Chapter Education:

4 Answers to Student Book questions

4.1 How your amazing brain works 4.2 Schools past and future
3 Brain facts:
5 Ancient Egyptian schools:
a) around 3 pounds
a) princesses or members of the nobility
b) water
b) hieroglyphics
c) there are no pain receptors or nerve endings in the
brain c) talking or making mistakes on the papyrus;
beaten with a rod on the back.
d) associations
e) bilingual children have a different brain structure 6 Ancient Indian schools:
to children who learn only one language. a) Rishis or Gurus
5 Multiple intelligences: b) in hermitages deep within forests
a) Harvard University, 1983 c) reading, writing, chanting and memorizing in
Sanskrit; scriptures, mathematics, grammar, yoga
b) nine
and the natural world; practical exploration and
c) kinaesthetic meditation; Sanskrit
d) any two of: learn about nature; love birds and d) any two of: fasting, banishment from lessons and
animals; show concern for the environment and unpleasant chores
enjoy being outdoors; name plants and animals
8
e) drawing, building; making models; reading maps;
school college campus
doing jigsaw puzzles; making cartoons, charts,
posters and floor plans; photography, art and student learner pupil
design teacher tutor professor
f) mathematical-logical (logic smart) vacation holiday break
g) linguistic (word smart) busy hard at work occupied
h) lead and organise groups, empathise with others,
resolve conflicts, cooperate with others
i) ponder questions about life and death, who we are
and our purpose in life; read religious and
philosophical texts in search of answers.

Education
Chapter 4

© HarperCollinsPublishers 2017 1
 4.3 How do we learn? 4.4. School and the real world
3 Mrs D’Souza: 3 Adora Vitak:
Noun Adjective Verb Adverb 1: 12
2: Technology should be used to motivate students.
teacher fabulous was … securely
3: Adults can learn from children’s unique approach
fastened
to solving problems and creativity.
hair tall wore always 4: Flying Fingers
net dark- clicked 5: English
skinned 6: Twitter
dresses thick, curly, smelt 4 a) Jeremy is feeling overwhelmed by his schoolwork –
black the exams, coursework and deadlines.
shoes beautiful, comfort b) Anna enjoys the company of her fellow students,
print the sports, break-times and school trips – and even
her teachers. No, she doesn’t think schools should
floors high-heeled were crying
be scrapped.
roses tiled c) Toffler is almost 70. His age surprises the others
talcum fastened because he has radical and controversial ideas.
powder d) The schools were designed for an industrial age
economy – training children to be good factory
ready
workers.
e) In factories, people had to show up on time, work
5 ‘How the brain learns’: according to bells and do repetitive tasks. Toffler
argues that schools today do the same thing.
a) Key vocabulary: microscopic cells, neurons,
messages, branches, electrical messages, f) Jeremy would like to work in robotics. He would
connections, neural pathways, feelings and like to learn from an expert robotics engineer.
emotions, happy, sad, worried, stressed. g) Teachers could help out and fill in the gaps left by
the experts; go out to workplaces to learn skills;
Stress and anxiety, chemicals – adrenalin and
cortisol, happy, relaxed, process information. devise ways of training students in practical skills.
h) Jeremy is a ‘night bird’ and wants to stay up late
Physical factors – water, dehydration, salts, blood
talking to a robotics engineer somewhere else in
pressure, proteins, fats, vegetables and
the world online about his design project.
carbohydrates, food additives, sugar, tired, hungry,
i) Anna thinks they could be annoying and
hot, cold, concentration, sitting still, brain breaks,
disruptive, running about and knocking things
physical movement, exercise, intelligence not fixed.
over.
Conditions for learning – use brain more,
j) Schools would be open 24 hours a day.
challenge, ambition, stimulate brain, audio, video,
People could design their own schedules.
kinaesthetic.
b) Notes arranged using the bullet points given: 6 Listening ‘between the lines’:
• How emotions affect our learning: emotions have a 1: Jeremy is feeling overwhelmed. This is a recent
big impact. Stress and anxiety make it very difficult phenomenon.
to learn. When you feel threatened or anxious, 2: Anna feels her grandmother is always asking about
adrenalin and cortisol are released into the body. her grades, which puts her under pressure.
These affect how you think, feel and behave. This 3: ‘I like school most of the time’; ‘I love and sports
affects how our brains process information.
and break-times and school trips, and I even like
Scientists believe we learn best when happy and
relaxed. most of my teachers!’
• Food and water for the brain: lots of water – avoids No, Anna doesn’t want schools shut down.
dehydration and a rise in salts and blood pressure; 4: Jeremy talks about how education is organised as
need balance of proteins, fats, vegetables and the ‘system.’ He feels that it doesn’t suit the needs
carbohydrates; avoid food with additives and of the 21st century.
sugar. 5: Anna doesn’t like the idea of a 24-hour school but
• Physical conditions affect the brain: water for Jeremy is enthusiastic. Jeremy is a ‘night-bird’ who
neural pathways, rise in salts a problem causing likes working late into the night.
Education
Chapter 4

stress. Sitting still for a long time makes it difficult

to concentrate.
• Best conditions for learning: being happy and
relaxed, taking brain-breaks, exercise to increase
oxygen to the brain, the right food and lots of
water. Knowing that your intelligence is not fixed
and can be stimulated in many ways.
Challenge yourself, be imaginative and inquiring.
Try audio, video and kinaesthetic methods for
learning. Avoid learning when stressed or upset.
6: He’s a night-bird; he is 17 years old; he wants to be
a robotics engineer; he hates repetitive activities at
school.
7: Zara is interested in ideas about education.
8: The education system should be more flexible,
creative and practical.
Students should learn from experts as well as their
teachers.
Students should be allowed to work at times that
are convenient to them.

2 © HarperCollinsPublishers 2017