turn Go to thoughtfullearning.com/h4 to find links to articles about these and other brain facts.
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Understanding the Parts and Functions
Let’s take a quick look at the brain’s parts and what they do for you. At any given time, many areas of your brain are firing. Consider this example: You walk into class (cerebellum and parietal lobe), see your friend (occipital lobe), wave (cerebellum), say “hi” and smile (temporal lobe, cerebellum, and endocrine glands), and make a joke about a movie you both saw (frontal and temporal lobes and endocrine glands). And you haven’t even sat down yet. 
Understanding the Types of Thinking
Your brain processes many different types of information, each of which requires a specific kind of thinking:
- Sensations provide information from the senses.
- Perceptions are your thoughts about what you are sensing.
- Memories are experiences and ideas you have gathered.
- Emotions are states that shape your behavior and connect you to others.
- Executive functions are conscious actions, such as decision making, planning, and problem solving.
- Motor functions are muscle movements.
- Mechanical functions are unconscious actions.
Your Turn
- Which type of thinking is dominant when you play a sport? When you read a novel? When you hang out with friends?
- Which of the myths or facts about the brain was most surprising to you? Imagine that you wanted to increase your IQ by 10 points. What would you do? Why?
- When you learn something new, your brain grows new neural connections. That’s why learning works best when it happens over time rather than all at once. What does this fact tell you about cramming for tests or reading a novel in a single evening?