Welcome to a Problem Based Learning and Applied Brain Rules Lesson

 

This lesson is designed to highlight the Brain Rules applied to a potential real-life situation.  Throughout the Problem Based Learning lesson, each student will be responsible for individual and team participation in each of the PLB Model steps as well as an individual and team Brain Rules exercises.

 

During the team presentation portion of the lesson, each of the team members will be responsible for explaining a Brain Rule and how it may apply to the PBL lesson.  Keep in mind that not all of the Brain Rules may apply to the lesson.  As a team you will need to delegate tasks among yourselves. 

 

For the full learning experience, you will need to become familiar with the information in these links:

 

                                                  

Introduction to Brain Rules                          Introduction to Problem Based Learning

 

 

                                             

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Client Name and Contact Information  Jenna Smith Personal Email: jleah_smith@yahoo.com UTB Email: Jenna.Smith110@utb.edu Cell: 210.254.4722 (unlimited data, text, and voice minutes on the Sprint network) Skype: jlrsquared@gmail.com

Audience Analysis:  The PBL lesson that will be presented to you in this resource is a math lesson for a target audience of ninth grade students or higher.         Objectives   Basic understanding of each of the 12 Brain Rules Consideration of how the  applicable Brain Rules may be applies as the students work through this PBL lesson   TEKS Objectives:    (4.) Mathematical modeling in personal finance. The student uses mathematical processes with algebraic formulas, numerical techniques, and graphs to solve problems related to financial planning. The student is expected to:  (A) analyze and compare coverage options and rates in insurance; (B) investigate and compare investment options, including stocks, bonds, annuities, certificates of deposit, and retirement plans; and (C) analyze types of savings options involving simple and compound interest and compare relative advantages of these options.    (4.) Probabilistic and statistical reasoning. The student uses the process standards in mathematics to generate new understandings of probability and statistics. The student analyzes statistical information and evaluates risk and return to connect mathematical ideas and make informed decisions. The student applies a problem-solving model and statistical methods to design and conduct a study that addresses one or more particular question(s). The student uses multiple representations to communicate effectively the results of student-generated statistical studies and the critical analysis of published statistical studies. The student is expected to:  (F) calculate expected value to analyze mathematical fairness, payoff, and risk; (G) determine the validity of logical arguments that include compound conditional statements       Task   The task is to introduce the Brain Rules and apply them to a lesson (which was designed for a previous class completed at the University of Texas at Brownsville.)  The lesson that has been selected is a Problem Based Learning Lesson constructed for a ninth grade or higher math class to highlight the how an individual may consider options to a financial hardship.

TimeLine

Adaptation of Brain Rules

Problem Based Learning Model   Step 1 Read and Analyze the Scenario and Situation: In this step, check your understanding of the scenario. Don't be tempted to start thinking about potential solutions or to start looking for information.  Start by reading the scenario which describes the problem without being concerned with specific details of the problem.  Simply gain a basic understanding of the problem which is being presented.     Step 2 List Your Personal Understanding, Ideas, or Hunches: List all of the information that you think is important to your understanding of the problem.  Be sure to include your gut instincts and any personal thoughts that you might have about the problem.  At this point, do not be concerned with analyzing the details.  Simply write down your personal understanding, ideas, or hunches.  These ideas will be supported or refuted as you work through the other steps of the PBL lesson process.   Step 3 List What is Known: Off the top of your head, enter every condition that you know to be true of the problem into tab 3 of your assignment spreadsheet.   If it helps, read the scenario (in step 1) again.  Then, write down everything that you remember as a condition of the problem.   Step 4 List What is Unknown: Your task in this step is to list all the questions you can think of which need to be answered to help solve the problem.  Look at the problem from the overall problem perspective when considering your list of questions.  You may find you and your teammates may end up asking the same questions.  This is acceptable.  It is better to ask more questions than not ask a specific question at all.  Duplicate questions can be disregarded later in the PBL process.   Step 5 List What Needs to be Done: In this particular lesson, each of team members will be asked to research at least one of the payment options from the scenario in Step 1 as their individual portion of the lesson.  Create your own to-do list based on your portion of the project.  Also, as a team set deadlines as a guideline for the team to follow.  One of the team to-do items could be "plan to meet every Friday afternoon to discuss the individual and team status."  Be sure to check off items on your individual and team to-do lists as they are completed.   Step 6 Develop a Problem Statement: At this point in the lesson, meet together with your team to discuss and develop a problem statement.  Once you have agreed on a common problem statement, discuss a plan of action of how you and your team will present the findings to your individual portions of the project and the group presentation.  You are encouraged to explore creative and innovative presentation methods.   Step 7 Gather Information: In this step, you are tasked to being the research on your individual portion of the project.  You are encouraged to review the few videos within this course to gain an understanding of how they may pertain to your research.  You are also encourage to locate external resources which may support your theories.  Such tools may be things like reference videos or an online financial/budgeting calculator.   Use Tab 7 of your spreadsheet, if you would like to record financial data as you complete your research.  As you gather, organize, analyze, and interpret information, continue to meet with your team to ensure consistency in your thought processes and work.    Step 8 Present Findings In this task, you are asked to will work both individually and within a team setting.  Individually, you are tasked to present which payment and/or financing options you have researched.  Describe and/demonstrate how and what you learned regarding the payment option assignments including which resources you utilized to come to your conclusions.    Also present an overview of the Brain Rules that you were assigned and explain how they relate to specific steps within the PBL model. As a team, you will make a decision and provide rationale regarding the best course of action a person might use to pay for a life hardship expense.    In this portion of the project, every team member is required to participate in the team demonstration/presentation.    The final task of the project is to individually email your instructor the completed rubric.        Which Brain Rules Apply and Why?      Rule 1: Exercise – (Not applicable in this PBL lesson.) Rule 2: Survival – Our brains have evolved from traditional lecture intake learning to the preference to learn by actively participating.  Rule 3:  Wiring – Everyone’s brain in wired differently.  Consider this as you and your teammates share the research you have done regarding the potential payment options for this PBL lesson.  Hear each other out as you explain your research.  Apply constructive criticism and healthy debate if necessary.  Rule #4: Attention – We do not pay attention to things that are boring.  This lesson may not the most interesting, but everyone can relate to this overlying topic because money is a topic that is very real to everyone.  If/when you are able to place yourself in the hypothetical situation, the more natural attention and learning you may experience. Rule #5: Short-Term Memory – The more often you apply wise financial decision making, the easier and more financially conscious you will become. Rule #6: Long-Term Memory – When a person is held to the experience of being responsible for a large financial investment, they are likely to remember the experience so they will be somewhat prepared for similar occurrences in their future. Rule #7: Sleep – (Not applicable in this PBL lesson.) Rule #8: Stress – Stressed brains learn differently.  The application of this rule may vary since people manage financial hardships differently.  One individual may not be as emotionally effected by a financial hardship as another. Rule #9: Sensory Integration – (Not applicable in this PBL lesson.) Rule #10: Vision – Participants are encouraged to record their assignments on paper or in electronic formats so they (and their team mates) are able to visually see each of their completed tasks in each PBL step.  This promotes accountability among the team members, it provides each team member a visual representation of each of the financial payment options, and this given each participant an idea of the best informed decision that they might choose in the event that the real-life situation occurred to them in rea-life. Rule #11: Gender – The application of this Brain Rule is debatable.  If an individual applies this Brain Rule based on stereotypical basis, they may think that one gender may be more analytical in determining the best payment option solution in this PBL lesson. Rule #12: Exploration – We are naturally explorers of the best option for us when faced with situations such as this PBL lesson.  It is natural for us to want to solve the problem in quickest, most convenient, and most cost effective manner as possible while gaining the most benefit from the resolution.

Reflections on My Growth

Week One:

In reflecting on this week, I have mixed feelings about this class.  I suppose that the majority of my concern is centered on time management.  I recognize the summer session is such a short session and at this particular moment, I question myself as to why I thought it would be a good idea to take a course that is normally 16 weeks long during a short summer term.  Now that the session is off to a start, I accept that there is no turning back and I will simply need to do the best that I can to fulfill my responsibilities in the class. 

During our first collaborate meeting, I was pleased to get the impression that our professor seems to be an approachable, understanding, and a student-focus person.  Personally, I appreciate this and it takes a lot of pressure off of students like me. 

Regarding the individual project to apply the Brain Rules to an existing project (that I created in a different class,) I am considering using the Problem Based Learning Lesson that I created in EDTC-6341.  The reason why I am leaning toward using this project over other projects I have worked on is because I believe this one in particular is one that can shared and utilized within my work environment with the most ease.  I also think that because the PBL lesson is student centered it has the potential for the Brain Rules to be applied more noticeably.  I have created a tentative timeline based on this PBL project and have uploaded it to my wiki.

So far, I have been able to time manage my assignments and tasks.  I hope that I am able to keep up the pace and that distractions and issues are limited-to-none because I know that there will be very limited time to fit in unexpected hiccups.  I appreciate that the class calendar, weekly instructions and assignments, and that the management of the class is well organized and comprehensive.  I enjoy the variety of activities (i.e. scavenger hunt, technology orientation, games, etc.) and notice that for me, personally, this is Brain Rule #4---We Don’t Pay Attention to Boring Things---at work!

 

Week Two:

In this second reflection, I am still thinking, thinking, thinking!!!!  I have been thinking about how to best introduce and present the Brain rules application in the Problem Based Learning module that I previously created in EDTC-6341.

For me, I think the majority of my challenges when working a project are internal.  Once I have exactly what I want to present mapped out in my mind, I am able to create it without too much (controllable) set back.  My main problem is that I struggle with creativity.  I am not really sure how to develop up a skill of creativity outside of practicing, but what I do know is that as I have worked through my degree program, I have had the opportunity to exercise creativity more than ever before.

In working on my wiki this week, I have discovered that PB Works is being a little temperamental.  I have found that many of my links are not active even though I know I have activated and saved my work several times.  I have also found that I am not able to copy and paste my work using my home laptop.  It has been suggested that I try using FireFox so I will look into that suggestion.  I will also attempt to access and work on my wiki by using my work pc.  (It is completely possible that my personal laptop may the root cause of my technical issues.)

There is so much work to do!!!!  I need to get out of the thinking mode and into the amendment/updating/producing mode!

 

Week Three:

In this third reflection and after reading most of the Brain Rules, I am considering which Brain Rules I would like to highlight in my Problem Based Learning module.  I don’t think I will be able to use all of the Brain Rules, but I do think that I will be able to focus on a few of them.   I am considering how I want to introduce these Brain Rules without overwhelming my target audience.

I have found that the reading assignments have been pretty easy reading as well as information that is logical.  I hope that I am able to explain the Brain Rules just as simply in my PBL lesson.  My concern is that my target audience is made up of adult basic learners.  Specifically, I don’t want to give the impression that I am being critical or demeaning to this population of students.  This population of students is sensitive to the fact that the majority of them never finished high school due to time and circumstances very personal to each of them.  I, personally, have concerns regarding my delivery and introduction of the Brain Rules to this target audience.  I want to exercise humility and patience with this target audience.  I want to avoid the possibility or potential that a student might feel they are “stuck in their current educational level” and/or “aren’t smart enough” know the basic skills education, much less Brain Rules.  I want the goal to be that the student understands the Brain Rules enough to adjust their current learning and study practices.  My hope is that these changes help the students not only learn their foundational skills, but also understand how their brain is working while they learn.

 

Week Four:

In this fourth week reflection, I am starting to feel the crunch of time.  PB Works is still giving me trouble and I am considering re-builiding my PBL Lesson in a different wiki format.  I am shopping around trying to find a different wiki site that is user friendly.  I have heard that some students are utilizing Google so this is a possibility.  I need to find a solution soon though since I only have about ten days before I present my final project to the class.  I predict that I will be working non-stop until then. 

I have also started really thinking about my e-portfolio.  I elected to take this class during the first summer term with the idea that I would take the second summer term to work on my e-portfolio.  Then, I planned on taking my two last classes and ending the year with finishing the program.  Now that I have been experiencing so many issues with PB Works lately, I am concerned that re-building my e-portfolio in another wiki site will be a major task.  I suppose it is good that I am at least ahead of schedule and at least thinking about what I may be up against, but this possibility is also slightly discouraging. 

So much work to do and so little time….always….  (I tell myself this is a good thing!)

Week Five:

By far, this week has been filled with the most produce work on my project.  It has also been the most enjoyable week for me since I really enjoy working on projects like this.  I have experienced some frustration but, overall, I am happy with my work and the outcome of my project.  I look forward to sharing it wit the class on Tuesday night.

 

Some of the frustration that I have experienced are the technical issues that have been on-going while working within PB Works for the past six months.  Things like not being able t copy and paste are annoying, but I have been able to work are the issues.  I have also found that the fonts have been changing to inconsistent font types and are found randomly through my work within PB Works.  Again, this issue is not completely a project breaker, but it is a little bit annoying.

 

My personal laptop also crashed and produced the "blue screen of death" three times in a row.   I received an error message that my AMD Dual Core Processor is not responding correctly.  I am not completely sure what that means, but I am pretty sure that means I will be shopping for a new laptop sooner that I would like.

 

Overall, I was able to get all of the videos and links set in my project just as I envisioned.  I re-designed the Problem Based Learning project to incorporate the Brain Rule Principles into the PBL lesson.

 

After this class is completed, I am even considering asking one of my instructors to pilot this lesson in their math class.  I think that the students involved in the pilot would be great to collect feedback from since they have the student perspective that is so important to consider when designing a lesson like this.  If the pilot is a success, this might be something that I could encourage my instructors to design and incorporate into their teaching.  I am already planning on introducing the Brain Rules to them!  (I think they will like it as much as I have!)

 

 

 

Project Resource Links

Problem Based Learning Project: What is the Best Payment Option Resource List

 

Always Collect Information Picture:

http://www.cysy.com/2010/09/21/collect-information/

Borrowing from Retirement Account video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6SSWWw8OdIM

Cash Vs. Credit Card Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-

KCxDkt2y6Y&feature=player_embedded

Chinese Proverb:

http://funderstanding.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Quote-of-the-day-10-

Funderstanding.png

Earth System Science Education Alliance Course:

http://esseacourses.strategies.org/

Financial Calculators:

http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/

Gather Information Graphic:

http://www.prexonline.com/process.html

How Long Does it Take to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lLCb3K-njNs

Learning Reflections Graphic:

http://ourlearning.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/ourlearningheader1.png

Off the Top of My Head:

http://realbeautyis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/light-bulb-idea-

262x196.jpg

Present Findings Graphic:

http://seattlecentral.edu/iris/overview/research_process/process_p7.shtml

Problem Based Learning Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhismExIwU&feature=player_embedded

TEKS Objectives:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=2147499971

To Do List Graphic:

http://www.eagleonline.com/the-magical-to-do-list/

Unknown Group Graphic:

http://wall.alphacoders.com/by_sub_category.php?id=212731

What is a Line of Credit video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjTgFJUsTnQ&feature=player_embedded

What’s the Problem Graphic:

http://www.woub.org/wtp/index.htm

What is an Interest Payment Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeRNlGw8VF8&feature=player_embedded

 

Brain Rules:

Brain Rules: http://www.brainrules.net/

Highlights of the Brain Rules Principles:

Rule 1: Exercise - http://www.brainrules.net/exercise

Rule 2: Survival - http://www.brainrules.net/survival

Rule 3:  Wiring - http://www.brainrules.net/wiring?scene=

Rule #4: Attention - http://www.brainrules.net/attention?scene=

Rule #5: Short-Term Memory - http://www.brainrules.net/short-term-memory?scene=

Rule #6: Long-Term Memory - http://www.brainrules.net/long-term-memory?scene=

Rule #7: Sleep - http://www.brainrules.net/sleep?scene=

Rule #8: Stress - http://www.brainrules.net/stress?scene=

Rule #9: Sensory Integration - http://www.brainrules.net/sensory-integration?scene=

Rule #10: Vision - http://www.brainrules.net/vision?scene=

Rule #11: Gender - http://www.brainrules.net/gender?scene=

Rule #12: Exploration - http://www.brainrules.net/exploration?scene=

 

 

 

Advance to Problem Based Learning Introduction