C&I 210: Chapter 2 Reflection By Kevin Williamson This chapter was very informative about the brain, its

effects on us, and how its cognitive development is affected by its living environment. In this reflection, I will be sharing examples and my thoughts about the learning ability and nutrition parts of the chapter. Brain plasticity, I think is interesting because learning never really stops, its rate just decreases. For example, the text says, The ability to acquire language is not completely lost after age 10, but the potential is diminishedHowever, keep in mind that the brain remains plastic across the life span to some extent. I find the language portion of that excerpt interesting because Im a Spanish education major, and I only started learning Spanish when I was 16. Even today as a 20 year old, I still freeze at certain moments, searching for the right words. That line will be useful to college professors and high school teachers who teach language due to the fact that they have to level even more with their students, especially if its the first course. The synapses in the brain still work, but that myelination is harder to trigger because the pathways in the brain have already been carved. In-school nutrition apparently can have an impact on students. Having always brought my lunch, I never really saw an impact on my performance. However, the text says that a few studies suggest that having a before-school breakfast program and increasing the quality of the meals helps students attendance and achievement test scores (p. 65). According to the book, Undernutrition is also associated with low

intelligence, poor academic achievement, irritability, and apathy. In a classroom setting, this can be applied more to the high school and college levels, as it is more noticeable. From experience, skipping breakfast isnt smart, and I found it hard to stay awake in my morning courses. I enjoyed this chapter because I could more closely relate to it, being a student and a teacher-in-the-making. Learning Spanish would be very easy for a 5 year old, as they are still developing language skills, and now I know why its getting more difficult each year for me now.