Three of the Following Educators Are Using an Accurate Understanding

question 13

Multiple Choice

Three of the following educators are using an accurate understanding of the brain and its development to guide their teaching. Which one is not?

• A) Mr. Ornstein divides his class into two groups-left-brain thinkers and right-brain thinkers-and gives each group different activities, tailored to the strengths of their dominant hemisphere.
• B) Ms. Chen knows that her middle school students could struggle to control their impulses, so she has them practice appropriate behaviors before their scheduled field trip.
• C) Ms. Alda, a music teacher, knows that the plasticity of the brain could help her students make connections between music and math.
• D) Mr. Helbert knows that the environment, not just genetics, affects student learning, so he plans for Aisha to participate in the same science activities as her classmates, despite the fact that he taught her brother last year and he struggled with certain concepts.

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Definitions:

Axons

Long, slender projections of a neuron that transmit electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

Nerves

Bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Action Potentials

Electrical impulses that neurons generate to transmit information through the neuron's axon to another neuron or to a muscle or gland cell.

Synapses

The junctions between two neurons, where the transfer of electrical or chemical signals occurs.