We headed to Woodstock Elementary School in southeast Portland, where teacher Joyce Iliff told us her first grade students were learning about dendrites! Joyce wasn’t kidding – they were a very informed and energetic class of kids…
We began by introducing ourselves, and described where we work and study. We also explaining how “neuroscience” is the science of neurons, those individuals cells that form very complex networks in our brain, allowing us to think, feel, speak, decide, attend, and remember…
Since they were so knowledgeable and curious about dendrites, we decided to introduce all the different parts of these remarkable cells, including the dendrites, which branch from a neuron’s cell body, and receive chemical messages from the axon terminals of other nerve cells…
NW Noggin volunteers explained how the cell body (or “soma”) contains DNA, which specifies how to build the different parts of every cell, including neurons. Neurons also have axons, which are like wires, that carry messages – electrical messages – away from the cell body towards their ends, or “terminals.” Sometimes these axons are very long, reaching all the way from your toes, for example, to the base of your brain!
Joyce had already introduced her students to the important fact that neurons grow additional connections when children are exposed to “enriched” environments, with lots to learn and do. The kids explained to us that perseverance in the face of challenge was particularly good for expanding dendrites, creating more surface area for additional synaptic connections.
(From Huttenlocher and Dabholkar, 1997)
Of course, by first grade, some removal of unnecessary synapses is also well underway, and perseverance in the face of challenge can help strengthen the useful links, while weakening or pruning away other synapses that don’t properly route information…
The students then eagerly began building their own neurons, complete with dendrites, cell bodies, axons and axon terminals, while our NW Noggin volunteers answered many questions…
The first graders also enjoyed the opportunity to hold and examine real human brains up close…
We had a wonderful afternoon at Woodstock Elementary. Many thanks to teacher Joyce Iliff, who is retiring this year – and to the sharp, terrific kids in her enriched, dendrite-building classroom…
