Justin M. Boucher
To teach the brain in such a short period, a teacher must cover all of the functions and levels of neuroanatomy in an extremely focused and organized way. Any effort to teach this material, which does not benefit from a careful and methodical approach to brain hierarchy is doomed to fail. Therefore it is necessary to prepare a unit that follows each level of that anatomy logically and methodically. This is where a diagrammed approach begins to fit into the equation.
The goal of creating a comprehensive schematic diagram can be accomplished in a way that allows the class to break down the many levels of brain function. Students will need to appreciate the complexities of the system while simplifying the geography and functions of the brain into a form that can be put down on paper. This will ensure that the topic is taken in digestible pieces rather than the overwhelming whole and will aid in remembering what was learned later in the course.
This process is predicated on the understanding that, in the end, the students will learn this material more successfully if they are allowed to learn it in their own way. For this reason the students will never be asked simply to copy down diagrams that are presented to them. They will be given freedom to diagram with as little or as much abstraction as they see fit, so long as their diagrams demonstrate the needed information. In the early stages of the unit there will likely be little variation, but by the end of the unit, there should be a great deal of variety from one student to the next in terms of their work.
For the purposes of this unit, this process will be broken down into the following specific learning objectives. Each objective represents a full lesson, which may last a day or more in the classroom.
As a result of this unit the students will be able to,
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1. Identify the parts and function of a neuron
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2. Explain and illustrate the levels and functions of the nervous system including
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a. Neurons
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b. The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
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c. The Autonomic Nervous System (Sympathetic and Parasympathetic)
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d. The Somatic Nervous System (Sensory and Motor)
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3. Analyze and Diagram the Endocrine System
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4. Analyze and Diagram the Brainstem
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5. Analyze and Diagram the Lobes and Structures of the Cortex along with their functions
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6. Construct a Comprehensive Diagram of the brain, nervous and endocrine systems, showing their levels, interactions, functions and influences on behavior.
These objectives represent a progression of understanding on two levels. Firstly, there is a progression in terms of the students' understanding of brain and nervous system anatomy and function. Each objective both stands alone, and builds on the previous objective to result in a fairly comprehensive understanding of these concepts. In this way students move from simple to complex so as to ensure that at any given step the students are being prepared for the next objective.
The same is true of the second level of this progression, that of diagramming skill. This unit assumes a limited ability on the part of the student to successfully diagram an anatomical system on both the schematic and anatomical level. Furthermore it assumes that the level of abstraction required for a good schematic is something that needs to be built, rather than something that comes totally naturally. While certainly some students will enter the class and the unit with the skills necessary, it is also certain that far more will need to build those skills throughout the unit. Therefore, each step in the unit will allow the students to build their diagramming and abstraction skills to the point where, in the end, they will be able to diagram the entire system.