Heidi A. Everett
The intent of this unit is to integrate the majority of our activities with lessons surrounding the use of the senses in order to positively engage the students' limbic systems. If the students are feeling threatened by the material, they can develop a negative association with learning (Roberts, 2002). Current research in experiential education reveals a strong relationship with learning and engaging the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for not only regulating some of the basic emotions such as pain and pleasure, but also the creation of memories (Grabowski, 2000). The hippocampus, a crucial structure within the limbic system assists in the creation of memories. Memory is solidified when paired with strong emotions connected to the activity (Roberts, 2002). The activities planned for this unit are attempts to employ several of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. The use of Gardner's multiple intelligences will help to provide the students with the ability to excel in a subject that can be abstract and difficult to process by providing a variety of means to initially explore the content and then to express their understanding of the content (Campbell, 2004).
The use of the five senses is essential in that it provides an activator for the students' prior knowledge and lays the foundation for exploring the brain anatomy. The anatomical features of the brain pair nicely with the senses due to its main function being the "processing center" for all of the information that the five senses receive (Hopson, 2006). The students will analyze their senses and the cascade of reactions that take place within the nervous system starting at the cellular level progressing to the macro level with the focus on the gross anatomy of the brain.
