Affective Brain Network
From It6740 Udl
The Affective Brain Network (AN) for shorthand) is the third network discussed in UDL. It is used to attach emotional significance to patterns, content, and assignments. In this way, people can become engaged in learning by establishing preferences to different ways of approaching learning. The AN answers the question, "Why?" Why should I learn?
The AN also deals with fear or anger. The teacher would ask, "How do I make my students comfortable, yet motivated? I know that some of my students will freeze because the information looks daunting. Others may be angry because they don't like the assigments or see the need. What do I do?
Your task is to further define the AN and its role in UDL, learning, and teaching. What strategies and tools can be used to increase comfort, safety, and motivation?
Click the "edit" tab at the top of the page to contribute to this article...
The Affective Network in the brain is a part of the limbic system, including the powerful hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala and pineal gland. (from Manglani, M. “Affective Network” Developmental Dyscalculia. Website: http://www.miriammanglani.com/t560/dyscalculia/affective.html). It is one of the oldest parts of the brain, and is sometimes called the “reptilian brain” (possibly because it is related to our most core instincts and is found in fish, amphibians and reptiles as well as mammals). This area of the brain controls our fight or flight mechanism and is responsible for our survival instincts. These brain structures were developed with the very first multicelled organisms and were closely linked to developing the knowledge and instincts to protect animals from a multitude of dangers. It’s not a surprise then that this area in humans also is connected to learning, though not necessarily the higher order thinking skills we normally associate with the brain.
In this area of the brain, different sensory triggers can attach to learned or recognized information. From wikipedia: “A person can exploit the function of the limbic system to aid in memory retention and recall. Exposure to certain easily recognizable smells (like coffee, peanut butter, chocolate, sulfur, or crayons) while forming memories will link the memory to the smell. Smelling the same thing will help recall the information later. Bottom line: brew coffee while studying for a test then drink coffee while taking the test and it will be much easier to remember the information.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system).
This helps us understand why learners are more motivated by things that have personal relevance: it "speaks" to the reptilian parts of our brain that are concerned with our own personal survival.
The limbic system lies in the part of the brain that is responsible for emotion, while survival is important to the primative brain, the affective networks also help to determine whether the patterns we perceive in the strategic networks are important. The determination of importance leads us to prioritze which actions and strategies we should pursue. The affective networks are responsible for preferences, goal development, confidence, the ability to persist when faced with challenges and to care about learning.
Emotional disturbances can influence the way one perceives the outside world and may generate some strong emotions and unusual responses. Some people with damage to the affective network cannot interpret the emotions they see in others while others can see the emotions of other people but cannot express their own emotions. Chapter 2: Teaching Every Student TOC: Information & Ideas
.
