Here’s
an “open-book” quiz on our brains that I grabbed from the SHARPBRAINS website.
If the statement is correct, it has a (T) after it. If it has a (F), it is
false and, therefore, a myth.
- We use our brains 24 h a day (T).
- Children must acquire their native language before a second language is learned. If they do not do so neither language will be fully acquired (F).
- Boys have bigger brains than girls (T). (And, please, no smart comments from either gender)
- If pupils do not drink sufficient amounts of water (=6–8 glasses a day) their brains shrink (F).
- It has been scientifically proven that fatty acid supplements (omega-3 and omega-6) have a positive effect on academic achievement (F).
- When a brain region is damaged other parts of the brain can take up its function (T)).
- We only use 10% of our brain (F).
- The left and right hemisphere of the brain always work together (T).
- Differences in hemispheric dominance (left brain, right brain) can help explain individual differences amongst learners (F).
- The brains of boys and girls develop at the same rate (F).
- Brain development has finished by the time children reach secondary school (F).
- There are critical periods in childhood after which certain things can no longer be learned (F).
- Information is stored in the brain in a network of cells distributed throughout the brain (T).
- Learning is not due to the addition of new cells to the brain (T).
- Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic) (F).
- Learning occurs through modification of the brains’ neural connections (T).
- Academic achievement can be affected by skipping breakfast (T).
- Normal development of the human brain involves the birth and death of brain cells (T).
- Mental capacity is hereditary and cannot be changed by the environment or experience (F).
- Vigorous exercise can improve mental function (T).
- Environments that are rich in stimulus improve the brains of pre-school children (F).
- Children are less attentive after consuming sugary drinks and/or snacks (F).
- Circadian rhythms (“body-clock”) shift during adolescence, causing pupils to be tired during the first lessons of the school day (T).
- Regular drinking of caffeinated drinks reduces alertness (T).
- Exercises that rehearse coordination of motor-perception skills can improve literacy skills (F).
- Extended rehearsal of some mental processes can change the shape and structure of some parts of the brain (T).
- Individual learners show preferences for the mode in which they receive information (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) (T).
- Learning problems associated with development l differences in brain function cannot be re-mediated by education (T).
- Production of new connections in the brain can continue into old age (T).
- Short bouts of coordination exercises can improve integration of left and right hemispheric brain function (F).
- There are sensitive periods in childhood when it’s easier to learn things (T).
- When we sleep, the brain shuts down (F).
The
SHARPERBRAINS people got this from an article published in "frontiers in
Educational Psychology" entitled Neuromyths
in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Here's the link: http://www.frontiersin.org/Educational_Psychology/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00429/full
i don't know about you, but I was particularly glad to read about #s 6 and 29, and am bit worried about #24.
Image credit:
<a
href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_10513572_wallpaper-of-blue-question-marks.html'>alekup
/ 123RF Stock Photo</a>
