Parts of the Brain & MARGE Conclusions
CPD: MARGE Model for Learning (by Nimish Lad), topic 1.1.2
Parts of the Brain
The brain has six main regions, and based on Shimamura's MARGE we can make five key conclusions from the interactions between different parts of the brain.
Parts of the brain
- Prefrontal cortex (PFC) – controls the executive functions such as attention, decision making, and the maintenance of working memory.
- Occipital cortex – where visual imagery is processed.
- Heschl's gyrus – where auditory information is processed.
Parts of the brain (cont)
- Medial temporal lobe (MTL) – binds information into episodic memory.
- Cerebral cortex – where conceptual knowledge is stored.
- Midbrain – contains the rewards circuit; linked to motivation and memory.
MARGE conclusions
- To ensure students remain motivated to learn, we need to foster epistemic curiosity, activating the midbrain reward pathways.
- Consideration must be given to the amount and layout of text being presented, as well as what is being said, to ensure the prefrontal cortex knows what to attend to.
MARGE conclusions (cont)
- The delivery of new concepts needs to allow our medial temporal lobe to relate new information to existing information.
- Build-in opportunities for students to generate connections in the cerebral cortex, through repeated usage and reactivation of learned information.
- Without the prefrontal cortex focussing on the right stimulus and evaluating the knowledge we have gained, the process of learning becomes obsolete.
Test yourself on Parts of the Brain & MARGE Conclusions
What are the six main regions of the brain?
Which of these is NOT a part of the brain?
What will happen if the prefrontal cortex does not focus on the right stimulus?
What conclusions can be drawn from MARGE?