Between the Ears

My Whoa Whoa (my dad's father) could be a gruff man, although perhaps that was a characteristic he carefully cultivated, hiding that fun-loving sparkle in his eyes beneath his impressively bushy eyebrows.  The thick, silver, wirery hairs that curled up at the ends, gave him a look somwhere between severe and comic.  And I suppose that's a very accurate description of my grandfather himself.  He could be a force to be reckoned with, for sure; but he loved teasing and playing with us, too.  He was famous for complimenting my Grammie's cooking with the line, "Goooooood groceries!", which always got a laugh from us grandkids.  When I went to college, I remember him telling me (for perhaps the 100th time) that I should study psychology because in his words, "All we are is what's between the ears."

In light of that insight, it is perhaps ironic that he suffered dementia in his last years.  His brain began to fail him and play tricks on him.  He would have long conversations with a beautiful black and white portrait of my grandmother, who had passed away years before; and some times had trouble recognizing us.  "I'm Sam's girl", we had to say to jog his memory back to us, and a flutter of recognition would cross his face as he'd smile saying, "I'll be! Aren't you pretty!".

As most of you know, I didn't follow my Whoa Whoa's advice.  I studied Literature and Spanish Language, majors which might very well be oposite to any scientific study.  In the last few weeks studying my degree in Montessori education, however, I was reminded of his words.  We're nearing the end of our theorhetical studies and will soon begin more practical classes.  This final "module" (as their called) is titled Scientific Validations.  I wasn't sure what to expect from a title like that, but as it turns out it is the most thrilling and interesting module so far.

The purpose of the class is to take a look at Montessori's theories and methodology in the context of the most recent breakthroughs in neuroscience: mirror neruons, flow theory, emotional intelligence, to name a few.  It has been astounding to corroborate the observations of Dr. Montessori from more than half a century ago, with modern research which has become impressively precise thanks to technological advances (electrodes for measuring neural activity, for example).  I am in awe of this pioneering, Italian woman's insight and capacity for rigorous scientific observation.


Neuroeducation is a new term I've learned in this class.  It refers to educating with the brain in mind (pun indended!).  If we truly want deeper learning in our students and improved education in our schools, we must look at how the brain functions and develops in order to effectively adapt teaching and learning methods. Traditional teaching and learning ignore the fact that the brain is a social organ, for example, encouraging competetivity over cooperation.  But pedagogy aside, I am amazed by the marvels of this pinkish-grey organ of roughly just three measly pounds.

Mirror neurons, for example, are absolutely amazing.  Through the simple observation of an event, these specific neurons allow us to experience it, on a neurological level, as if we ourselves were participating.  The same neurons fire when we see a person eating as when we ourselves are enjoying a meal.  Not only that, these specific neurons also allow us to "absorb" the emotions of others in our environment.  Don't you automatically begin to smile when you approach a group of laughing people?  Haven't you ever felt your own happiness drain out of you when another person enters the room in a bad mood?  Mirror neurons are the biological reason behind those reactions. Ultimately, mirror neurons make up the biological hardware that allow us to empathize with others. We are hardwired to interact in society and to care for one another. 

The complex neural circuits that develop in our brains even from before birth change daily and throughout our lives.  The famous saying about old dogs and new tricks isn't exactly true.  The human brain maintains it's most unique characteristic--plasticity--until the end of our days, though in a varrying degree.  Every interaction we have with our environment and the people and things that surround us has a chemical and often physiological impact in and on our brains--actually changing the existing neural connections and or creating new ones.  Humans are a complex whole, that cannot be denied, but certainly the single most influencial organ in making us who we are does in fact lie right between the ears.