Background
In journalism, the five Ws and an H is a concept in news style, research, and police investigations that is regarded as basic information-gathering. It is a formula for getting the "full" story. A newspaper story, research paper, or police report must answer a check list of six questions, each of which comprises an interrogative word: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Each question should elicit a factual answer—facts that are necessary to include for an investigation to be considered complete. Notice that none of these questions can be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.
The 5Ws and an H technique builds upon questioning skills that must be learned in grade school. Its simplicity helps ensure the right questions are asked and the right information is recorded. The 5Ws and an H technique provides several benefits. The first benefit is that it's simple and easy to learn. Even a child of seven can remember what words the 5Ws represent, and if not they can learn the rhyme from Rudyard Kipling's: The Elephant's Child or the rap that is part of this lesson. It develops questioning skills that avoid yes or no answers. One of our 'catch phrases' in Pittsburgh is 'accountable talk'. When using 'accountable talk' in the classroom, both teacher and student are expected to ask and answer questions that do not have a response of 'yes' and 'no'. The children are already used to using it so to extend it into a research based activity will be easy. Next, the technique encourages collection of complete information. The children must understand that if they can answer each of the six questions, the result will be at a suitable grade level. And finally, it keeps researchers from forgetting or overlooking key pieces of information. This is an organizational technique that benefits students of all ages.
What is the brain?
The brain is the most complicated object in the world, but an adult brain is only about 3 pounds. It is made up of brain cells packed tightly together so that the non-cellular fraction of brain is only 20%. The brain cells are arranged both in columns that go deep into the brain and in sheets that stack up like the layers of a cake. A closer look would show that each of these brain cell branches, like a tree and each branch is connected to many other cells and their branches. The functional cells are called neurons and the branches are called dendrites. Each neuron has one long special branch called an axon. These axons can grow several inches to several feet long. They link to other neurons at their dendrites through a space called the synapse.
How can the brain be used as a teaching tool?
If you are like me you probably have no idea the true impact the brain has on the education of the children in our classes. If we really thought about it and read all the research we would find some very interesting facts as to why the children of today are having such a problem with learning. My seminar "The Brain in Health and Disease" provided me with information that will ultimately change the way I teach. I am about to share this insight with you because the better we understand the students the better teachers we will be. By understanding how the brain learns, we can better use our educational resources.
You might think the brain works like a computer with all the complex organization of cells. But the brain is not a computer and in fact no computer can do what the brain can do: 'think and imagine itself in space and time'. The brain has no central processing unit (CPU), but instead processing functions are spread throughout the brain. A computer doesn't reorganize itself the way a brain does as it creates new information. What the human brain does best is learn. The learning is done by neurons. We are born with pretty much all the neurons we will ever have, but we develop connections through sensory stimulus and learning. The neuron receives a stimulus, or signal, from one of its dendrites; it tries to make sense of the signal then sends a response through its axon. The axon delivers the message to the sensory receptors and the action is completed. Sometimes in order to receive or send a signal it must travel through several neurons to arrive at its destination. To reach the next neuron the signal must travel through a gap called the synapse. All of this action takes a fraction of a second to complete and the brain has now forged a pathway of a learned response.
Learning changes the brain because it can rewire itself with each new stimulation, experience and behavior. The brain's capacity to change is called plasticity. Our brains are all unique because everyone has different experiences at different times. Each time we have an experience a connection is made between neurons through the synapse. The connections between cells strengthen with each repeated experience. To our brain, we are either doing something we already know how to do or we are doing something new. If we are repeating an earlier learning, there's a good chance the neural pathways will become more and more efficient. When a new task is initiated the brain works very hard to understand it at first, but as the task is repeated the neurological pathway gets stronger and makes the task easier to do. In the classroom if you look very carefully you see this happening everyday. The struggling child is working hard to build the neurological pathway. The know-it-all child up front has already built the pathway and needs more stimulation. The quiet child in back might need more encouragement to begin the process.
When we do something we already know how to do it is called an exercise: when we learn something new it is called stimulation. This stimulation is sent to the brain by nerve impulses. The brain processes the input, decides what to do with it and then sends an electrical discharge outward to the axon, it stimulates the release of stored chemicals into the synaptic gap, the space between the end of an axon and the tip of a dendrite. Believe it or not the learning takes place in the synaptic gap. The key to getting smarter is growing more synaptic connection between brain cells and not losing existing connections. It is the connections that allow us to solve problems and figure things out.
If learning is what we value, then we ought to value the process of learning as much as the result of learning. What ensures our survival is adapting and creating options. A typical classroom of the past narrowed our thinking strategies and answer options. Educators who insisted on singular approaches and the "right answer" are ignoring what has kept our species around for centuries. We are still around because we are trying new things and not always getting the right and true answers. We as humans try to find different approaches to problems, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not. If we as teachers expect children to respond in a certain manner we are stifling the chances that they will create thoughtful, in depth answers independently. Good quality education encourages the exploration of alternative thinking, and multiple answers. Learners want school to be worthwhile and meaningful. With so many different personalities, cultures and types of students, how can school be meaningful for everyone? That is our awesome responsibility.
Neurobiologists tell us that much of our sensory learning develops in our first year. During the first year of life the developing brain grows rapidly and sensory stimulation needs to be constantly activated in order for the child to be prepared for school. Imagine if one of your students was denied this stimulus as a baby. They would begin school already behind. They already have to play catch up with the students that have been stimulated from birth. Our huge task, as teachers, is to fill this gap. For example, a teacher can not expect children to be able to discuss a story about a rafting trip when they have no idea what a raft is: this happened in our fourth grade class. To fill the gap the teacher had to first build a foundation, a miniature raft, then show the possible dangers by attempting to float it in a tub of water and then to go one step further she made waves in the tub. The foundation was set and now it was easier to encourage the children to read with more rigor and expectations.
Here is where I had one of those 'wow' moments. I have always been told that once a child is behind he/she really can never catch up and is always behind. That the brain does not change. I also thought that if a child suffered from a devastating injury or was socially deprived he/she would always be that way. Well my 'wow' came when I learned more about the plasticity of the brain. With a lot of patients, practice, and stimulus and a positive environment the brain can actually change physically. I was so excited. I delved into books and documents that proved and showed, for example, that epileptics could get half of their brains removed and could still live productive, normal lives. Well I know that my students have more than half a brain. If it works for an epileptic child it could work for my children. So I need to be patient and make sure I teach each and every lesson with sensory stimuli. Each new stimulus that is given to a child will create a new neurological pathway that will give them a lifelong foundation.
As educators, we can most influence the "nurture" aspect of students. The brain reacts adversely to negative inputs so we must appreciate how the brain reacts to these influences. We must remove the threats from the learning environment. This includes embarrassments, finger-pointing, making kids miss recess, and humiliations. Once they are removed the learning environment can be developed into a nurturing positive place for the brains to be developed.
The brain learns fastest and easiest during the early school years: every movement, every thought and every feeling a child experiences is controlled by the brain. The brain nearly explodes with spectacular growth as it adapts with stunning precision to the world around it. During school is when the foundation is set for later learning. The children come expecting to be stimulated in ways they are not at home. It is our awesome responsibility to give our students the best foundation.
What do the senses do for us?
Our senses are amazing. The purpose of the major senses is to detect and discriminate among signals coming from our environment. These signals carry information necessary for us to support our vital functions. Without the information we receive through our five senses, we could not function as individuals. Each sense works both independently and in collaboration with other senses, depending on the task at hand. Each sense is important in its own right, but has limitations and the capacity to compensate for another damaged sense. The most effective way to receive information, of course, is to use all our senses in harmony.
Our senses are the physical means by which all living things see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Each sense collects information about the world and detects changes within the body and this information is then quickly transported to the brain for a reaction. So how does that happen?
All senses depend on the working nervous system. Our sense organs start to work when something stimulates special nerve cells called receptors in a sense organ: eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin. Once stimulated, the receptors send nerve impulses along sensory nerves to the brain. Your brain then interprets the stimulus and helps you to decide what you should do about it. Your brain can do all this in a fraction of a second. In many situations reaction time must be quick for safety and survival. An example of this would be if your hand is burning on a hot stove you would need a fast reaction to alleviate further pain.
Why do we need to see?
Seeing or vision is the ability to detect light by the eye and the brain to interpret the detected light as an image as "sight". There is disagreement as to whether or not this constitutes one, two or even three distinct senses. From the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night, your eyes are acting like a video camera. Everything you look at is then sent to your brain for processing and storage much like a video cassette. This is a very simplified explanation, but as you read on, you will discover why the sense of sight is actually considered the most complex of the five senses.
How do your eyes work?
Take a moment to locate an object around you. Do you know how you are able to see it? Would you believe that what you are actually seeing are beams of light bouncing off of the object and into your eyes? It is hard to believe, but it is true. The light rays enter the eye through the cornea, which is a thick, transparent protective layer on the surface of your eye. Then the light rays pass through the pupil and into the lens. When light rays pass through your pupil, the muscle called the iris makes the size of the pupil change depending on the amount of light that's available. You may have noticed this with your own eye, if you have looked at it closely in a mirror. If there is too much light, your pupil will shrink to limit the number of light rays that enter. Likewise, if there is very little light available, the pupil will enlarge to let in as many light rays as it can. Just behind the pupil is the lens and it focuses the image through a jelly-like substance called the vitreous humor onto the back surface of the eyeball, called the retina.
The retina, which is the size of your thumbnail, is filled with approximately 150 million light-sensitive cells called rods and cones. Rods identify shapes and work best in dim light. Cones on the other hand, identify color and work best in bright light. Both of these types of receptor cells send information to the brain by way of the optic nerve. The amazing thing is, when they send the image to the brain, the image is upside down! It is the brain's job to turn the image right side up and to help you interpret you what you are looking at. The brain does this in a specific place called the visual cortex.
Because the eye is such an important and complex part of our body, we have many features which protect the eye. The eyebrows are the strips of hair above your eyes which prevent sweat from running into them. Eyelashes help keep the eye clean by collecting small dirt and dust particles floating through the air. The eyelashes also protect the eye from the sun's and other light's glare. The eyelids sweep dirt from the surface of the eye. The eyelid also protects the eye from injury. Tears are sterile drops of clean water which constantly bathe the front of the eye, keeping it clean and moist.
What did you say? How hearing works.
Hearing is the sense of sound. Hearing happens when tiny hair fibers in the inner ear detect the motion of atmospheric particles within (at best) a range of 20 to 20000 Hz. Sound can also be detected as vibration. Lower and higher frequencies than can be heard are detected this way only. When an object makes a noise, it sends vibrations (better known as sound waves) speeding through the air. These vibrations are then funneled into your ear canal by your outer ear. As the vibrations move into your middle ear, they hit your eardrum and cause it to vibrate as well. This sets off a chain reaction of vibrations. Your eardrum, which is smaller and thinner than the nail on your pinky finger, vibrates the three smallest bones in your body: first, the hammer, then the anvil, and finally, the stirrup. The stirrup passes the vibrations into a coiled tube in the inner ear called the cochlea.
The fluid-filled cochlea contains thousands of hair-like nerve endings called cilia. When the stirrup causes the fluid in the cochlea to vibrate, the cilia move. The cilia convert the vibrations into messages that are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve carries messages from 25,000 receptors in your ear to your brain. Your brain then makes sense of the messages and tells you what sounds you are hearing and then sends a message, or multiple messages to create your reaction to the sound.
Your ears serve two very important purposes. Ears help you to hear sounds and your ears also help you to keep your balance.
How does that taste?
Taste is one of the two "chemical" senses, but without the sense of smell you are unable to pick up all the flavors in food. Your smell sensors are much more sensitive than your taste sensors: before you have even taken a bite you sense of smell is sending a message to the brain. It is well-known that there are at least four types of taste "buds" (receptors) on the tongue. Have you ever thought about why foods taste different? It's really quite amazing. Your tongue and the roof of your mouth are covered with thousands of tiny taste buds. When you eat something, the saliva in your mouth helps break down and dissolve your food. This causes the receptor cells located in your taste buds to send messages through sensory nerves to your brain. Your brain then tells you what flavors you are tasting.
Taste buds play the most important part in helping you enjoy the many flavors of food. Your taste buds can recognize four basic kinds of tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The salty/sweet taste buds are located near the front of your tongue; the sour taste buds line the sides of your tongue; and the bitter taste buds are found at the very back of your tongue. Until this seminar I thought, like most of you are thinking, that indeed we have only the four types of taste buds. Well, low and behold I had another 'wow' moment when we learned that there was a fifth taste sensor on the tongue. This fifth receptor, called "umami", was first theorized in 1980 and its existence confirmed in 2000. The umami receptor detects the amino acid glutamate, a flavor commonly found in meat, and in artificial flavorings such as monosodium glutamate.
Everyone's tastes are different. In fact, your tastes will change as you get older. A baby has taste buds, not only on their tongue, but on the sides and roof of their mouth. This means they are very sensitive to different foods. As a baby grows, the taste buds begin to disappear from the sides and roof of their mouth, leaving taste buds mostly on their tongue. As a child gets older, their taste buds will become even less sensitive, so they will be more likely to eat foods that they thought were too strong when they were younger.
Why does that stink?
Smell, or olfactory sense, is the other "chemical" sense. Unlike taste, there are hundreds of olfactory receptors, each binding to a particular molecular feature. The combination of features of the odor molecule makes up what we perceive as the molecule's smell. In the brain, olfaction is processed by the olfactory system. Olfactory receptor neurons in the nose differ from most other neurons in that they die and regenerate on a regular basis. Have you ever wondered what you smell when you "smell the roses" in the spring time or when you smell stinky cheese? What makes a smell is something that is too small to see with your eyeball alone. It is even too small to be seen with a microscope! What you smell are tiny things called odor particles. Millions of them are floating around waiting to be sniffed by the nose! You smell these odors through the nose, which is almost like a huge cave built to smell, moisten, and filter the air you breathe. As you breathe in, the air enters through the nostrils, which contain tiny little hairs that filter all kinds of things trying to enter the nose, even bugs! These little hairs are called cilia. The cilia are not the hair that you can see in your nose. You cannot actually see the cilia. After being cleaned by the cilia the air passes through the nasal cavity. After passing through the nasal cavity, the air passes through a thick layer of mucous to the olfactory bulb. There the smells are recognized because each smell molecule fits into a nerve cell like a lock and key. Then the cells send signals along the olfactory nerve to the brain. At the brain, they are interpreted as those sweet smelling flowers or that stinky cheese. The brain will then send a response telling the muscles what to do: either hold your nose or sniff again.
Why did that hurt? The sense of touch\
Touch is the sense of pressure perception, generally in the skin. While the other four senses (sight, hearing, smell, and taste) are located in specific parts of the body, the sense of touch is found all over. Some parts of the body are more sensitive to touch than others. The skins of the fingers, for example, contain many more sensors than the skin on the back. The sense of touch originates in the bottom layer of the skin called the dermis. The dermis is filled with many tiny nerve endings which give you information about the things with which the body comes in contact. They do this by carrying the information to the spinal cord, which sends messages to the brain, letting you know where the feeling is registered.
The nerve endings in the skin can tell you if something is hot or cold. They can also feel if something is hurting you, sending a signal called pain. The body has about twenty different types of nerve endings that all send messages to the brain. However, the most common receptors are heat, cold, pain, and pressure or touch receptors. Pain receptors are probably the most important for your safety because they can protect you by warning your brain that your body is hurt!
Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others because they have more nerve endings. Have you ever bitten your tongue and wondered why it hurt so much? It is because the sides of your tongue have a lot of nerve endings that are very sensitive to pain. However, your tongue is not as good at sensing hot or cold. That is why it is easy to burn your mouth when you eat something really hot. Your fingertips are also very sensitive. For example, people who are blind use their fingertips to read Braille by feeling the patterns of raised dots on their paper.
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