The first element to brain-based learning, and in my mind the most important for any type of learning, is creating a safe environment (Boss, S., 2011). Some children come from homes that are not safe, the classroom is the only place that is capable of being a safety zone for them. Children who come from low socioeconomic families often have more stress in their lives that are created by the parents (from lack of parenting and forced caring for themselves), which leads to poor school performance and behavior (Jensen, E., 2009). Creating this environment can be difficult with these children, but a few ways to do this is to show respect toward the students, use classroom strategies to strengthen emotional and social skills, and create a family atmosphere (Jensen, E., 2009). This can help eliminate some of the stress in a child’s life, relieving them of anxiousness or fear at school, which gives them a better chance of learning and being successful (Boss, S., 2011). Having a safe environment can lead to children being comfortable in group settings where they must work together to create a product, which is often done in differentiation through problem based learning. If a classroom is not a safe environment where students feel like they are allowed to express their thoughts and opinions, differentiation and problem based learning will be hard to incorporate. A safe environment can encourage students to grow.
In order for students to grow, we must get their brains and bodies in gear (and keep it ready throughout the day), which is the second element to brain-based learning (Boss, S., 2011). The brain is limited in its ability to pay attention for long periods of time (Restaino, R., 2011). This being the case we must take the time to prepare student’s mind for learning and take breaks during the learning process to keep their brains focused on concepts. We all have highs and lows throughout the day and if teachers can gauge when their students have their high and lows, they can capitalize on time and make the most use of it. When a student reaches a low, the teacher needs to get the students back in gear for learning. Some ideas of how incorporate active activity into the learning process would be to switch to an active game that relates to the concepts, take the class outside for a few minutes, or give a discussion starter about the topic and have students take a walk and pair-share (Jensen, E., 2005). Students need to time after the lesson to let the information settle in and make sense of it which can be achieved through taking a quiet walk, reflecting, eating lunch, or taking a break (Jensen, E., 2005). When we move too quickly through information it virtually guarantees that little will be learned or retained (Jensen, E., 2005). If teachers are going to keep their students brains in gear throughout the day, they need to use teaching methods that capture attention.
The third element to brain-based learning in the classroom is the use of novelty in teaching (Boss, S., 2011). Every brain loves novelty, even adults, so adding activities like music, movement, games, color, different fonts, or changing partners frequently can keep the child’s attention and be very beneficial (Shore, R., 2012). Using novelty allows the brain to become more active, and there is a difference between an active brain and a brain that is idle in which the learner has to sit still, be quiet, and listen to the teacher (Shore, R., 2012). Incorporating novelty allows for greater retention, “According to data, only five percent of a lecture is actually retained the day after it is retained, fifty percent if the lecture featured audiovisuals and discussion groups, and ninety percent retention if students taught or immediately used what they had learned” (Shore, R., 2012, pg. 132). This information informs teachers that problem based learning and differentiation is very beneficial to the brain because of the different activities that are used throughout can actually allow the students to retain the information better. When teaching is presented in a way that is interesting to a student and they are able to retain the information easily, this can allow for a change in thought when it comes to learning.
The fourth element to brain-based learning is to encourage a growth mind-set which is “the understanding that intelligence isn’t fixed by can be developed through effort” (Boss, S., 2011). When students understand that they can develop understanding through effort, they can begin to learn to set achievable goals in the classroom and share them with others, which could create hooks for the students to achieve their goals, because others can keep them accountable (Jensen, E., 2005). Children who are encouraged in this way are more willing to try and accomplish the more difficult tasks in the classroom, learn from their mistakes, and see feedback as useful instead of just negative (Boss, S., 2011). Using differentiation in the classroom with problem-based learning, students are possibly going to have to try multiple times before reaching a conclusion that works for the project. Brain-based learning allows the student to realize that this is okay, failures are not necessarily failures because they are showing what does not work, which is actually an avenue to being one step closer to success. Problem based learning also incorporates a lot of feedback so the students who are taught in a brain-based environment are more likely to respond to criticism as being helpful, positive, and a motivation to keep working hard (Boss, S., 2011). When teachers encourage a growth mind-set, they help students move toward higher-order thinking, which aligns with a major goal of problem based learning. In order for a growth mind-set to occur, teachers must allow for many revisions.
The fifth element of brain-based learning is that it must allow for feedback in order for students to be successful and is the “cornerstone of brain-based learning” (Boss, S., 2011). Feedback is more than telling students whether or not they got the right answers, it is also helping them understand what they did wrong and what they did correctly (Boss, S., 2011). Feedback is the most beneficial when students are engaged in an activity at an individualized achievable level, they are expected to challenge themselves, but not to the point where they cannot be successful, their brains are more engaged in the activity and their level of response for feedback is greater (Willis, J., 2011). Incorporation of video games can allow for instant feedback for students in a nonthreatening way and is a driving force for use in the classroom (Boss, S., 2011). Eric Jensen also has a variety of activities that can be included in the classroom to provide feedback to students which include: gallery walks, building models, presentations, peer editing, brainstorming discussions, compare and contrast work, and using audio or visual feedback (Boss, S., 2011). All of the activities mentioned by Eric Jensen that could be incorporated into the brain-based classroom are also activities that could be used with problem based learning and differentiation and can inform the teacher of where the student is at through personal feedback.
Like any element of instruction, the earlier the student is introduced to a particular way of the learning the better. Students who are introduced at a young age will be more comfortable learning this way and not be as nervous about exploring a different method of understanding. Brain-based learning is learning the way our brains are wired to learn, not by what is the easiest way it is for the teacher to deliver the content. It seems as though all the elements of brain-based learning aligns with differentiation and problem based learning, understanding that all students do not learn the same way. In order to set up a brain-based learning project, teachers need to build their knowledge across the curriculum of the question, develop a compelling driving question, and plan engaging activities. “It reinforces the importance of learning activities that are relevant, novel, multi sensory, and challenging enough to stretch students” (Boss, S., 2011, pg. 10). I think if we are truly incorporating differentiation into the classroom that brain-based learning is also being applied in the classroom, whether we know what it is or we have never heard of it.
I found this picture on pinterest about ways to incorporate brain-based learning into the classroom so I thought I would share it because it has some good ideas that relate to this week's topic.
Challenge:
A lot of the articles I was reading this week talked about humor in the classroom could lead to students feeling more comfortable and at ease with each other. So my first “way of being” would be to incorporate humor on a daily basis. This could be done through a joke, youtube video, song, or personal anecdote. I could also include the students in this by having them share something funny they found (with approval first to make sure it’s appropriate).
A second “way of being” to use in the classroom would be to use the settling time that Jensen talked about in Teaching with the Brain in Mind. I often times transition too quickly before letting the concepts sink in for the kids, because we all know there is a lot of information to get through during the year. Settling time doesn’t have to be a really long period of time, just a short reflection period. I could start doing this in my classes for my students.
A third “way of being” to use in the classroom that could lead to brain-based learning and differentiation would be to give more choice in final products that would be novelty products. Last year, I taught US History and I would give them projects to do. I would give them one idea and if they had any other ideas they could do those instead. I had one student who always went above and beyond what I could have even imagined they could do and I loved grading her assignments because they were always so different. All the other kids just did what I said to do, not because they couldn’t necessarily be more creative, but because it was easier to do the given idea and not have to put any additional thought into it. I feel like my students would have a hard time just developing ideas without practice, so I think if I assigned projects and put multiple ideas that they could choose from, they would have variety and it would make it more interesting when presenting. As time went on though I think I could start putting less and less examples of projects and be able to come up with ideas because they could use examples from the past and maybe expand on them as well.
Bibliography
Boss, S. (2011). Six tips for brain-based learning. file:///C:/Users/TLeiter/Downloads/edutopia-6-tips-brain-based-learning-guide.pdf
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind : What being poor does to kids’ brains and what schools can do about it. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Restaino, R. (2011). Gain attention, enhance memory, and improve learning with brain-based strategies. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 42(5).
Shore, R. (2012). "Profound levels of learning" through brain-based teaching: A tribute to Roland Barth. The Educational Forum, 76(1).
Willis, J. (2011). A neurologist makes the case for the video game model as a learning tool. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/neurologist-makes-case-video-game-model-learning-tool