The main roles of the occipital lobes in brain functioning - receiving and processing of visual information and recognition of size, colour, motion and shape
The lobes’ basic structure; left, right occipital lobes and the primary visual cortex
The roles of significant substructures
Damage to the lobes can result in object agnosia, hallucinations, severe decreased vision or total blindness
The occipital lobes operate in coordination with other areas of the brain to carry out different functions
And apply knowledge to other contexts in a meaningful manner
content.
activity 1.
Activity 1. Stroop Effect Practise test
Real test Instructions: Students are required to work in pairs. One student will verbally name the colour of the word, which can be difficult, as the colour can be different from what the word says. This student will start with the practise test and then complete the real test. The partner is required to record the time taken by the student to finish the practise test, then the time taken to finish the actual Stroop test. The students will swap over so they both have their time recorded.
After comparing the time taken, students will understand the difference and the difficulty between two tests, after completing both tests. The activity is linked to the function of the occipital lobe, more specifically, the primary visual cortex. Students will be able to recognise that damage to the occipital lobe may result in the inability to differentiate colours and words.
For an extended activity, students can complete this modified Stroop Effect test. This activity can be incorporated into the lesson to target engagement or as a reward for completing their work early. Instead of awarding students with prizes after completion of tasks, educators are encouraged to reward students with prizes that have an educational value. This is more likely to enhance student engagement with learning content because it negates from students having the mindset of finishing a task to obtain an impractical reward, such as candy and canteen vouchers.
Instructions: Students will verbally name the colour and the shape of the given shape, carefully ignoring the words underneath each picture.
After the class finishes the activity, teachers are encouraged to explain the relationship between the activity and the learning content.
Some questions that can be generated during the discussion include:
Which lobe is responsible for processing this information?
How is visual information processed in the brain?
How difficult was the Stroop test? What accounts for the difficulty in completing the activity?
If patients have damaged their occipital lobes, how will their performance in this activity be affected?
It is not essential that all students can answer these questions, however, it is critical that they begin to think about these concepts related to the function of the occipital lobe. The teacher can explain these questions depending on students’ level of curiosity.
By working in pairs, students are motivated by the challenge presented by the activity. Activities with an appropriate level of challenge is capable of fostering motivation from students and can ultimately result in productive learning (Churchill et al., 2016). As students aim to finish the task as quickly as possible, this will also reduce the amount of time of inactivity and can be effective in time management of the lesson for educators.
To modify the activity, we have provided the extended Stroop Effect table. Educators are encouraged to change the size of the tables, to cater to the amount of time they plan to spend on the activity. Depending on the teaching approach, students can work individually, in pairs or as a class for the activity.
Ishihara 38 Plates CVD Test is most commonly used in optometry to determine colourblindness. One of the causes of non-hereditary colour-blindness is damage to the occipital lobe.
Instructions: Students will work individually to complete the online test. Students can discuss their results in pairs or groups of three and then as a whole class. The test used is obtained from http://www.color-blindness.com/ishihara-38-plates-cvd-test/#prettyPhoto Firstly, a discussion can be generated and teacher can ask students about the indication of their scores. Educators must explain that damage to the occipital lobe is only one of the causes of colour-blindness and a brief explanation for the other causes of colourblindness should be given. Questions to be discussed in the classroom include:
What are the other causes of colour blindness?
Compared to other symptoms of of damaged occipital lobes, is colour blindness a major issue?
What difficulties will patients with colourblindness experience in their daily routine?
Are there other forms of colourblindness besides red-green?
Which colours do patients with red-green colourblindness find difficult to identify?
The colour-blind test is very suitable for learning, mainly because it is a relatively common disease that is easy for majority of the students to understand. Students are able to understand the other causes of colourblindness and how patients’ lives can be affected by this deficiency. Furthermore, students will understand other symptoms that arise from damages to the occipital lobes. The test is also commonly performed in optometry and through this learning task, students are able to investigate and acquire an understanding of how colour blindness is diagnosed in a clinical setting. Educators and students also have the opportunity to explore further information in other tabs of the website.
Examine these optical illusions. What can you see?
Can you observe more than one image?
Did some images appear to move?
Optical illusions aptly demonstrate the functions of the occipital lobe. They are visually entrancing and inclined to capture the attention of people. Their deceptive nature prompts us to further investigate why our minds can be easily misled. This would be a practical activity to introduce the occipital lobe or conclude the lesson on an interesting note. Visual illusions are powerful tools in stimulating curiosity and generating class discussions. Teachers can ask students to talk over with one another what they observe and compare to see if there are any conflicting perceptions. Students are allowed to gain and reflect on new perspectives and peer communication is promoted. Creativity skills are also cultivated in conducting this activity.
Teachers can challenge students to research further outside of the classroom and approach visual illusions using an inquiry-based learning model. In inquiry instruction, learners have the chance to be inquisitive and ask questions, research, learn through social experiences, solve problems, analyse and critique, create solutions and explore issues relevant to the real world. Such skills are paramount for learning in the classroom and beyond and permeate the fabric of essential educational documents, including the Australian Curriculum and the Melbourne Declaration. Another option for teachers is to call for students to design their own optical illusion and share it with the class. Visual learners are a key target of this activity but also kinesthetic learners as well.
activity 4.
Activity 4. Assessment quiz
We have compiled a short assessment quiz for this topic as the the content we have chosen to deliver for the occipital lobe is far simpler compared to the other lobes.
Instructions: Students will complete this online quiz under test conditions. The students will obtain their individual results, which will give an indication of their current level of learning. The quiz also provides a brief outline on which areas they excel at and other areas they need improvement on. Educators are encouraged to discuss the quiz questions with the class to correct any misunderstandings. This is also critical for reflection as teachers can evaluate the success of their delivery of the content and incorporation of learning activities.