Thursday, 3 April

In class

  1. Watch How Psychedelics Change the Brain.
  2. Answer and whiteboard the Unit 2 Learning Outcomes.
  3. Create your notecard for the Unit 2 exam.

Assignments

  1. Review for the Unit 2 exam on Monday.

Tuesday, 1 April

In class

  1. Turn in the restorative power of nature extra credit assignment if you have it.
  2. Discuss self-medication and its alternatives.
  3. Research and present one common drug of abuse and how it works in the brain.
  4. Begin your caffeine or sugar log.
  5. Start preparing your notebook for submission.

Assignments

  1. Get your notebook up to date.
  2. Begin reviewing for the Unit 2 exam, early next week.
The use of fMRI has revolutionized our understanding of the effects of drugs on the brain.
The use of fMRI has revolutionized our understanding of the effects of drugs on the brain.
The use of fMRI has revolutionized our understanding of the effects of drugs on the brain.

Friday, 21 March

In class

  1. Turn in your paper copy of the sleep hygiene plan and exercise plan and share your cortisol-lowering menu.
  2. Watch The Matrix, one of the finest artistic interpretations of the mind-body problem.

Wednesday, 19 March

In class

  1. Try our final type of meditation: guided imagery meditation.
  2. Watch Five Foods That Naturally Decrease Cortisol.
  3. Create a cortisol-lowering menu.

Assignments

  1. Finish and print your sleep hygiene and exercise plans to turn in at the start of class on Friday.
  2. Extra credit opportunity to complete over break: The Restorative Power of Nature, due Tuesday, 1 April.

Monday, 17 March

In class

  1. Try the second of our three types of medication: autogenic meditation.
  2. Investigate if light exercise can improve your problem solving capabilities.
  3. Begin work on your two projects:

Assignments

  1. Read the following two articles on exercise and the brain:
    • How Exercise Benefits the Brain. p. 139 – 144
    • How Exercise Protects Your Brain’s Health p. 145 – 147
  2. For Wednesday read:
    • Best Foods for a Healthy Brain… p. 125 – 130
    • How Omega-3 Fish Oil… p. 134 – 138

Thursday, 13 March

In class

  1. Summarize and plot our sleep study data.
  2. Prepare and carry out a scientific debate on the use of neurofeedback.
  3. Try our first of three types of guided meditation: Progressive Muscle Meditation.
    • If you missed class today, take your heart rate before and after going through the guided meditation and then write a short reflection in your notebook on your experience.

Assignments

  1. Read What is the Best Type of Meditation, p. 121 – 124.
The first of our three types of meditation that we will try is progressive muscle meditation.
The first of our three types of meditation that we will try is progressive muscle meditation.
The first of our three types of meditation that we will try is progressive muscle meditation.

Tuesday, 11 March

In class

  1. Review the Science of Sleep whiteboard questions.
  2. Describe your most recent dream.
  3. Watch 60 Minutes: The Science of Sleep

Assignments

  1. Finish your sleep study project data collection with tonight’s sleep.
  2. Read Can Monitoring Brain Waves Boost Mental Health? p. 114 – 118.

Friday, 7 March

In class

  1. Review your performance on the Unit 1 exam and make corrections.
  2. Watch A Walk Through the Stages of Sleep.
  3. Complete the Science of Sleep whiteboard exercises and present your assigned question to the class.

Assignments

  1. Continue collecting data for your sleep study project.

Wednesday, 5 March

In class

  1. Catch up on how things went during my absence last Thursday.
  2. Define stress and stressor as used in neuroscience.
  3. Whiteboard a list of stressors by age category.
  4. Learn about the two phases of the stress response.
  5. Introduce the Sleep Study Project.

Assignments

  1. Begin collecting data for the sleep study.
  2. Read:
    1. Your Body Knows The Difference… (p. 105 – 106)
    2. How Sleep Works (p. 107 – 111)
    3. Nightly Sleep… (p. 112 – 113)
    4. Alpha, Beta, Theta… (p. 57 – 60)
Excessive, unmanaged stress can have serious consequences on one’s health.
Excessive, unmanaged stress can have serious consequences on one’s health.
Excessive, unmanaged stress can have serious consequences on one’s health.

Friday, 28 February

In class

  1. Start a new section in your notebook for Unit 2 and title it Stress and Wellness Management. Update your table of contents.
  2. For your first notebook entry (titled Stress Test Reflection) respond to the following two prompts:
    1. How well do you believe the surveys captured your level of stress? Explain.
    2. Of the top 6 areas of stress in your life, which ones do you have some control over?
  3. Watch the documentary, Happy, and then complete the reflection assignment in Classroom.