Using Technology in a brain-Compatible Learning Environment
“I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks. I should say that on the average we get about two percent efficiency out of schoolbooks as they are written today. The education of the future, as I see it, will be conducted through the medium of the motion picture…where it should be possible to obtain one hundred percent efficiency.”
Although this was written by Thomas Edison in 1922 (as cited by Stanford professor Larry Cuban in Teachers and Machines), if one substitutes “computer” for “motion picture,” these words could be written today. As we seek ways to make learning more meaningful and efficient, a variety of media/technologies have surfaced as the answers to our educational prayers. Beginning with slateboards and moving up through radio, films, tape recorders, record players, television, VCRs, overhead projectors, and currently, computers, educators have continuously sought the means to teach students more effectively. However, each new medium was found to be only equally effective as the teacher, but with an increasing number of logistical and technical problems, marring the overall effectiveness.
Even in the mid-80’s, when computers in school were still somewhat of a novelty, Cuban noted some findings which still hold true today:
1. Peer tutoring is far more cost-effective than computer-aided instruction.
2. It is incorrect to assume that computerized instruction is superior to and produces better results than more conventional approaches.
3. The heart of classroom teaching is the teacher and the emotional connection/relationship with students. Time spent on computers is time taken away from this relationship, and these ties may unravel.
Most school districts have now spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to wire and equip their schools with the latest computers and internet connections. In fact, according to Quality Education Data (http://www.qeddata.com/), in 1998-1999 US school districts spent $6.7 billion dollars on educational technology, up from $5.4 billion the year before. But are these dollars well spent? Are our students becoming better educated through using computers? Are computers helping them learn the skills necessary to becoming productive, well-adjusted adults?
One of the best ways for students to truly learn to their capacity is to be taught in ways in which the brain learns best. The ITI model (Integrated Thematic Instruction) developed by Susan Kovalik carefully develops a brain-compatible learning environment, then structures curriculum to take advantage of the way the brain learns best. Can technology, specifically computer use, be successfully integrated into such an environment? Does technology take advantage of the ways the brain learns best?
The first step in answering these questions is to understand how the brain learns and the theory of the triune brain, as described by Kovalik in ITI: The Model (1994). Understanding the theory of the triune brain helps us understand how students learn best. The brain stem is the oldest brain, sometimes called the reptilian brain, and controls instinctual/survival behaviors. The brain stem early on controlled such areas as hunting, bonding, nesting, defending territory, courting, etc. This is the area of "fight or flight." This brain sees and reacts to input but does not store it, because the necessary action is needed immediately, not to be recalled later. Therefore, input is not stored in long term memory. The brain can "downshift" to the stem quickly when a student feels threatened; the brain will react but does not store information, making learning almost impossible.
The limbic brain regulates many ongoing functions of the body, such as eating, sleeping, body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and emotions. It is often referred to as the "gatekeeper," because it takes in information from all 19 senses and directs it to the proper storage area in the brain (words go in the language center, numbers go in the calculation center, etc). It is also responsible for transferring information from short-term to long-term memory.
The cerebral cortex, or mammalian brain, is the newest brain, at least in evolutionary terms. It is constantly processing thousands of bits of information every minute. This brain is capable of complex thinking, such as analyzing, creating, problem-solving, exploring, and synthesizing. Students must be in this part of the brain if cognitive learning is to occur. Students who are "in the stem" -- that is threatened, embarrassed, humiliated, criticized, etc -- cannot learn. The classroom must maintain an atmosphere in which the student feels safe from physical and emotional harm if learning is to take place. (pp. 17-19)
David Sousa, in How the brain Learns (1995), tells us that the neurons in a child’s brain make many more connections than those in an adult brain. He states, “A newborn’s brain makes connections at an incredible pace as the child absorbs its environment. The richer the environment, the greater number of interconnections that are made, and learning can take place faster and with greater meaning…..This process continues throughout our lives, but it appears to be at its greatest between the ages of 2 and 11. Thus, at an early age, experiences are already shaping the brain and designing the neural architecture that will influence how it handles future experiences in school work, and other places.” (p. 5)
Sousa agrees with Kovalik that input from the senses contributes to how we learn. He says that our senses collect 40,000 bits of information per second, on the average. Children deeply involved in multi-sensory learning experiences will process even more bits.
To capitalize on the brain’s capabilities, there are eight elements that must be incorporated into the classroom in order to maintain this atmosphere for optimal learning. Because the brain cannot operate at maximum efficiency unless it is in the cortex, the classroom environment is of utmost importance. A brain-compatible learning environment, as described by Kovalik, must be established.
The absence of threat is the initial stepping stone in creating a brain-compatible learning environment. Students must feel their talents and opinions are valued, and teachers must create and nurture an atmosphere of trust. Susan Kovalik suggests that teachers look upon their classroom as their living room and the students as her guests. How would you treat guests who come into your home? The classroom must be inviting - soft music playing, clean, uncluttered, and decorated appropriately (using lamps and plants, as well as curriculum-centered bulletin boards).
The teacher's management style is critical. Materials must be well-organized, and procedures and expectations should be clearly set forth. In his keynote address at the National Reading Renaissance Conference in Nashville in February, 2000, noted educator Harry Wong stated that the two crucial elements in a child's school success are an effective teacher and clearly established procedures. Procedures allow children to experience consistency and to take personal responsibility. Establishing and reinforcing procedures saves valuable classroom time which can be used for instruction, because students know without being told how to take the lunch count, turn in papers, work in groups, begin morning work, etc. Procedures give students a feeling of safety and security because they know how to do what is expected of them. Instead of wondering how the teacher expects a certain task to be done, the student can concentrate on the content being presented.
The lynchpin of establishing a safe classroom environment is the Lifelong Guidelines and the Lifeskills. When properly in place in the classroom and modeled by the teacher, they allow the children to remain "upshifted" for optimal learning.
The Lifelong Guidelines are Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Active Listening, No Put-Downs, and Personal Best. Students learn these best by watching teachers put them into practice. Students who learn to be trustworthy can be counted on to be responsible and truthful. When the student sees the teacher as trustworthy, he/she will feel comfortable seeking help, asking questions, and dealing with difficult situations. Truthfulness and trustworthiness are closely related. The student who learns to take responsibility by being truthful can be trusted. Students should be able to feel that they can tell the truth without fear of punishment. Active listening is quite different from hearing. Today our students are bombarded by noise from many areas, and they must learn to actively listen with their eyes, ears, heart, and undivided attention. The intention of a put-down is to make the speaker feel important and powerful, regardless of the impact. Put-downs are verbal, but they can also be seen in body language and behaviors. In a classroom with absence of threat, the student can focus his/her energy on learning rather than defending himself against put-downs. Encouraging a student to do his/her personal best allows the student to evaluate himself, rather than always having an adult measuring his/her behavior.
The student can determine for himself if he is successful, in part, by following these Lifeskills:
Integrity - to do the right thing, even if no one is looking
Initiative - to do something because it needs to be done
Flexibility - to be able to change plans
Perseverance - to keep working at something without giving up
Organization - to keep things organized and ready to use
Sense of Humor - to laugh and be playful without harming others
Effort - to try hard and do your best
Common Sense - to use good judgment
Responsibility - to be accountable for your actions
Patience - to wait calmly
Friendship - to make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring
Curiosity - to want to investigate and understand
Cooperation - to work together
Caring - to feel and show concern for others
Teachers can easily incorporate these lifeskills by using them to label behaviors: "Jane showed patience by waiting her turn." "Bill used perseverance to finish The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle." "It would have been easy to tell a lie, but Joe used integrity when he told the truth." Using this technique instead of "I like the way Jane showed patience" allows students to be responsible for their behavior instead of trying to please the teacher.
Kovalik says, "A trusting environment demands consistency and forethought. Consistency in daily interaction and expectations allows the children and you to concentrate on the work at hand. From the temperament of the teacher to the format of the day, the human brain looks for a pattern of action that is non-threatening. Forethought is about planning - daily, weekly, and long-range. To have thought through the activities, class movements, and scenarios that will best support powerful learning is the 'gift' you give your students." (Kovalik, 1994, p. 31)
Meaningful
content
is the second element of a brain-compatible
learning environment. This can be difficult to define, because what may be
meaningful to one person can be of no interest whatsoever to another.
However, there are several factors to be considered:
1.
It comes from real life, the natural world around us.
2.
It depends on the prior experiences we have had.
3.
It is important to all members of a "learning club."
4.
It is understandable, in part, because it is age-appropriate.
5.
It allows the brain
to seek patterns as a means to creating meaning.
6.
It creates intrinsic rewards rather than relying on an extrinsic
reward system.
REAL
LIFE - Brains have been equipped for millions of years with the ability to
adapt to natural surroundings to ensure survival.
The genetic neural wiring is geared to surviving in the natural world.
Therefore, science is the subject for which our students already have
the most built-in wiring, not reading, writing and math - these are relatively
new skills for our brains. Science
provides the most powerful context for learning all the other subjects.
PRIOR
EXPERIENCES - We can learn most easily when we can relate content to what we
already know. Making that
connection enables the brain
to see a pattern and make a mental program.
The "being there" experience allows true learning to take
place. Reading about pond life is
far less effective and meaningful than actually visiting a pond and seeing how
different forms of life interact. After
this "being there" experience, students then have a mental program
of pond life on which to "hook" further reading and learning about
this topic. Experience is the prerequisite for understanding.
Meaningful content "...for elementary students must begin with
firsthand, being there, here and now experiences.
They provide the mental scaffolding for the words which represent the
concepts and definitions of things they have experienced.
The number of 'experiences' must continuously increase so that students
will have a basis for relating and applying new information." (Kovalik,
1994, p. 40)
LEARNING
CLUBS - Throughout most of our lives we are members of learning clubs - the
group of neighborhood kids we played with, our family (both immediate and
extended), our co-workers, our community friends.
In a learning club, we choose to be like other members in certain
respects. For example, in a
Sunday School class, all members probably choose to worship, study, donate
money, and perform service. However,
when someone is rejected from a learning club, that person chooses not to be
like others or do what the others are doing.
In a learning club in school, students who are rejected (perhaps
because they are different or new), choose NOT to do what the others are
doing, such as learning. Meaningful
content must be important to all members of a learning club.
AGE-APPROPRIATENESS
- Our brain develops in
predictable stages, becoming capable of increasingly more difficult tasks.
Each new stage is dependent on complete development of the previous
stage. Students who are presented
with information that their brain
is not yet capable of processing will not "get it." When
understanding is beyond a child's capability, he/she will resort to
memorizing. Eventually students
come to rely on memorization instead of understanding.
When a student is unable to perform, he/she quickly loses confidence
and interest in learning.
From
age three to first grade the child is comparing the known to the unknown.
At this stage the child learns more words (and concepts behind them)
than at any other time. He learns
to group two objects on the basis of a single property (for example, cats and
dogs both have fur), mainly by trial and error.
Piaget calls this the "pre-operational stage."
In
second grade to third grade the child is putting things together, taking
things apart. The child can now
group many objects on the basis of a property, instead of just two and with
more thought; they can also rearrange materials with which they work.
Piaget's term for this stage is "early concrete operations."
Fourth
grade to sixth grade is the time for simultaneous ideas. Students can now
mentally coordinate two properties or concepts at the same time, such as place
value in math, themes in literature, and variables in science.
There is less trial and error and more contemplation of effects.
Piaget calls this "late concrete operations."
Any
curriculum which does not fall under these age-appropriate guidelines will not
truly be understood, only memorized, because the brain
is not yet capable of performing those tasks. Any learning experience which is
not a “being-there” experience may require complex mental operations for
which students are not ready.
PATTERN-SEEKING:
"The brain
learns by sifting through massive amounts of input, processing thousands of
bits of information per minute arriving through all 19 senses.
Obviously, and fortunately, this information is processed in a
multi-path, multi-modal way." Imagine
if our brain learned
only seeing first, then hearing, then touch, etc. "As the brain
attempts to make sense out of the chaos which surrounds each of us, it
constantly searches for patterns that can impose meaning on the input it
received." (Kovalik, 1994, p. 47)
INTRINSIC
REWARDS - When our brain
perceives new information as meaningful and therefore understood, it sends out
feelings of well-being. This
sense of accomplishment is heady and effective and does not require an
external reward.
The third element is choice. For years our educational system
has been based on the idea that all children learn the same way.
For example, all children of one age are placed in the same grade, all
children use the same textbook, and all children receive the same curriculum.
However, each child's brain
is different and therefore not all children learn in the same way.
Howard Gardner, in his Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple
Intelligences (as cited in Kovalik, 1994),
puts forth the theory that each of us has at least seven intelligences
(since that book an eighth intelligence, that of the naturalist, has been
articulated). Each of these
intelligences is present in everyone, is independent of the others, and
develops and grows at its own schedule. Students all have each intelligence to
some degree; some are more prominent than others. Writing curriculum in such a
way that addresses all the intelligences allows the student to choose which
way he/she learns best. This is a
win-win situation, because all students are learning the same things, but it
is choosing HOW to learn that allows each to be successful.
LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL:
These children can compute quickly in their head, like computers, enjoy
strategy games and logic puzzles, reason things logically, and devise
experiments to test things.
LINGUISTIC:
These children like to read and write, tell jokes and stories, can
remember names and places, spell correctly, enjoy nonsense rhymes and tongue
twisters, and like word puzzles.
SPATIAL:
These children are good in art, can imagine pictures in their heads,
read maps and charts easily, draw people and things accurately, enjoy movies
and photographs, and daydream.
BODILY/KINESTHETIC:
These children enjoy physical activities (swimming, biking, etc), do
well in competitive sports, are skillful in things like woodcarving and
sewing, can mimic others, sometimes have trouble sitting still, and like scary
amusement rides.
MUSICAL:
These children sing songs to themselves, keep time rhythmically to
music, tell when a note is off-key, remember melodies of songs, enjoy playing
a musical instrument, and say they need music to study.
INTRAPERSONAL:
These children are independent and/or strong-willed, have strong
opinions, are self-confident, do well in independent study projects, seem to
live in their own private world, and like to be alone to pursue their
interests.
INTERPERSONAL:
These children have many friends and enjoy socializing, can be
"street-smart," are involved in after-school activities, like group
games, and have empathy for others' feelings.
Teachers offering choices to students should base them upon the ages of
the children, the multiple intelligences, and the levels of thinking (such as
Bloom's Taxonomy). These choices
are not trivial or fun activities, but choices that move the students toward
mastery of the curriculum. As
much as possible, these choices should involve real life and "being
there" experiences.
The fourth element is time. In
our harried world today, time is, indeed, a gift.
We rush through our daily routines, hurrying to finish the tasks at
hand, hoping the "lick and a promise" we give each task is enough.
However, children cannot learn without adequate time.
Scheduling in the classroom must be held to a minimum, allowing time to
consider, deliberate, master, and apply the tasks at hand.
Leslie
Hart, a pioneer in brain
research, defines learning as a two-step process:
1.
"Learning is the extraction, from chaos, of meaningful patterns.
(Remember that the brain
is a pattern-seeking device.)
2.
Learning is the acquisition of useful programs.
Thus,
pattern-seeking is the process of meaning-making or arriving at understanding
of what is being learned; program-building is the process of putting what we
know into action and practicing ways of using it, in real life situations,
until it becomes locked into long term memory, ready for retrieval years later
when needed." (as cited in Kovalik, 1994, p. 68)
A mental program is a sequence of activities put together to complete a
task, such as riding a bike, writing in cursive, cooking spaghetti, taking a
shower, mowing the grass, etc. As
we learn to do these things, a mental program for that activity is stored in
the brain so that we do
not have to relearn the task each time we do it. We simply reached into our
long term memory and choose the appropriate mental program.
(Students who misbehave frequently in class have a mental program for
getting the teacher's attention.)
Unless adequate time is given for pattern-seeking and program-building,
students end up memorizing for the short term. The knowledge gained never goes
into long-term memory, but is lost forever.
Students who don't have adequate time are denied the joy of
accomplishment, the pleasure of sticking with a project and seeing it through
to the end. If adequate time is
not given, the importance of the task is therefore minimized.
Students must be given adequate time in school to master new
experiences and add these to their prior knowledge, thereby creating new
mental programs. If these mental
programs are not formed and added to the student's long-term memory, future
knowledge and experience cannot build on these.
For example, if a student does not understand multiplication, he/she
will not understand division.
Some guidelines for providing adequate time are:
1.
Eliminate strict schedules with short blocks of time.
2.
Slow down and use the "less is more" guideline to allow
better understanding. Teach
concepts instead of facts.
3.
Have time to apply what has been learned in a real-world or being there
setting before moving on.
4.
Take advantage of the teachable moment when children become truly interested
or excited.
The fifth element is an enriched environment.
Kovalik characterizes it this way: "An enriched environment is one
which wakens the entire nervous system, one which is stimulating, curiosity
feeding, capable of answering many questions and engendering more, a setting
which is alive with resources, reflective of real life, bursting with
non-print materials such as experts in their field and samples of the real
McCoy." (1994, p.77) Most classrooms, by comparison, are sterile, with
almost all input by print and lecture, as opposed to input by the 19 senses.
Teaching by sensory input from all the senses is far more brain-compatible
than teaching by textbook. Intelligence
is a function of experience, that is, we know what we know because of what we
have experienced, rather than a function of genetics.
Immersion in an enriched environment causes neurons to enlarge and
dendrites to grow, which results in a denser, heavier brain
that has a greater capability to problem-solve.
THE
19 SENSES and KIND OF INPUT:
Sight
Visible light
Hearing
Vibrations in the ear
Touch
Tactile contact
Taste
Chemical molecular
Smell
Olfactory molecular
Balance
Kinesthetic geotropic
Vestibular
Repetitious movement
Temperature
Molecular action
Pain
Nociception
Eidetic
imagery Neuroelectrical image retention
Magnetic
Ferromagnetic orientation
Infrared
Long electromagnetic waves
Ultraviolet
Short electromagnetic waves
Ionic
Airborne ionic charge
Vomeronasal
Pheromonic sensing
Proximal
Physical closeness
Electrical
Surface charge
Barometric
Atmospheric pressure
Geogravimetric
Sensing mass differences
Experiences that use most or all of these senses will stay with us far
longer than memorizing information about them.
For example, consider all the sensory input involved in a walk in the
forest on a warm day. Then think
about looking at a picture of a forest. In
which experience did you learn more about what a forest is actually like?
There are 6 levels of input:
BEING
THERE: (uses all 19 senses) Go for a walk in the nearest forest!
IMMERSION:
(uses 13 of the senses) Make a forest - make trees out of paper mache and
green yarn, make bushes, forest floor, etc.
Bring in a forest ranger. Play
music of birds singing. Use a
flood lamp for the sun.
HANDS
ON THE REAL THING: (uses 9 of the senses) Bring in samples of different kinds
of trees, bushes, plants, leaves, pine needles, etc.
HANDS
ON OF REPRESENTATIONAL THINGS: (uses 4 of the senses) Bring in toy trees.
SECOND
HAND: (uses 3 senses) Use videos, pictures, book of a forest.
SYMBOLIC:
(uses 2 senses) Label the parts of a tree
(Remember that dittoes do not make dendrites!)
How
to create an enriched environment:
1.
Use immersion in the classroom as often as possible (hopefully
following a being there experience)
2.
Next use as much hands-on of real items instead of plastic replicas.
3.
Use books, videos, and other print materials exclusively only as a last
resort.
4.
Have a variety of good reference materials available.
5.
Make the room body-compatible.
6.
Avoid clutter, distraction, and overstimulation.
7.
Change displays and bulletin boards frequently to correlate with
current unit of study.
8.
Try to spend less money on textbooks and more on being there and
immersion experiences.
9.
Have guest speakers regularly to support the curriculum.
10.
Increase sensory input by at least 10 times.
The
next element is collaboration. Most
important problems that affect our lives are solved through collaboration, yet
our schools teach by using competition, quiet time, and working alone with no
sharing. Imagine planning a
presidential campaign or designing a new car or producing new food products
without collaboration! The skills
our students will need as adults in the work-force are problem-solving,
decision-making, and communicating with others.
All these skills are learned and reinforced when students learn in
collaborative groups. brain
research shows that the brain
needs great quantities of input; one teacher's voice lecturing is brain-antagonistic.
When children can collaborate, more input is being given to the brain.
Effective collaboration involves two areas:
the curriculum design and the grouping of students.
Regarding the curriculum, collaboration or group work is very effective
in achieving success in three areas:
1.
Cognitive (intellectual goals) - Collaboration is especially good for
improving creative problem-solving, conceptual learning, language, and
communication. Group inquiries
should be work that one person cannot do alone and so everyone's contribution
is needed. It should also reflect
real life.
2.
Social goals - We are all members of many different groups - family,
work, church, neighborhood - and so our lives are enriched much more than if
we only belonged to one group. Our
students will also benefit from belonging to several groups throughout the
year. Students must not be
segregated by age; a three-year span is the minimum, according to Susan
Kovalik. The basic building
blocks of successful collaboration are the Lifelong Guidelines and the
Lifeskills. Much time at the
beginning of the year should be devoted to putting these in place, as well as
focusing on group development and how to be a group member.
3.
Solving common classroom problems - A group-building process, such as
TRIBES, helps students become cooperating class and group members.
TRIBES is built on 4 premises: (a) "Children who maintain
long-term membership in supportive classroom peer groups will improve in
self-image, behave more responsibly, and increase academic achievement.
(b) Teachers will spend
less time managing student behavior problems and have more time for creative
teaching. (c) Schools, organized into the TRIBES system, will create a
positive climate for learning. (d)
Parents will report a carry-over of positive statements and attitudes
from their children into the home environment." (Kovalik, 1994, p. 92)
The other area which involves effective collaboration is the flexible
grouping of students. Each
student may belong to all of these groups, each of which has a different
purpose:
1.
The Family group is the basic group with which the student gets
together every day. Here he/she
learns about being a group member, checks in daily, gets advice and help, and
does journal writing and the daily agenda. This group stays together all year
and meets every day.
2
The Skill group is usually a short-term group, formed for the express
purpose of learning or reinforcing a particular skill.
3.
The Interest group is also short-term and is also spontaneous, being
formed around specific interests. They
are useful for projects, inquiries, and research.
4.
The Work group only involves a few students at a time, rather than the
whole class, and is organized around specific jobs, such as putting up a
bulletin board or collecting the library books.
Caution should be used in forming groups.
The overriding purpose of groups is to accomplish a particular task.
Sometimes tasks are better accomplished by pairs, an individual, or the
whole class. Whatever is most
appropriate for the purpose and content is what should be used.
Group work can encourage the development of the Lifeskills as well as
the following: thoughtfulness, follow-through, respect, creativity, planning,
and leadership and followership - all qualities which are necessary for
success as an adult in the workplace.
The next element is immediate feedback.
In real-world learning, feedback is immediate.
When learning to ride a bike, a child knows when he has learned to
balance because he no longer falls over.
A child learns the meaning of hot when he touches the stove. A child
who shoots a basketball knows immediately whether or not it went in.
Only in school do we make children wait hours, days, or even weeks for
feedback. Accurate, immediate
feedback is essential for building mental programs.
There are several ways schools and classrooms can build in immediate
feedback.
1.
CHANGE THE CURRICULUM: Instead
of focusing on teaching facts which do not seem to be related to any whole
concept, start with the real world, the "being there" experience,
and choose a piece to focus on. Here feedback is almost always built into the
learning itself. "Such firsthand feedback from being there in a real
world setting is instantaneous and more intrinsic--and thus more
powerful--than feedback from an outside source, the teacher or the answer
sheet for the workbook or reading kit." (Kovalik, 1994, p. 101)
A second way to provide immediate feedback in the curriculum is to
encourage a change to concepts, such as diversity, adaptation,
living/non-living, war/peace, etc.
2.
CHANGE THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
Worksheets do not automatically provide self-correcting feedback as do
real-world events, such as sewing a dress, building a model airplane, riding a
horse, etc.
3.
CHANGE THE STRUCTURE:
(A) Increase the number of
"teachers" - When a one teacher is responsible for all the teaching,
each child receives precious few minutes of his/her buy schedule.
However, working in pairs or collaborative groups allows each child to
learn from others. Tracking
should be eliminated, multi-age classrooms encouraged, and heterogeneous
groupings with children from a wide variety of experiences should be
established. Peer feedback can be
just as powerful as teacher feedback.
(B) Change how we schedule
and use time - Teachers normally do 90% of the talking.
This should be changed so that teachers talk no more than 16 minutes
each hour, which is a little over 25%. "Less
is more." This requires the
teacher to be organized and concise. The
rest of the hour is spent moving among groups to monitor, explain, reteach,
discuss, review, etc. He/she can
also quickly assess and give feedback.
Unlearning a previously established mental program is difficult.
It is far better to stop a student on the wrong track immediately and
get him building a correct mental program from the beginning.
Delayed feedback only gives a student more opportunity to build an
incorrect mental program.
The final element in establishing a brain-compatible
learning environment is mastery. Mastery seems to be a concept that is
increasingly ignored, in our society as well as in our schools.
Employers complain that employees do not want to do a good job, use
poor or incorrect English, and can compute only with a calculator.
Schools, with their A-F grading scales, encourage this by not setting
high standards for everyone. We
allow the students to not master material when we give them grades of average,
below average, or failing. We
blame the students for this, citing poor preparation by last year's teacher,
problems in the home, bad attitudes, or the wrong friends.
Consequently we graduate almost one million functionally illiterate
children each year (Kovalik, 1994, p. 108).
In addition students must know not only the mechanics of reading and
writing but how and when to use (apply) these skills and the motivation to do
so. Students who are firmly grounded in the Lifelong Guidelines and the
Lifeskills are well on their way to internalizing high standards and
expectations of themselves.
TRADITIONAL
ASSESSMENT: Our traditional
measure of student learning has been the A-F grading scale with the bell
curve. If we assume that 10% make
an A, 80% B's, C's and D's, and 10% fail, then we are dooming 90% of our
students to non-mastery because they have formed inaccurate or incomplete (or
non-existent) mental programs. And
knowledge not part of a mental program does not go into long-term memory.
On the other end of the spectrum are those universities who accept only
the top students in the country, then places those students on a bell curve,
again dooming many to grades reflective of mediocrity and failure.
Is the purpose of public education to educate for mastery or to sort
into pre-determined groups? The
goal of learning in a brain-compatible
learning environment is mastery: the
student knows and understands concepts, knows when and how to use them in
real-world situations, and has incorporated them into mental programs.
This is an empowering feeling! Receiving
grades is an extrinsic reward for something that should have its own intrinsic
reward.
This
brain-antagonistic
learning atmosphere ignores the way the brain
learns - by building mental programs. Once
information is stored as part of a mental program, it is retrieval.
However curriculum which is taught to be memorized or as abstract and
unrelated pieces of knowledge is lost forever.
Do we want the pilot flying our plane to be the one who achieved
mastery or the one who received C's? Or
how about the surgeon poised to operate on us, or the mechanic who repairs our
car, or the electrician who fixes our furnace in the dead of winter?
Clearly, mastery is far preferable!
AUTHENTIC
OR COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT: Two
powerful ideas which make authentic assessment more desirable are (1) using
real life settings and levels of expectation, and (2) assessing what's worth
assessing instead of what's easy to assess.
Three criteria determine if mastery has occurred:
1.
COMPLETE: The task has been completed from beginning to end and on
time.
2.
CORRECT: The work was
accurate, used more than one source, and met all given specifications.
3.
COMPREHENSIVE: The task was thoroughly thought through and investigated
from several angles or sources.
Tenets currently held in high regard, such as seatwork equals learning,
quantity is quality, and many points equals learning, must be relinquished in
favor of these three C's.
Assessment for the teacher should now be much easier.
There will be no big stacks of long papers to grade.
Assessment will be built into the curriculum as an on-going process by
having already identified what is important to measure and creating real-life
tasks to measure mastery. III.
Use of Technology
What is the role of technology in a brain-compatible
learning environment? Many
educators look critically at current software/programs and ask if the $6.7
billions dollars we spend last year on technology has actually increased
learning by a comparable amount. Educational
psychologist Jane Healy has expertly addressed this question in her recent
book Failure to Connect: How
Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds—and What We Can Do About It.
(1998) She feels strongly that
computers must not be allowed to replace real-life, being-there experiences in
children’s education, since that is the brain’s
primary way of learning.
She says that currently we have little or no research in how to use
technology constructively in children's education, and that just because
children can perform tasks on a computer that are technologically challenging
doesn't mean they are learning anything important.
Most of today's programs are written not by educators, but by
"technies" who know little or nothing about the developing brain.
We are concerned that children need technology skills to succeed in tomorrow's
workplace, but most of today's successful technology innovators are divergent
thinkers who didn't grow up with computers, but with rich, fertile
imaginations.) "The brutal truth...is that children without computers and
with a good education are far more likely to succeed than children walled in
by technological fads. The
purpose of education is to produce students who have developed intellectual
and personal worth, who are adaptable, and who have the thinking skills to
become leaders.” (Healy, 1998, p. 31) We must remember that assembling
information is not the goal of education.
Using that information to solve problems is the goal.
For example, a child learns the multiplication tables, not just to know
them, but to know how to use them in solving real-life problems.
Technology must go beyond just assembling information. Regarding current software,
Healy feels many math programs encourage children to only choose the easier
problems so they will get to play more or get more rewards.
Art software often stifles the imagination, since the student chooses
only from what the computer offers. Many multimedia programs are popular
because students prefer the glitz and noise as a way of avoiding the real task
at hand - learning and the search for meaning. Just because children like a
program does not mean they are learning anything from it; true learning makes
connections between facts and ideas. Programs that teach the alphabet are a
poor substitute for real mental activity.
"Moreover, reading and writing are not primarily built on alphabet
knowledge, but on language ability--including the power to listen carefully,
understand what others are saying, and express ideas effectively."
(Healy, 1998, p.48) Experts agree that software should "give the child
the pleasure of gaining mastery over a difficult task, rather than rewarding
with extra games or silliness." (Healy, 1998, p.51) Application software comes
closest to being an effective tool for learning, when used properly.
These can be used for highly structured activities, such as drill, or
for more project-oriented learning, such as composing a story. Using such
tools as a word processor, database, spreadsheet, CD-ROM encyclopedias, CAD,
assistive technology, and laser discs can all support learning. Hypermedia
authoring programs can be especially effective, because they put the student
in charge of designing a project and using problem-solving skills to carry it
out. Students should be taught these skills: 1. Gather
information from more than one source 2. Evaluate
the sources for quality 3. Analyze
the information 4. Develop
a thesis statement 5. Select
the tools for representing the information 6. Plan
the steps involved in completing the project. Technology
will be most effective in a setting where the teacher takes a constructivist
or project-oriented approach. However,
even if these teachers are highly motivated, it often takes several years to
change their teaching habits to make full use of the technology. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends that school-age children have no more than one to two
hours per day in front of a screen - be it a television screen or a computer
screen. More time than that can result in problems relating to vision,
posture/skeleton, and those caused by lack of physical activity.
The field of neurophysiology finds that movement is necessary to
develop different forms of intelligence.
Scientific American recently stated, "Human intelligence first
solves movement problems and only later graduates to pondering more abstract
ones." (as cited in Healy, 1998, p.123) Language also plays a very
important role in brain
development, and too much time
spent alone in front of a computer stunts this growth.
There can be positive uses
of computers. Use of computers
should be carefully planned as one part of a project-based learning
environment. Most of the learning
should be "low-tech." Children
should take the initiative and think deeply.
The more actively the child uses his/her mind in interacting with
technology, the more active learning habits will be developed.
Computer use should capitalize on developmental stages.
Time that should be spent in talking, socializing, playing, imagining,
or focusing the mind internally should not be spent in front of the computer.
"Having a computer do too much integrating (e.g. combining picture,
sound, movement), so that the child simply experiences rather than coordinates
it all himself, eliminates an active process that may prove to be
irreplaceable." (Healy, 1998, p.136) Children need a rich,
multisensory environment; computers do not contribute to this type of
environment because it is a one-sided medium.
"Who knows how much of the escalating degree of social and
personal malaise present in today's young people is a function of too much
electronic stimulation replacing physical activity and interpersonal
experience? The frontal-limbic
systems develop in stages from infancy through adolescence, so there is never
a time they can be neglected." (p. 177)
Between ages 4 and 7
prefrontal development is occurring, with the internal mental life progressing
- imagining, wondering, and managing behavior.
Children at this age 1. use
language to guide actions and behavior, 2. can
plan ahead and use sequencing in behavior, 3. can
switch activities, 4. improve
concentration, even with some distractions, 5. complete
tasks without constant reminders, 6. curb
impulsive actions, 7. understand
the feelings of others. Many computer programs
prevent this development from occurring.
The child follows preset steps, instead of initiating his own actions.
Attention is guided by "bells and whistles," instead of the child's brain.
Feedback is packaged ("Good job, Bill"), and no
self-evaluation is required. No human contact or interaction is present.
Some research has shown that this type of "screen" education
can result in a loss of perseverance, as students click quickly from one
feature to another or surf from one site to another.
In children under 7, more is accomplished by having the child spend
time in a physically and linguistically enriched environment.
At this age there are very few things that can be done better on a
computer than by a caring adult/teacher/parent.
Movement and physical experiences, which stimulate the cerebellum,
provide the foundation for higher-level thinking at this age.
Children of this age should still "feel" the letters as they
form them with pencil, marker, chalk, etc.
Word processing denies them this experience.
Similarly, writing out math problems helps the child remember them.
Spell-checkers should not replace learning the rules of spelling and
word patterns. These should be
supplements to learning, not replacements for important learning experiences. Between 9 and 12, the brain
is preparing for adult behavior. Preteens
need to be socially connected, and they need close, caring relationships with
nurturing adults. Values, morals, and ethics, as well as powers of reasoning
are being developed at this stage. Computer
experiences cannot possibly substitute for human experiences that are needed
at this stage. Repeated
experiences establish patterns; we need to be sure our children are
establishing the right kinds of mental patterns. Healy states that
"Most software or 'surfing' precludes discussion, reading, or even talk
beyond single words ("There," "Oops,"
or "Yes!"). This is a
poor recipe for a well-developed brain.
More extended reading and conversation, on the other hand, will
encourage youngsters to articulate and mediate problems with words.
If this important groundwork is neglected or subordinated to electronic
babble, it will never be regained." (p. 191)
Daniel Goldman says that
emotional and social skills are much better predictors of success in life than
"mental ability." Some
children may be lacking in these skills because they have spent too much time
at a computer. Many employers are
more interested in emotional and social intelligence than they are in
technical skills. A survey done
in Switzerland revealed that employers wanted self-discipline, initiative,
ability to concentrate, ability to communicate, creativity, team effort,
flexibility, and honesty. Good
grades were far down on the list, and computer skills was not on the list at
all.
Other educators feel
similarly. In “The Computer
Delusion” (http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jul/computer.htm)
Todd Oppenheimer frequently quotes Clifford Stoll, author of Silicon Snake
Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway (1995). Stoll
contends that computers are the filmstrips of the 1990s.
He says, “"We loved them because we didn't have to think for an
hour, teachers loved them because they didn't have to teach, and parents loved
them because it showed their schools were high-tech. But no learning
happened….Nobody knows how kids' internal wiring works, but anyone who's
directed away from social interactions has a head start on turning out
weird.... No computer can teach what a walk through a pine forest feels like.
Sensation has no substitute." Stoll also says he sees "… a parallel between
the goals of "Sesame Street" and those of children's computing. Both
are pervasive, expensive and encourage children to sit still. Both display
animated cartoons, gaudy numbers and weird, random noises.... Both give the
sensation that by merely watching a screen, you can acquire information
without work and without discipline."
The Alliance for Childhood, in their position paper Technology
Literacy: Four Guiding Principles for Educators and Principals, (http://www.electronic-school.com/2000/03/0300ewire.html#2,
March 2000) also agrees with Healy. Their paper suggests in the early grades
(at least through sixth grade), teachers should focus on developing children's
minds, rather than their computer skills. Word-processing, spreadsheet, and
Internet skills can be developed in high school, the Alliance says, so
"it makes little sense to waste precious time wiring the developing
brains of young children to what will soon be yesterday's hardware and
software."
How, then, can technology be used appropriately in a brain-compatible
learning environment? Dr. Robert
Valiant, in his article “Learning and the Human brain” suggests that the teacher is the cornerstone of the successful classroom.
He says that drill practices/applications do not disappear, they are
only used where they are effective, such as in memorizing the multiplication
tables. The teacher acts as a
symphony conductor, bringing all the elements of the orchestra together.
He/she brings together music, video clips, odors, tastes, and other
sensory experiences to connect new learning to already existing brain
pathways. The students will be
sharing ideas, creating stories, growing plants, etc.
The teacher will introduce ideas, materials, and events into the
classroom that encourage the development of neural network connections in the
students’ brain.
This is the constructivist approach, where students construct their own
meaning from the information and activities presented.