En
nga
age thee Brrain
n:
Ene
E ergiize the
t Leearn
ner
Westeern Carrolina Univerrsity
Februa
F
ary 22, 2013
Terrri Morgan
n
teerrimorg
gan@charrter.net
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
Using No
ovelty in Leessons
Dr. David Sousa
Noveember 14, 2011
Part of our success
s
as a species can be attributed
d to the brainn’s persistennt interest in novelty, thaat is,
changes occcurring in thee environmeent. The brain
n is constanttly scanningg its environm
ment for stim
muli.
When an un
nexpected stiimulus arisess—such as a loud noise from an emppty room—aa rush of adrrenaline
closes down
n all unnecesssary activity
y and focusees the brain’ss attention soo it can sprinng into action.
Conversely,, an environm
ment that con
ntains mainlly predictablle or repeateed stimuli (likke some
classrooms??) lowers thee brain’s inteerest in the outside
o
worldd and temptss it to turn w
within for novvel
sensations.
Using novellty does not mean that th
he teacher neeeds to be a sstand-up com
mic or the cllassroom a thhreering circus. It simply meeans using a varied teach
hing approacch that invollves more stuudent activitty. Here
are a few su
uggestions fo
or incorporatting novelty in your lessoons.
Humor. There are many
y positive beenefits that come
c
from uusing humor in the classrroom at all ggrade
levels.
Movement.. When we sit for more than
t
twenty minutes,
m
ourr blood pools in our seatt and in our ffeet. By
getting up and moving, we re-circullate that bloo
od. Within a minute, therre is about 15 percent m
more
blood in ourr brain. We do
d think bettter on our feet than on ouur seat! Studdents sit too much in
classrooms, especially in
n secondary schools. Lo
ook for wayss to get studeents up and m
moving, espeecially
when they are
a verbally rehearsing
r
what
w they hav
ve learned.
Multi-Senso
ory Instructtion. Today’s students are
a acclimateed to a multii-sensory envvironment. T
They are
more likely to give atten
ntion if theree are interestting, colorfull visuals, if tthey can inteeract with
appropriate technology, and if they can walk aro
ound and tallk about their learning.
Quiz Gamees. Have stud
dents develop a quiz gam
me or other ssimilar activiity to test eaach other on their
knowledge of
o the concepts taught. This
T is a com
mmon strateggy in elemenntary classroooms, but
underutilizeed in secondaary schools. Besides bein
ng fun, it ha s the added vvalue of makking studentts
rehearse and
d understand
d the conceptts in order to
o create the qquiz questionns and answ
wers.
Music. Alth
hough the ressearch is incconclusive, th
here are
music in thee classroom at
a
learning episode
some benefits of pplaying
certainn times durinng the
2
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
3
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
Prroviding Choice
C
for Students
Thee Highly Eng
gaged Classsroom-2011
Marrzano, Robeert and Pickeering, Debra
Choice has the
t potentiall of helping students perceive classrooom
activities as important. Teachers caan build choiice into manyy of their
activities. There
T
are 3 good
g
ways to
o provide cho
oice:
 Choice
C
of tassks
 Choice
C
of rep
porting form
mats
 Chide
C
of learrning goals
asks
Choice of ta
When assign
ning a task, provide
p
stud
dents with op
ptions from w
which
they can cho
oose or guid
de students in
n designing their
t
own tassks.
Examples in
nclude allow
wing studentss to choose which
w
numbeered
questions th
hey would lik
ke to answerr, choice boaards, tic-tac-ttoe
boards.
Choice of reporting forrmats
Providing ch
hoice or repo
orting formaats is a relativ
vely simple way of provviding studennt choice to
students. Options includ
de a written report, an orral report, a dramatic preesentation, a debate, a viideooom demonsstration or siimulation
taped reportt, or a classro
Choice of leearning goa
als
One powerfful way to prrovide choicee is for teach
hers to allow
w students to generate theeir own perssonal
learning goaals with a un
nit of instructtion. Quite obviously,
o
w
when studentts are generaating their ow
wn
goals, there is a great ch
hance they will
w focus on subjects thaat interest theem.
Mini Challenges,, Games, and
a Inconssequentiall Competiition
Thee Highly Eng
gaged Classsroom-2011
Marrzano, Robeert and Pickeering, Debra
Games and inconsequen
ntial competiition help stiimulate interrest, and
n embed them
m in their lesssons in a vaariety of wayys. Games
teachers can
should alwaays have an academy
a
foccus. The inconsequentiaal
competition
n means the games
g
are ju
ust for fun. Continually
C
rregroup
students thro
oughout the year so all students
s
can experience w
winning
and losing. Points are taallied to iden
ntify winning teams, butt points are
i
or decrease
d
stud
dents scores or grades.
not used to increase
4
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
Environme
E
ents for Leearning
(Jensen, Eric. Environments forr Learning, 22003)
The first thing we do wh
hen we walk
k into any neew space, whhether consciously or unnconsciouslyy, is look
around, listeen, breathe, and
a form jud
dgments abo
out the enviroonment. Wee decide wheether it’s fam
miliar,
safe, friendlly, or not. This automatiic filtering of environmeental cues is an ongoing process thatt occurs
every minutte of every hour
h
we are awake.
a
It is so much a ppart of being human that most of us ddon’t
give it a second thoughtt. However, when it com
mes to creatinng the optim
mal educationnal environm
ment, we
can learn a lot
l by giving
g a second th
hought to wh
hat students ssee, hear, feeel, smell, breeathe, and taaste in
the places dedicated to their
t
learning
g.
The physicaal environmeent of the claassroom is im
mportant to sstudent success. The phhysical enviroonment,
to every extent possible, is aestheticcally pleasan
nt, attractive,, colorful, coomfortable, aand engagingg to the
senses. Sincce the enviro
onment is a variable
v
thatt can be easilly enhancedd, it makes seense for teacchers to
take full adv
vantage of it. Students should
s
be pro
ovided with an almost coonstant oppoortunity for ssensory
stimulation – things to see,
s touch, heear, and smeell.
Seating/Erg
gonomics (JJensen, Eric. Environmeents for Learrning, 2003))
Ergonomics: The stud
dy of workplace equipm
ment design or how to aarrange and
d design devvices,
machines, or
o workspacce so that peeople and th
hings interaact safely an
nd most efficciently.
The tradition
nal desk chaair pushes the sitter’s low
wer weight sttraight downn, increasingg
pressure on the lower baack and forcing studentss to sit on thee chair ratheer than in it. Cranz
k keeps the shoulders
s
bacck and the chin up…as w
well as
suggests thaat a good classroom desk
provides arm
m rests to miinimize straiin on the upp
per body.
ve as much adjustability
a
In addition, a good chairr should hav
as possible aand be easy to modify. Think
about those 7th graders who
w range in
n height from
m 4’10” to 6’2!” The seaat should noot be so long that it
digs into thee back of thee legs, nor sh
hould it be so
o high that fe
feet don’t touuch the floorr.
D
Count! (Erlauer, Laura.
L
The Brain-Comp
B
patible Classsroom, 2003)
Class Size Does
Although th
he issue is stiill debatable (and probab
bly will be foor some timee!), researchh does
suggest thatt smaller classs sizes can have
h
a signifficant and poositive impaact on learninng
and teacher interaction. Studies rev
veal that smaaller classes ccan increasee individual
instruction time
t
in gradees K-12, incrrease early learning and cognitive skkills in
preschoolerss, and enhan
nce reading and
a math perrformance inn elementaryy students,
especially am
mong educaationally disaadvantaged children
c
(Betts & Shkolnnik, 1999; Boosker,
1997; Finn, 1990; Mosteeller, 1995).
5
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
Studies show
w that the brrain responds positively to learning eenvironmentts with high levels of
individualizzed instructio
on, constructtive feedback
k, small-grooup interactioon, and highh expectationns–
elements thaat are shown
n to occur mo
ore readily in
n smaller claassrooms (Sommers, 19990).
Lighting (JJensen, Eric.. Environmeents for Learrning, 2003)
As early as 1951, studiees were being
g conducted on the impaact of enviroonmental facttors
on learning. One study (Harmon) of over 160,0
000 school chhildren repoorted that 50%
% of
children dev
veloped acad
demic or heaalth deficienccies as a resuult of insuffiicient lightinng at
school. This study also reported thaat when lightting was impproved, visuual difficultiees
were reduceed.
Students in brightly
b
lit classrooms
c
perform
p
betteer in school compared too students inn
dimly lit claassrooms (Lo
ondon, 1988). Sustained
d exposure too bright lighht also reducees eye fatiguue
during closee work activiities, making
g it easier to read and to solve complex problem
ms.
Bright naturral sunlight is
i best for leaarning. Theerefore, keepp blinds openn to take advvantage of thhe
ambient sun
nlight. Fluorrescent lightiing has been
n shown to inncrease cortiisol levels. T
The flickerinng
quality and barely
b
audib
ble hum emittted by fluorrescent lightss have a veryy powerful iimpact on ouur
central nerv
vous system.
Temperatu
ure (Jensen, Eric. Envirronments forr Learning, 22003)
Which onee are you in a typical leaarning enviroonment? Freeezing or
sweating?
One of thee first things you notice when
w
enterinng a room is the
temperaturre. One of th
he first thing
gs that happeen is that youu become
distracted from learnin
ng if you’re too
t hot or tooo cold.
The cooler your
y
brain iss, the more reelaxed, recep
ptive, and coognitively shharp you aree (up to a poiint).
Generally, cooler
c
(not colder) is better than warrmer (or hot)). Our bodiees can better adjust to a rroom
that is 5 deg
grees too cold than one th
hat is 5 degrrees too hot. Classroomss kept betweeen 68 - 72 ddegrees
are most com
mfortable fo
or the majoritty of studentts, with 70 ddegrees ideall for most leaarning situattions,
particularly those involv
ving reading
g and math, in
n which optiimal focus aand concentrration are reqquired.
Color (Jenssen, Eric. En
nvironmentss for Learnin
ng, 2003)
Our visual system tak
kes in appro
oximately 1000 million bitts of informaation per
…more than any
a other of the five sensses. Much oof our brain is devoted too
second…
processin
ng what we see.
s
Based on
o this, how much mighht the colors around us im
mpact
our brain
n and learnin
ng?
6
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
Researcherss are finding that color caan and does enhance moood, emotionn, and behavvior…and poossibly
cognition. Why
W the braiin responds more positiv
vely to one ccolor over annother is stilll not understtood.
It’s probably
y a process started
s
in inffancy when exposure
e
to color, especcially bright colors, playeed an
important ro
ole in stimulating and strrengthening immature neeural connecctions in the brain’s occiipital
lobe/primary
y visual corttex.
Shaie and Heiss
H
(1964) found that, regardless
r
off age or cultuural backgroound, the “w
warm colors”” (red,
orange, and yellow) are highly arousing, althoug
gh not necesssarily pleasiing. The “coool colors” ((blues
and greens) have a calm
ming, relaxed
d effect. Thee researcherss noted that m
most people identified thhe “cool
colors” as most
m pleasantt.
TIPS:
 Classsroom or office spaces: Sky-blue tinged
t
with rred…conduccive to
thou
ughtful study
y, but also aleertness.
 Cafeeteria: Purp
ple…known in the restau
urant industrry as tranquiilizing and good
for th
he appetite.
 Gym
m: Yellow, orange,
o
and coral…repreesent the eneergizing huees.
 Add
d colors to reeports, preseentations and
d visual displlays for betteer recall.
 Experiment witth printing ex
xams on blu
ue paper (deeep concentraation and
think
king).
Aroma (Jen
nsen, Eric. Environmen
E
ts for Learning, 2003) ((DePorter, R
Reardon, andd Singer-Nouurie.
Quantum Teeaching, 199
99)
The sweet smell of succcess! What does
d
smell have
h
to do wiith it? Like the rest of oour
senses, smelll is a key co
omponent in learning and
d can, in som
me cases, im
mprove cogniition.
The connecttion between
n our olfacto
ory glands an
nd the autonoomic nervouus system is quite
strong. What we smell triggers resp
ponses such as anxiety, ffear, hunger,, calmness,
depression, and sexualitty. Think ab
bout the Chriistmas holidaay and the sm
mells associiated
mells…the beeach…warm
m chocolate…
…freshly bakked
with it…hosspital smellss…locker sm
bread.
According to
t a study do
one by Alan Hirsch
H
in 19
993, people ccan increase their abilitiees to think
creatively ass much as 30
0% when exposed to cerrtain floral o dors…and itt’s no wondeer! The olfaactory
regions are receptors
r
forr endorphinss which signal the body’ s response too feelings off pleasure annd wellbeing. As for
fo the classroom…a littlle peppermin
nt, basil, lem
mon, rosemarry, or cinnam
mon scent m
may
increase alerrtness. Cham
momile odorr seems to bee able to putt people in a better moodd. Lavenderr,
orange, and rose may in
nduce calmneess and relax
xation (Lavaabre, 1990).
In another study by Carlla Kallan in 1991, the od
dor heliotroppine, a vanillla-almond frragrance, seeemed to
be the only odor that did
d not disruptt sleep and quicken
q
the hheart rate durring slumberr.
While there is no direct evidence thaat aromas caan help cognnitive perform
mance, theree is evidencee that
specific odo
ors can betterr enable one to recall infformation leaarned in the presence off that odor (S
Smith
1992). Thiss effect may only be a caase of contex
xt-dependentt learning, soo we should be careful nnot to
take the find
dings too farr at this time.
What to do?? Experimen
nt with vario
ous aromas in
n your classrroom…but hhave an awaareness of thoose
students wh
ho might hav
ve allergies to
o certain odo
ors. Ask leaarners what tthey think. D
Do they feel
7
Engage the Brain: Energ
gize the Learrner_______
_________________________________________________
energized an
nd more alerrt after a whiiff of pepperrmint? Do thhey feel relaaxed and calm
m after a whhiff of
vanilla? Ho
ow do they feel
fe when surrrounded witth the aromaa of chocolatte chip cookkies, a pumpkkinscented cand
dle, or fresh--baked bread
d? If nothing else, you ccan have funn watching yyour studentss’ eyes
light up and
d their nostrills twitch when they walk
k into your cclassroom!
“W
Wait-Time””
(ww
ww.av.k12.m
mo.us/main/ffiles/Differeentiated%20IInstruction)
Wait-time allows
a
studeents sufficieent time to process
p
and develop a rresponse to a question b
before
the teacherr asks a speccific studentt to respond
d.
1.
Everry 20 minutees provide a 60 second taalk break forr students
to prrocess inform
mation
2.
Givee students 3--5 seconds off “wait-time”.
3.
Som
me students need
n
more than 5 seconds when the qquestion is
abov
ve their recalll level.
4.
Som
me boys may need up to 60
6 seconds to
o bring inforrmation up
on th
heir “screen””.
5.
Man
ny students from
fr
poverty
y need additional “wait-tiime.”
6.
Stud
dents whose primary lang
guage is not English willl need additiional processsing time.
7.
Stud
dents with ex
xpressive lan
nguage difficculty need m
more time forr the retrievaal of words aand
thou
ughts.
8.
Som
me students with
w learning
g disabilities have difficuulty locating and retrieviing “stored”
inforrmation willl benefit from
m increased wait-time.
w
Notte: Wait-timee and think-ttime are ofteen used interrchangeably..
8
Engage the Brain: Energize the Learner___________________________________________________
9