Theme: 8BB Teaching and learning: Principles
  • Currently 4.89/5
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 3
  • 3
  • 4
  • 4
  • 5
  • 5

Rating: 4.9/5 (18 votes cast)

Logo
To-learn is impossible if the senses and the brain are not functional, as not-to-learn is impossible if they are: a compulsory corollary of basic Neurophysiology
Authors: Tilemachos Zaimis
Ioannis DK Dimoliatis
Institutions: University of Ioannina - Medical School - Ioannina - Greece
 
Background

Learning is an everyday phenomenon that usually occurs without us even noticing. 

All kinds of information, incoming from the senses, are processed in the human brain and after they correlate with a past experience or knowledge, they acquire a specific meaning. The only precondition to this process is self-evident: that the senses and cognition are functional. This basic physiology knowledge can also be applied in education. Since mentally healthy students come across the information, receiving and digesting it is inevitable.

Summary of Work

Six groups of 25 third-year medical students were divided in two sub-groups. While the teacher raised his hand, the one group was asked to keep their eyes closed (C) and the other open (O). Group C was asked whether any of them did know what happened; group O whether it was possible for any of them not to know what happened. Then, group O taught group C what happened.

Summary of Results

None of Cs was able to describe what happened; none of Os was able not to know what happened. Teaching verbally, Cs captured a proportion of knowledge, increased by increasing the number of words, but never reached reality, much better approached (not 100%) by repeating teacher’s gesture.

Conclusion

In this teaching-learning simulation, students who came across the information (hand’s raising) inevitably learned what happened. Students who never came across the same information inevitably didn’t learn, and it was very difficult to understand after the other students’ teaching. Students concluded two learning axioms: see title.

Take-home Messages

It’s impossible that mentally healthy students not learn.

Background
Summary of Work
Summary of Results
Conclusion
Take-home Messages
Send ePoster Link