Derrick Robinson
SAHE 625- Group Dynamics and Leadership
Brain and Leadership Blog
14 September 2014
The Brain Works Book Brings Insight to Become Better People and Leaders
Medina provides insightful knowledge and great understanding of how brain development can be incorporated in leadership styles (why we do what we do in our daily lives) and how to incorporate how the brain works in-group settings of learning and teaching. The Brain Rules book focuses on twelve rules throughout the text which are exercise, human brain evolving, human brain wired differently, we do not pay attention to boring things, repeat to remember, remember to repeat, sleep, stress, stimulate senses, vision, gender, and exploration. I believe
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In order to be successful and interact with others efficiently we all need the proper amount of sleep as much as possible. Throughout the chapter Medina brings out that the brain is constantly active even during the time we sleep and rest. I found that to be very interesting, realizing that our mind is constantly at active so it is essential that we all find time in our daily lives to get rest. I know I tend to lack rest during certain times of the semester. If we sleep well, we think well as Medina reinforces throughout this chapter. As a leader I believe you have to be aware of what your body is telling you and what it needs such as exercise, nutrients, food, and self-care. Regarding sleep, we have to know when we get a certain amount of rest how our body reacts to it versus not getting enough rest. Medina brings out that people do vary in how much sleep we all need and when we prefer to get rest. For group purposes and leadership Medina let us know throughout the chapter that loss of sleep affects attention and worth ethic. Which makes perfect sense if you are not taking care of yourself and not getting enough sleep you will not perform at your best. Sleep is very important for the work that we do in student affair because when we are doing our jobs effectively we are using a lot of time and energy to be the best that we can be for …show more content…
Medina brings out that we can improve our chances of remembering something if we are in the same environment or similar location. As a leader I believe this, when I am studying or preparing for a presentation I am always in a similar location. I am usually in the library or in a location where people are productive. As a leader I do this intentionally because the repeat to remember rule truly applies when preparing or getting assignments done. It is a practiced learning condition that I remember to do in order to be productive. Medina makes us aware that most of the vents that are learned also will be remembered and occurs in the first few seconds of
In order to function normally, “adequate sleep is a biological necessity” (Austin 34). College is a transition for many students, and without prioritizing many can become sleep deprived. There are various reasons that college students could become deprived of sleep. Reasons include loud roommates, sororities/fraternities, late night jobs, and procrastination. Additionally, a student could be struggling financially or academically, and this could be possible causes for keeping one up late at night. Little to no sleep could affect how young adults function leading to multiple effects. Depression can be a result of not getting enough rest, and the “longer this
In the chapter “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era,” from The New Brain, written by Richard Restak, Restak makes some very good points on his view of multitasking and modern technology. He argues that multitasking is very inefficient and that our modern technology is making our minds weaker. Multitasking and modern technology is causing people to care too much what other people think of them, to not be able to focus on one topic, and to not be able to think for themselves.
Overall this was a great book. I have a great deal of interest in the brain. It is a truly amazing and fascinating organ. Its complexity bewilders not only researchers, and many neuroscientists but me as well. I also have somewhat of a passion for fitness and to learn how beneficial exercise can be, not only to our body’s health but the brain as well. It gives me a new understanding about a “workout”. The author did a great job explaining all of the very complicated processes that are involved in exercise’s wondrous benefits. Even though some of the information may have been boring, the way it was presented was not. This book was a great read and overall I would recommend it to any interested in exercise or the brain.
Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive and to function in day to day operations, but not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people can survive on very little sleep, i.e. five hours a night, and some people need a lot of sleep, to the extend that they are sleeping up to 10 to sometimes 15 hours a night (Nature, 2005). According to Wilson (2005) the general rule states that most people need from seven to eight hours of sleep. The deprivation of sleep in our society in continually increasing with the demands in society increasing work loads, the myth that a few hours of sleep is only necessary to function properly and that sleep is sometimes considered as killing time (Nature, 2005). Sometimes sleep deprivation is also caused by other situations like sleep disorders, i.e. sleep apnea, chronic insomnia or medical conditions such as stress (Wilson, 2005).
In The article “Brainology” “Carol S Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, differentiates between having a fixed and growth mindset in addition how these mindsets have a deep effect on a student’s desire to learn. Individuals who have a fixed mindset believe they are smart without putting in effort and are afraid of obstacles, lack motivation, and their focus is to appear smart.. In contrast, students with a growth mindset learn by facing obstacles and are motivated to learn. Dwecks argues that students should develop a growth mindset.
As far as I could remember I was never really any good at school. I couldn’t concentrate on things for no more than 5 minutes at a time I would either get discouraged or find it too easy and just give up. An author by the name of Carol Dweck wrote an article called “Brainology” in it Dweck describes that there are two types of mindsets fixed and growth. Those who are afraid to fail so they never try anything new are ones with a fixed mindset and the growth mindset are those who are not afraid to fail and find a new challenge an opportunity to learn something new. I guess you can say that I had a bit of a fixed mindset growing up I was always too scared to look stupid that I didn’t want to fail because I didn’t want to disappoint my siblings
In “The Brain on trial”, David Eagleman (2011) recounts the horrifying events which occurred on August 1, 1966. Charles Whitman entered the University of Texas with a rifle and secured himself in the bell tower. He then proceeded to shoot and kill 13 people and injure 32 more. Whitman was also shot and killed; however, during his autopsy it was discovered that a tumor was pressing against his amygdala. According to Eagleman, “The amygdala is involved in emotional regulation, especially of fear and aggression” (2011). Therefore, Whitman was possibly experiencing a fundamental change in his emotions and personality due to the tumor. Though Whitman did not survive, his case still poses questions as to whether or not he should be held accountable for his actions; moreover, should Whitman have received the maximum punishment for the murder he committed? Charles Whitman may not have had control over the feelings of “rage and irrational thoughts” (2011) he was experiencing; however, the precision of the attack indicates he was well aware of the actions he was committing.
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
Smilkstein, Rita. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create Today's Curriculum. Thousand Oaks, Cal. Corwin Press, 2003.
Smith, E. E. and Kosslyn, S. M. (2009). Cognitive psychology: Mind and brain. New Jersey: Pearson Education
Sleep loss and shifting sleep patterns are known to be widespread across college campuses throughout the United States and the world at large. Yet, while many studies exist relating sleep to performance, a much smaller amount of studies focus on the Through analysis of these sources as they would prove useful when researching and writing upon the idea of sleep and its correlation to academic performance it was found that a paper titled “Sleep-Wake Patterns and Academic Performance in University Students”, which was presented to the European Conference on Educational Research, is overall the most useful source represented to research the topic.
Many times people think they can accomplish more if they could eliminate so much sleeping time. However, they are only hurting their productivity if they lose sleep. Two articles deal with the issue of sleep deprivation. The College Student Journal published an article about the grade-point average of college students and sleep length, while U.S. News & World Report produced an article dealing with the lack of
Central idea : Sleep is vital to our health and well-being throughout our life, therefore, in order to protect our mental and physical health, quality of life, and safety, we must get an enough quality sleep at the right times.
How often have you ever woken up and wondered why sleep is needed in the first place and questioned the importance of it? Those are very popular questions that many humans ask today, as sleep is an essential part of a person’s health and wellbeing, yet people all over the world each night do not get enough sleep. This research essay will be looking at the nature of sleeping, the importance of getting a good night’s rest and the consequences if a person does not get enough sleep. A good night's sleep is incredibly important for health and making a person feel better. Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and can have many beneficial factors for the body, mind, and so much more as “ an average human sleeps
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...