Knowledgeable Neuron Networking 

             Does everyone realize that the power to grow your own brain's knowledge potential is possible? It is! The very amazing brain has a complex system to make the neurons in the brain develop and produce growth of dendrites. These dendrites are absolutely amazing in their own right. They have the ability to grow, communicate, and store your knowledge. The more you use them, the more they grow. There are many stages in learning. These stages can be affected by many outside factors also. In order to effectively learn and deal with stress, there may be ways to still acquire the knowledge we want even with outside stressors hindering us.

There are  five to six stages in the Natural Human Learning Process (NHLP). As each person learns, the process involves going through stages that build neural networks. Motivation is our reason for wanting to learn. Then there is the practice stage,which can be beginning practice and then advanced practice. This would be our trial and error stage also. Thirdly, skillfulness comes into play, which is the stage we may actually get some pleasure or joy from our learning process. We may get some of the self-confidence we need here to keep practicing.  Finally, refining and mastering the skill comes at the end of the NHLP. But as long as we keep learning, we will keep growing and perfecting! If we perfect enough we can even graduate to teach someone what learned skill we have. (Smilkstein, Chap. 2) 

In my cooking skills the NHLP is easily followed. My desire to want to cook was the first step. I then watched my own mother in preparing recipes by measuring ingredients and mixing them together. I would help her by learning measurements and following directions for the recipe and proceeded to practice on my own also. For example, learning how much of each ingredient to put into a macaroni salad takes accurate eye measurement and knowledge of how many cucumbers or other ingredients to add. This recipe has room for error, so any mistakes can be altered without even affecting the outcome of the salad.  This trial and error stage is also combined with skillfulness stage because I would learn by hands on cooking and learning that error is not always a bad thing. In time I became skilled at some recipes and will continue to learn and produce new recipes and make changes to existing recipes for personal taste preference. 

The NHLP is the natural human learning process which basically means the brain constructs and builds knowledge in stages. The cell itself is easily identified in component make-up by comparing it to a tree. The cell body, or soma, is the middle heart wood of the tree. The soma holds the nucleus and is the fat end of a neuron, similar to the trunk of the tree. The neurons have axons which string along from the cell body to the axon terminal bulbs, which are similar to a root system. The axons are encased and protected by a myelin sheath, similar to the bark of a tree. In the learning process, dendrites, tree branches in the neuron, reach out and grow when they are stimulated with electrical-chemical impulses from other neurons. The impulses are sent via synaptic firing between themselves. As we practice what we are learning, specific dendrites grow and make more complex networks. These networks become what we “know” or our knowledge base. When you access the knowledge, those dendrites fire and become active. They grow from usage and die off or become dormant with non-usage. (Smilkstein, Chap. 3) 

Neurons talk to each other over their synaptic gaps. They communicate with one another as they are very close in proximity to one another. That is where the synapses send messages back and forth by electrical firing. The chemical messages, which are neurotransmitters, come from the tiny sacs inside the neuron. They cross over the synaptic gap and the receiving neuron open up their receptors and accept the chemicals. One of these chemical neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, is a stress related hormone that gets released in neural exchange. Norepinephrine is not a feel good chemical, but endorphins are! Endorphins are another neurotransmitter that gets released when stress and pain are felt. These chemicals react and cause different reactions in your body. Endorphins help relieve the feelings of stress and help curb the pain factor when you are injured.

Emotions cause reactions that can be good or bad in a human body. Emotions can inhibit our learning or it can help our learning. When a student is feeling happy, they will learn well. Their dendrites will process and develop normally. If stress is a factor we may have a hard time concentrating thus making the dendrites not be active enough to grow and retain memory. Memory is affected by your emotions. If you are having issues with memory for a test, it may very well be that emotions are causing the memory lapse. Having an interest in the topic in which we are learning about is also a positive attribute. If a student has emotional issues, whether at home, at school or work, it can cause them to be out of balance and not be able to handle the anxiety and stress of school. This causes issues with actual learning and being able to perform their schoolwork. Negative emotions can inhibit students from being able to fully apply themselves and cause anxiety about the work they are doing.  

In my personal experience of having my student goals affected by emotion, I have learned to handle some things differently in my life. Many times, I have not completely understood exactly what was needed to complete an assignment. Thus asking many questions has helped with that. I will ask the professor, other classmates and also read and re-read directions on said assignment. Staying on schedule with your work is easier if we have all of the correct information.  Little things like going to class hungry is something that will affect how much a person can pay attention to class activities. If I feel happy, secure and nurtured, I will always perform better. In the situation of possibly not liking or being interested in a topic or an assignment, the best remedy I have found is that I must put it out of my mind that I do not like it and just do it. I will procrastinate if I run into this issue. One step at a time is always the best way to organize and record thoughts.  In most cases, the project or assignment was not as bad as you had anticipated. In the end, we will succeed and learn if we have the true desire to do so. This will allow your very own amazing brain to grow and retain knowledge.

                                                                                    Works Cited

Landsberger, Joe. " Study Guides and Strategies., N.d. Web. 09 May 2016

<http://www.http://www.studygs.net/>

Smilkstein, Rita. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to

                                                               Create Today's Curriculum. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2003. Print.

"3C"  The Learning Toolbox." James Madison University. N.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

<http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/studentstart.htm>