The Brain Compatible Classroom, Essay Example

Introduction

The development of cognitive science that studies mind and its processes led to the development of brain-based learning. The main principles of a brain-based approach to learning and teaching are to involve brain abilities and features in the learning process, thus improving its ability to process, to comprehend, and to store information. During the educational process, it is essential to take into consideration that each brain is unique, and it changes its structure while acquiring new knowledge. The brain organization is also influenced by a person’s experience, environmental factors, and biological conditions. The brain has different types of memory such as declarative/explicit memory, semantic memory, episodic memory, and non-declarative/implicit memory. While teaching and learning, it is necessary to use information processed consciously and unconsciously, since much of it is perceived peripherally.

The works of Caine and Caine (1990), Cambourne (1995), Nevills and Wolfe (2009), etc., studied natural and unnatural processes of the brain to improve its productivity, and to ensure advancement in learning techniques. Other researchers such as Fogarty (2009), Gardner (1983), etc., revealed that progress in the learning process requires additional strategies and approaches to increase brain outcomes. Hence, the classroom environment and emotions play a significant role in the learning process. Gardner (1983) offered the theory of multiple intelligences that has expanded the scope of teachers’ approaches to the educational process. The theory also allows teachers to figure out strong and weak sides of each student and to coordinate their learning activities aimed at everyone’s progress. Besides, it is critical to be aware of the importance of priming skills, and one should take into consideration a close relation between reading and writing skills.

This paper is dedicated to find an answer on the inquiry question: what strategies pertain to brain-based learning and how to organize them in a strategy manual. The work is targeted to provide considerable assistance to teachers and parents in achieving positive results in education. As the involvement of a student in the educational process is critical for meaningful learning, this paper aims to enable learners with a clear image of the brain-compatible classroom strategies and activities. Since there are many opinions of the ways to improve the advancement level in studies, there is strong evidence of the necessity to investigate the role of emotions as a part of the leaning climate. There is a need to analyze the learning environment, and to identify advancing approaches to this sphere of education. Moreover, it is essential to consider the theory of multiple intelligences and its influences on the educational process. Priming skills and a reading-writing relationship are also a focus of this study; after examining all strategies, one has to make conclusions on how to organize the brain-compatible classroom.

The Role of Emotions in the Learning Environment

Classroom climate depends on three main factors – academic, management, and emotional environments. Though emotional condition of a student plays a significant role in his progress and interaction with co-mates and teachers, this aspect is usually darkened by curricular and pedagogical elements. This little recognition of emotional relevance is also supported by management issues pertaining to order maintenance and discipline establishment (Evans et al., 2009). However, a variety of programs have been designed and developed to ensure “positive, pro-social, emotional behavior” (Evans et al., 2009, p. 134), and thus, to eliminate misbehavior, aggression, and conflicts in the classroom. These programs are not a solution to the existing problem of emotional learning climate, as each child is unique and requires a unique approach from teachers.

It is crucial for a teacher to acquire understanding that each child comes to the classroom with a unique set of his or her previous knowledge, expectations, and other experiences. Each child has his or her own social skills, sense of well-being, emotion regulation, self-efficacy, need for teacher approval and attention, desired outcomes, and enjoyment of group activities (Evans et al., 2009, p. 136). Hence, experience, personality, and home authority figures formulate a child’s concept of a good teacher. Positive instructional support of the teacher ensures positive emotional climate of a child in the classroom environment. Evans et al. (2009) claimed that to achieve this objective, teachers should manage four main aspects – provision of excitement and imagination, instructional context, regulation/discipline, and interaction (Evans et al., 2009, p. 137).

The learning process can be exciting if a teacher finds and tries new ways to conduct educational exercises such as interactive activities, competitions, and involvement of modeling, drawing, and performing. Well-prepared and planned lessons provide students with a proper instructional support and thus, improve comprehension of new information and student satisfaction. A positive student attitude to school rules and disciplinary regulations is possible when their importance and purposes are discussed with students (Evans et al., 2009). This allows students to involve in the learning process within the regulatory context, and to feel as a part of school board. It is essential for a teacher to establish and to maintain close relationships with their students; evidence of interest in personal problems of each student is a key of sincere and supportive interaction between teachers and students (Cohen et al., 2009).

Caine and Caine (1990) also emphasized the importance of positive emotions in the learning process in their twelve principles of brain-based learning. Thus, teachers should take into consideration student’s attitudes and emotions involved in learning. It is essential for a teacher to engage in the learning process with enthusiasm, and to create an encouraging atmosphere. As the main predictors of educational advancement are the threat and criticism, it is teachers’ task to highlight student achievements, and to eliminate a fear of failure. Classroom environment should be organized the way to provide “a state of relaxed alertness in students” (Caine & Caine, 1990, p. 69). Therefore, the emotional color of interactions between students and teachers depends on the support sincerity offered by administrators, teachers, and students to each other (Caine & Caine, 1990).

According to Meyer and Turner (2006), “consistently positive emotional experiences… contribute to a classroom climate that forms the foundation for teacher-student relationships and interactions necessary for motivation to learn” (p. 377). Hence, emotions and emotional relationships between students and teachers are the central element of advancement in studies. It is essential for a teacher to be able to differentiate students’ emotions and causes, and to manage his or her own emotions aroused in various situations (Evans et al., 2009). Both students and teachers should be tolerant to feelings and problems of each other as they are mostly unconnected with curriculum or school issues. As teachers have more knowledge and life experience, they should provide emotion coaching to their students including empathy with a child’s problems, acceptance of efforts made to perform the task, encouragement of child’s success, and absence of criticism of child’s faults (Caine & Caine, 1990).

The Role of Learning Environment

There is strong evidence of how valuable personality development is; its key elements are learning and remembering processes that ensure processing and storage of information. Today, teachers pay much attention to the organization of classroom environment to encourage students to gain new knowledge and skills. Educators try to go beyond the traditional classroom structures through creating new highly motivating activities. However, the instructional design remains mostly the same; students are assigned with lesson objectives and direct instruction focused on learning and assessed in compliance with the set grading system (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009). “There is a real world and why does not school look more like the world?” (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009, p. 89). The concept of engaging school education into real life activities is a direct reference to brain-based learning aimed at relating new knowledge with previous experience.

Brian Cambourne (1995) emphasized the importance of connecting classroom activities to real world through his Conditions of Learning. Withdrawing from the traditional academic system with hard-academic curriculum is necessary to educate a student to the fullest potential (Cambourne, 1995). Nevills and Wolfe (2009) declared that children achieve better progress when they accomplish tasks in natural settings as the brain is designed to explore the world, not the classroom objects. It is considerable to support classroom activities with music, especially classic music, as its calm and relaxing sounds stimulate the brain, eliminate ambient noise, and provide a sense of harmony. Moreover, stimulation of oral language system by the sounds of music may increase a person’s sensitivity for the language sounds (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009).

Besides exciting classroom activities, student’s motivation can be provoked by participation in various experimental projects and youth organizations (Kaufman et al., 2008). This aspect of classroom environment is closely connected with emotional climate of students. Students are enabled to discover new knowledge and experiences through non-traditional tasks and assignments, which increases their level of self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities; moreover, they interact closely with their co-mates. Proper teacher support and coordination help to provide this experience with positive emotions and, consequently, positive attitude towards learning.  Therefore, emotional and physical environments of the classroom both relate to communication with teachers and co-mates and academic content being studied (Kaufman et al., 2008). While the emotional climate is a result of positive interactions and varied content, learning environment is their cause.

It is essential to remember that the brain also needs a break, as it gets tired and bored. It is hard to keep a student focused and concentrated on the performance of the same task for a long time. Thus, there should be a constant shift of activities to keep the brain interested and active. It is also considerable to provide different activities aimed at training the same task as it eliminates student boredom. The involvement of physical movement in the educational process provides a boost of energy to the body and the brain as well. Visual effects contribute to a friendly learning atmosphere; various charts, posters, presentations, etc. may motivate and assist students simultaneously. The traditional academic scheme – learning and practicing through exercise completion – can be supported with group activities, project assignments, and competitions.

Different colors arouse different emotions; thus, important things can be highlighted with red color such as printed reading rules of difficult morpheme combinations hanging on the walls. Yellow color may emphasize students’ achievements, while blue color may be dedicated to some entertainment activities. Both color scheme and visualization of the classroom environment is targeted to automatic learning when the brain processes and comprehends information unconsciously. Various pair, group, or team activities are helpful for cooperative learning; and if instructed and coordinated properly, they arouse positive emotions. Individual tasks or challenging assignments serve to engage learners in problem solving and decision making that develops their critical thinking skills.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The investigation of person’s abilities to store information, to expand the vocabulary, to perform arithmetic tasks, to remember a series of numbers, and to find similarities between two things makes a person’s intelligence quotient (IQ) (Gardner, 1993). The results of IQ test are extremely important for a person’s future success as they mean to determine a person’s ability to manage school subjects. Gardner (1993) claimed that the IQ test is unable to foresee the person’s future development and advancement in studies as each brain is unique, while questions of IQ test are the same. Every person has his or her strengths and weaknesses in studies identified only through individualized approach, but not through standard questionnaire. Hence, there is evidence of the necessity to expand and reformulate the social view of what human intellect is; this is the way to provide appropriate assessment of person’s intellectual abilities, and to develop effective ways of enlarging intellectual scope (Gardner, 1993).

In contrast to the existing IQ assessment concept, Gardner (1993) offered a new concept of human intelligence reflected in his theory of multiple intelligences. The general idea of the theory is that everyone is capable of acquiring new knowledge and skills and experience the world around. Moreover, Gardner (1993) gave a new definition of the term ‘intelligence’; it is “a bio-psychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture (as cited in Abdallah, 2008, p. 22). In his theory, Gardner (1993) declared the possibility of existence of at least seven intelligences. They are verbal-linguistic intelligence, logical/mathematical intelligence, intrapersonal/introspective intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, bodily/kinesthetic intelligence, visual/spatial intelligence, and musical/rhythmic intelligence.

Verbal/linguistic intelligence refers to the person’s ability to learn languages and their aspects; moreover, a person with such intelligence has excellent interpersonal and communicative skills. He or she is able to learn through reading, listening, discussing, and writing; he or she is good at comprehending, interpreting, paraphrasing, and remembering information (Abdallah, 2008). Logical/mathematical intelligence involves the ability for scientific reasoning through deduction or induction and recognition and manipulation of separate patterns and relationships (Abdallah, 2008). Well-developed logical/mathematical intelligence is usually demonstrated by problem-solving skills, mathematical thinking, interest in accounting, law, chemistry, computer technology, and engineering, and ability to perform complex operations such as research methods or computer programming (Abdallah, 2008).

The intrapersonal/introspective intelligence refers to the ability to understand oneself, and to effectively regulate one’s own life. A person with such intelligence is aware of his or her emotions, able to express thoughts and feelings, curious about eternal questions, and seeks self-actualization (Abdallah, 2008). Interpersonal intelligence means a person’s ability to understand other people, and to interact with them effectively. A person with such intelligence usually establishes and maintains sufficient social relationships, influences others actions or opinions, adapts his or her behavior to meet different groups or environments, and seeks positions in the fields of teaching, counseling, politics, social work, or management (Abdallah, 2008). Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence involves the capacity to use the body to create products, solve problems, and convey emotions and ideas. A person with such intelligence experiences the world through touching and movement, and is good at acting, dancing, sport, sewing, building, etc. (Abdallah, 2008).

Visual/spatial; intelligence is “the ability to create visual-spatial representations of the world and transfer those representations either mentally, or concretely” (Abdallah, 2008, p. 29). It also includes a person’s potential to organize and manage wide space patterns and restricted area patterns as well. A person with such intelligence is good at observing activities to capture all details and features and creating visual and concrete information representations. These skills and abilities are appropriate for a successful artist, architect, photographer, designer, or engineer (Abdallah, 2008). Musical/rhythmic intelligence involves skills in performing, appreciating, and composing musical patterns, and includes the ability for sounds’ rhyming, pitching, and timbering. A person with such intelligence perceives the world through sounds, and is interested in the professions like a singer, musician, composer, sound engineer, or instrumentalist (Abdallah, 2008).

Hence, the awareness of person’s type of intelligence assists teachers and students in achieving desired outcomes in the learning process. The identification of student intelligence provides a teacher with strategies and techniques to perform an individualized approach to a student. A teacher chooses activities and tasks that are appropriate to student intelligence to ensure successful processing and storage of information. Such integrated education arouses more interest with a student, makes the learning process more enjoyable, and gives strong motivation. The instruction based on the theory of multiple intelligences is more likely to reveal strengths and weaknesses of a student, than standard curriculum. A different type of intelligence means that a person has special memory features. Verbal/linguistic intelligence requires learning through listening and discussing information; logical/mathematical intelligence needs scientific explanations and rules; intrapersonal/introspective intelligence requires emotional involvement. Interpersonal intelligence needs pair or group discussions and cooperation; bodily/kinesthetic intelligence demands activities with handicrafts involved. Visual/special intelligence requires visual effects such as charts, diagrams, and presentations; musical/rhythmic intelligence needs musical accompaniment, rhymes, chants, etc.

Priming Skills

Priming skills are a combination of attention, memory, concentration, and organization. These skills are features of the implicit memory and considered being in the ‘ready for action’ state. It is essential to develop priming skills properly in children in the early school grades as they perform a crucial role in the process of comprehending and storing information. There are some attributes of priming skills that are necessary to the brainwork required for the educational process, especially reading as it is a fundamental skill of primary school learning (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009, p. 73). Incoming sensory signals, not related to reading, should be ignored or blocked to focus attention on the reading task. Concentration on reading requires directed, sustained, thoughtful focus of children on specific verbal or visual cues. Unconscious information move from working to long-term memory of a child needs series of consciously stimulated activities. Organization refers to both the unique organization of each person’s brain and his or her physical work environment (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009, p. 73).

These priming skills necessary for the advancement in studies are supposed to be peculiar for young children. However, studies show that some children experience lack of one or two priming skills that predicate easy process of learning to read. On the contrary, some older people appear to have some elements of priming skills (Gupta & Cohen, 2002). Because of the importance of these skills, today, teachers pay considerable attention to the development of priming skills. Brain plasticity makes these skills highly teachable; however, it is critical for their development to change traditional classroom activities into the real world experiences (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009). Hence, teachers should understand the importance of priming skills and apply different strategies to achieve brain development in preschool and early school years. During this period, the brain performs the process of “making connections and forming networks” to comprehend and store information learnt in primary school (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009, p. 74). The awareness of these processes assists a teacher in creating and providing activities aimed at supporting to structure this brain development.

As reading is a fundamental stage of a child’s language-to-literacy transition development, it is essential to consider brain’s ability to categorize, to organize, and to store information through priming skills. Besides attention, concentration, and focus, priming skills serve to access memory to previous learning experiences, to ensure student motivation through setting the instructional stage, and to think in structured meaningful word clusters (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009). The productivity of priming skills depends mostly on the child’s emotional and physical conditions. A child who comes to school tired or has a low glucose level – probably, because of breakfast absence – experiences lack in motivation and concentration; thus, he or she is unable to focus completely on the task. Therefore, the development of priming skills necessary to ensure a child’s success in learning depends on various aspects that should be considered by teachers (Gupta & Cohen, 2002).

Classroom environment also plays a significant role in the performance of priming skills. Full potential of attention can be reached through proper classroom organization; there should not be any visual or sound distractors in the learning process. Thus, a teacher is required to establish proper discipline and provide clear instruction to focus a child on the task assigned (Gupta & Cohen, 2002). A variety of task activities ensures child’s concentration on the educational process, while a boring long-term assignment is likely to reduce child’s concentration, interest, and motivation. To help a child’s brain move information from working to long-term memory, a teacher should motivate a child to perform rehearsal and practice exercises. Moreover, a teacher is responsible for the organization of both the learning process and child’s brainwork. This can be done through a range of organizational plays and activities aimed at structuring child’s thinking and proper storage of information (Nevills & Wolfe, 2009).

Connection between Reading and Writing

As reading skills are fundamental for literacy development and further advancement in studies, reciprocal relation between reading and writing processes should be taken into consideration in education. According to Anderson and Briggs (2011), “when we write, we read; when we read, we compose meaning” (p. 546). This connection is essential for readers and profoundly influences children with difficulty to learn reading and writing. Thus, it is critical to educate children to write and to read as a common process, as their separation deprives children of the opportunity to construct reciprocal, strategic, powerful operations (Anderson & Briggs, 2011). When children write, they learn to express their thoughts and ideas, to compose the message, and to search for ways how to organize and to record that message. Dyson (1997) claimed that for this process, children need to act both as author and audience through giving and responding to their inner voices. These interactions assist children in expressing themselves and constructing identities.

Processes of reading and writing are the result of a child’s mental activity and cognitive processing that are identical for both skills. While reading, a child searches, monitors, and makes corrections for or/and with meaning (semantics), graphophonic information (sound-letter-word cooperation), and structure (syntax) (Anderson & Briggs, 2011). While writing, a child designs imaginary and social worlds through referring meaning in his or her life (semantics) (Dyson, 1997). Therefore, a child uses his or her oral language and experience of how words are grouped together in books to express own thoughts. Thus, teachers should observe reciprocity between reading and writing processes presented in the table (Anderson & Briggs, 2011).

Hence, a teacher should integrate the educational process of reading and writing in compliance with reciprocal relation between these two skills. To satisfy student’s searching for meaning while writing, a teacher should provide genuine conversations such as what does the reader need to know, or what is one eager to say. Reading should be taught through genre, cover illustration, title, etc. consideration such as what does one think about the story, or what would make sense. A student need for monitoring for meaning while writing can be met through rereading and checking whether it is exactly what one wanted to say. Reading is taught through analyzing whether there is any sense in the content. The stage of searching for structure in writing is performed through analysis of what can be written about a thing; in reading, it is considerable to reread and try something that sounds better. A monitoring for structure stage in writing is managed through rereading and checking whether the message sounds the way one wanted; in reading, it is the analysis of the possibility to say something the way one did.

When a student searches for graphophonic information in writing, a teacher should encourage him or her to read the word slowly, and to analyze what would sound or look right. In reading, a student should think about the meaning and writing such as what would the word or letters say if one was writing. When a student monitors for graphophonic information in writing, he or she should read the word slowly while running the finger underneath it, and analyze its look. In reading, a student should repeat the word analysis in the context of writing and make sure the word look right. During self-correction stage both in reading and writing, a teacher should highlight student’s diligence and careful attitude to the assignment. Therefore, there is strong evidence that processes of learning to read and write should be taught as a common aspect; it is critical to integrate the existing curriculum to eliminate boundaries between these reciprocal skills (Choo, 2010).

Conclusion

The aim of brain-based learning is to involve the whole scope of brain abilities and to increase its productivity, to engage students in the educational process and to motivate them, and to ensure the advancement in studies. These challenging objectives require the establishment and maintenance of the brain compatible classroom. There are a number of theories and strategies claiming how to organize the learning process and to achieve the desired outcomes. From the investigated literature, it is clear, that the brain compatible classroom is not a separate aspect, but a combination of teaching strategies and approaches. The progress in the educational process is possible for achievement through integrated curriculum, teaching, and learning that reflect the cooperation of five main aspects. Emotional learning climate, learning environment, knowledge of multiple intelligences, priming skills, and reciprocity between writing and reading are the attributes of the brain compatible classroom.

All aspects of the brain compatible classroom are interrelated and interdependent in the learning process. Positive emotions play one of the most significant roles in the educational progress; they ensure the student’s interest, concentration, and motivation. When a student is involved in the learning process and encouraged by a teacher, his or her self-esteem and confidence in personal abilities arouse. The engagement in various pair or group activities provides constant communication with co-mates and teachers; this ensures sincere relationships and effective support to each other. If learning environment is organized in a friendly way for learning, it also arouses positive emotions to learning. It is critical to transform traditional classroom exercises and environment into the real world activities as natural settings stimulate the brain to process and store information. Moreover, such activities clarify the importance of information being learnt, and show practical application of acquired knowledge and skills.

Each person is unique as each brain is unique; thus, each student processes and comprehends information in a different way. There are seven intelligences that reflect person’s abilities to separate scientific fields, and explain one’s inability to understand some tasks or subjects. Therefore, it is essential to prepare and plan classroom activities in compliance with all types of intelligence. There should be discussions and listening activities, scientific explanations and research projects, emotional consideration, cooperation and groups activities, exercises including touching and moving, visual effects, and music or sound accompaniment. It is also crucial to develop person’s priming skills in early school years as they serve for attention, concentration, memorizing, and organization of information. The evidence of reciprocal connection between reading and writing makes vivid the necessity to possess these skills as a common learning aspect. Hence, simultaneous implementation of the stated above strategies and approaches ensures student interest and advancement in the educational process.

References

Abdallah, M.M.S. (2008). Multiple ways to Be Smart: Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Its Educational Implications in English Teaching and Oral Communication. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED502634.pdf

Anderson, N.L., & Briggs, C. (2011). Reciprocity between Reading and Writing: Strategic Processing as Common Ground. Reading Teacher, Vol. 64, No. 7, pp. 546-549.

Caine, R.N., & Caine, G. (1990). Understanding a Brain-Based Approach to Learning and Teaching. Educational Leadership, vol. 48, Iss. 2, pp. 66-70.

Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward An Educationally Relevant Theory of Literacy Learning: Twenty Years of Inquiry. The Reading Teacher, Vol. 49, No. 3, Cambourne’s scheme.

Cohen, J., Pickeral, T., & McCloskey, M. (2009). Assessing School Climate. Education Digest, Vol. 74, Iss. 8, pp. 45-48.

Choo, S.S. (2010). Writing through Visual Acts of Reading: Incorporating Visual Aesthetics in Integrated Writing and Reading Tasks. High School Journal, Vol.93, No. 4, pp. 166-176.

Dyson, A.H. (1997). Writing superheroes: Contemporary childhood, popular culture, and classroom literacy. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Evans, I.M., Harvey, S.T., Buckley, L., & Yan, E. (2009). Differentiating Classroom Climate Concepts: Academic, Management, and Emotional Environments. New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 4, Iss. 2, pp. 131-146.

Gardner, H. (1993). Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Gupta, P.U., & Cohen, N.J. (2002). Theoretical and computational analysis of skill learning, repetition priming, and procedural memory. Psychological Review, Vol. 109, Iss. 2, pp. 401-448.

Hileman, S. (2006). Motivating Students Using Brain-based Teaching Strategies. The Agricultural Educational Magazine, Vol. 78, Iss. 4, pp. 18-20.

Kaufman, E.K., Robinson, J.S., Bellah, K.A., Akers, C., Haase-Wittler, P., & Martindale, L. (2008). Engaging Students with Brain-Based Learning. Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, Vol. 83, Iss. 6, pp. 50-55.

Meyer, D.K., & Turner, J.C. (2006). Re-conceptualizing emotion and motivation to learn in classroom contexts. Educational Psychology Review, No. 18, pp. 377-390.

Nevills, P., & Wolfe, P. (2009). Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3 (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press