A K-6TH BRAIN-COMPATIBLE CLASSROOM
Mary C. Lee
B.A., California State University, Sacramento, 2003
PROJECT
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
EDUCATION
(Curriculum and Instruction)
at
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
SPRING
2010
© 2010
Mary C. Lee
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii
A K-6TH BRAIN-COMPATIBLE CLASSROOM
A Project
by
Mary C. Lee
Approved by:
__________________________________________, Committee Chair
Crystal Olson, Ed.D.
Date: _______________________________
iii
Student: Mary C. Lee
I certify that this student has met the requirements for the format contained in the
University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and
credit is to be awarded for the project.
__________________________________, Associate Chair _______________________
Rita Johnson, Ed.D.
Date
Department of Teacher Education
iv
Abstract
of
A K-6TH BRAIN-COMPATIBLE CLASSROOM
by
Mary C. Lee
This project is an Alternative Culminating Experience for a Master of Arts in
Education: Curriculum and Instruction with an Elective Emphasis on Arts in Education.
It follows Pathway III: Developing a curriculum, program, or performance related to arts
education or arts in education. The project focused on creating a resource handbook that
is a valuable tool for educators to use to better support classroom management.
__________________________________________, Committee Chair
Crystal Olson, Ed.D.
_______________________________
Date
v
DEDICATION
This project could not have been completed without the help and support of all the
wonderful people in my life. I am so blessed to be loved by all of you and to have you as
a part of my life. I will always remember your kindness and be forever grateful.
To all my “educator” friends, who supported me at work as well as outside of work:
Amy Loung-Choi, Anuja Ramil, Chery Akaba-McCumber, Joy Victa, and Sylvia Solis.
Amy, for your endless kind-heartedness; for teaching me the power of giving.
Anuja, for your nonjudgmental ways; for teaching me the power of being open-minded.
Chery, for all the hundreds of wonderful knickknacks you’ve given me; for teaching me
the power of laughter and that passion for teaching is without age.
Joy, for your innovative thinking; for teaching me that everyone can be creative.
Sylvia, for your spirited nature, and for opening my eyes about the power of fun in life.
To a friend and an amazing professor: Crystal Olson…
For always staying on top of things, and for teaching me the power of music on the souls.
To my giving mother: Bao Thao…
For giving us, your children, 110% of your time, love, devotion, and for sacrificing
everything, to support us. You are the glue that holds us together.
To my father, Xang Lee…
Even though you are gone, your last words were life changing:
“hold on to your family, make everything count, don’t let your family slip away, for when
you do, the pain is unbearable”.
To my mother-in-law, Chia Lee-Xiong…
For your upmost patience and for teaching me that strong faith in the Heavenly father
can help me accomplish anything. Thank you so much for loving me like your own
daughter and for the love and care you give my children and my family through all my
years of school and work.
And last but not least,
To my beloved and devoted husband: Max Xiong…
For your unconditional love and support,
Through my triumphs and hurdles,
You supported me every step of the way!
You are my best friend, my husband, and my everything!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Dedication.…………………………………………………………………………… vi
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION.…………………………………………………………….…. 1
The Significance of the Project………..……………………………................ 1
Objectives and Goals.…………………………………………………………. 1
Meeting Project Goals………………………………………………………… 2
Limitations and Challenges.…..…………………………………………...….. 3
2. REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE...…………………………………...... 5
The Importance of Aesthetic Experiences in Education....………………….… 5
The Importance of Teachers’ Role.…………………………………………… 13
Advocacy and Impact of the Arts and Aesthetics in Education.…………….... 14
Introduction to a Brain-Compatible Classroom..……………………………... 16
How the Brain Functions.….…………………………………………………. 16
Attributes of a Brain-Compatible Classroom…………………………………. 22
3. RESOURCE HANDBOOK....……..……………………………………………... 33
Introduction to the Resource Handbook…...………………………………….. 33
Contents of the Resource Handbook.…………………………………………. 34
4. REFLECTIONS.……………………………………………………………..…… 39
Appendix A. Before and After Pictures of the Classroom Make Over……..…..... 43
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Appendix B. A K-6th Brain-Compatible Classroom Management Handbook.….... 44
References…………………………………………………………………….….... 72
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1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The Significance of the Project
The significance of this project is to provide educators with a valuable resource
tool that supports how children learn through the functioning of the brain. As an educator,
the author understands the pressures that are placed on teachers to get students to achieve
on standardized testing, but sees that there is still a need to create an environment that
fosters all types of learners. Through the implementation of effective engagement and
teaching strategies that connect the brain in learning; this type of environment will
provide students with opportunities to achieve at their highest potentials, whether that is
in test scores or internal motivation to succeed. This resource handbook is not any
ordinary classroom management handbook, but the contents go beyond the basic
strategies and incorporate the arts into many components that activate the brain. It is a
known fact that there are many types of learners and that learning occurs when the brain
is stimulated. When the learner is inspired, learning is likely to occur. The handbook
attempts to offer strategies that will tap into the parts of the brain that trigger learning.
The handbook will offer brain-compatible ways to set-up the classroom effectively in
order for educators to manage a classroom toward success.
Objectives and Goals
The objective and goal of this project is to create a classroom management
handbook that is a useful tool for educators teaching grades kindergarten through sixth.
2
The author will share this resource handbook with other educators to not only inspire
others but to gain feedback to improve the book for future use. The end goal of the
project is to create a useful, inspirational book for teachers. It has always been the
author’s goal as an educator to inspire all educators to see the love and joy of teaching.
As a passionate educator, the author sees that there is a great need to motivate teachers to
see that teaching is not just about managing a classroom but about the excitement of
teaching others the power of learning. The author hopes that the classroom management
handbook becomes a helpful tool and an initial jumpstart for educators to set the basic
grounds in order to carry out a successful and enjoyable upcoming school year.
Oftentimes, educators have a tool-belt full of resources and ideas that are all mixed-up
and not easily accessible. This resource handbook is a compilation of great ideas in one
simple book that is easy to use. The vividly colored photographs make implementing the
ideas comprehensible.
Meeting Project Goals
The project goals will be met if other educators find the resource handbook useful
and creative. The author will work with several teachers, who are former colleagues of
the author, to acquire photographs for the handbook. The teachers that the author was
working with have been to the same brain-compatible, highly effective teaching training
as the author and will be able to provide the author knowledge, support, and feedback.
The goals were met when the author completed the handbook and provided copies to
3
educators, not only at her school, but at other schools in the district to use. It brought joy
to the author to find that the handbook was very useful and pleasing.
Limitations and Challenges
The limitations and challenges of the project are to respect copyrights of the
materials to support the handbook and the collection of photographs to make the resource
handbook successful. Brain research has been around for decades and its use in the
classroom has been explored from many perspectives; therefore, the author has to be
cautious not to infringe on copyrights of those sources. Since the handbook is a collection
of photographs of effective classroom management strategies, the author will take
photographs of different teachers’ classroom. In order to collect all the needed
photographs, the author visited the participating teachers’ classroom to attain the pictures.
Since the participating teachers are located in different schools throughout the
Sacramento region, the author scheduled time to visit those classrooms in order to capture
the photographs needed to complete the handbook. This task was both time consuming
and demanding since the author has a full time job and time is extremely important. After
collecting the photographs, the author had to sort the pictures into different topics and
themes, and then write explanations about the photographs. Afterwards, the author
distributed copies of the handbook for feedback then reedited to make the handbook more
effective. There is a limitation to this process, because the author will have to review the
feedback and decide what can be included into the final book. The author will do her best
to consider the feedback and make the most of the comments. Completing the handbook
4
into a presentable and printable source will take much time and is the greatest challenge
overall for the author because of the limitation of available time for editing.
5
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE
The Importance of Aesthetic Experiences in Education
The emphasis of instruction and curriculum in elementary schools is on core
subjects, English language arts and mathematics. Other subjects such as social studies
and science are expected to be integrated into the core, leaving little room for the
aesthetics, such as art. In addition, art is consider an elective subject and is view with less
priority compared to English language arts and mathematics. Furthermore, with the
current budget crisis, there is an even greater shortage of funding to support arts program
in education or to provide resources and materials for educators to create aesthetically
sound programs to engage students. As a result of the absence of the aesthetics, especially
arts in education, students who have special interest or intelligences in the arts have
difficulty succeeding in the core curriculums and, as a result, desire such programs. In
addition, teachers’ roles for creating this type of environment become immensely
important. Teachers are expected to be effective in their pedagogies, expected to create
an engaging and conducive learning environment—one in which students can achieve on
standardized testing, and expected to provide an education that meets the needs of all
students with current limited resources and restrictions. In order for teachers to achieve
this type of learning, democracy could play an important role. Democracy should allow
teachers the flexibility to choose what is relevant to teach and the methods that are
important for carrying out the educational aims necessary for students to succeed. That
6
aim might be the inclusion of the arts and aesthetics. The section of the literature review
will look at relevant theories from Donald Arnstine, John Dewey, and Elliot Eisner and
the connection to the practice of arts in education, focusing on three parts: the importance
of aesthetic experiences in education, the importance of teachers’ role, and the advocacy
and impact of the arts and aesthetics in education.
Aesthetic or esthetic can be defined in many ways but in regards to the value of
aesthetics in education, aesthetics is creating meaningful learning experiences that are
valuable and important to students. For example, Arnstine, Dewey, and Eisner believed in
the importance of providing aesthetic experiences in learning and all have similar views
on the aesthetics. To Dewey, an aesthetic experience is doing something fulfilling. It is
also interactions between people and their environment in unique ways and having the
experiences be “real,” which means to experience unforgettable memories that can vary
from the littlest thing such as remembering a savory dessert to a huge dramatic fight
(Dewey, 1934). These episodes or events create esthetic experiences where one freely
expresses emotions and either enjoys or endures life experiences that make life
meaningful. To Arnstine (1995), aesthetic experiences are those of satisfaction that are
also unique, and that the outcome is what one makes of it. Both Dewey and Arnstine
shared similar views on the aesthetics as being distinctive and full of emotions that are
transferred as a foundation to meaningful educational experiences in any subject. In
addition to Dewey and Arnstine, Eisner’s aesthetic is two forms of knowing—the
aesthetic of knowing, which “performs a referential function; it points to some aspect of
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the world and helps us experience it” (Eisner, 1998, p. 37), and the knowledge of the
aesthetic qualities. This means that one uses prior experience to understand or to
overcome an experience and in return, this becomes an aesthetic experience.
Providing aesthetic experiences in education is based solely on what teachers
choose to teach, how they teach it, and the learning environment they create. Teachers’
belief of what is important to teach, what is valuable to students’ learning, and what
constitutes an aesthetic experience is the educational foundation for learning. In support
of this, Dewey (1934) believed that learning is a continuous and lively process of
rebuilding experiences that is connecting the past, the present, and the future. Dewey
(1934) goes further in-depth into educative experiences as people’s experiences that are
socially situated with values such reflective thinking, moral rights, and at the end feeling
satisfied. Arnstine (1967), on the other hand, related aesthetic experiences more to
learning and viewed the aesthetics as teachers creating quality and meaningful learning
experiences for students so that students can become thoughtful learners instilled with
intrinsic values. Arnstine (1967) focused more on thoughts, which he felt were essential
to creating art, and eventually leading to having an educative experience.
Another important component of creating a more conducive learning experience
is the freedom to choose curriculum and the role that democracy plays in education.
Although Dewey and Arnstine shared similar views on democracy, Dewey’s focus was
on the aims needed to carry motivation and the intellectual changes in the conditions in
education. Arnstine (1995), on the other hand, discussed democracy and education in
8
regards to the standards and ideals in schools. For example, Arnstine (1995) discussed
that ideals are useful and help guide academic standards, but it does not mean that all
students will necessarily succeed at meeting the standards. Arnstine suggested that
teachers need to look at students’ individual strengths, abilities, and interests, which may
or may not direct academic goals but instead can direct self goals and accomplishments.
Arnstine firmly believed that the arts should be incorporated into schools because it
teaches and fosters learning that helps students focus because its impact is aesthetically
influential (Arnstine, 1995). Furthermore, Arnstine viewed curriculum as children’s
educational experiences as a whole instead of just specific knowledge and skills taught.
He focused on creating meaningful learning experiences such as teachers teaching in a
context that makes sense to students. Furthermore, Arnstine (1967) discussed “the
knowledge of most worth” (p. 341) for a curriculum, such as looking at students’
individual needs and purposes rather than teaching everyone the same and expecting the
same results from all students. Therefore, Arnstine suggested teaching useful and
essential skills, such as critical thinking, rather than drills. Also, he believed teachers
should teach their strengths and build on, as well as “provide the conditions under which
children can learn” (1967, p. 371) which will enable learners to succeed.
Elliot Eisner (1998), a Professor of Education and Art at Stanford University,
stated that art can help develop one’s self-esteem and as a result can enhance students’
academics if the arts are taught as a separate and whole component. By leaving subjects
like art out of the curriculum, Eisner (1998) believed it teaches students to devalue the
9
subject. Furthermore, not only are the arts needed but Eisner (1998) emphasized the
importance of creating an aesthetic mode of learning. In addition to the importance of the
aesthetics, Eisner (1998) stressed that students need variety and multiple forms of literacy
and learning in order to be fully engaged and to want to learn.
Different forms of literacy in education are needed and Eisner (1998) stated that
the only way to create “more educative equitable programs” is for educators to reevaluate
literacy (p. 9). Meaning that by having different types of literacy, it would produce
different ways of learning as Eisner (1998) quoted from Jerome Bruner that different
forms of language make different forms of knowing possible. Knowing is knowledge and
without knowledge, there cannot be experiences; therefore, to Dewey (1934), knowledge
is a form of aesthetic experience “that knowledge enters deeply and intimately into the
production of a work is proved by the work itself” (p. 301). This translates that without
feelings, efforts, and purposes, students would be creating and doing without meaning.
In conjunction to Eisner’s multiple forms of literacy that was developed due to the
concept of there being multiple types of learners, he also referenced Howard Gardner’s
multiple intelligences. Eisner (1998) related intelligences to the “different kinds of
actions, which in turn are related to the kind of problem, task, and materials one acts
upon” (p. 105). Eisner (1998) stated that intelligences are often thought as something not
influenced by culture, but in reality “multiple ways of knowing and a cultural view of
mind . . . intelligence itself is not one but many” (p. 105). This implored that knowledge,
mind, and intelligences, the thinking, are all connected and influenced people to be the
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kinds of learner they are. Gardner (2006), a professor of education at Harvard University,
believed that all people have multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical,
spatial, bodily-kinetics, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic; even
though one intelligence may be stronger than another. Not only are all these intelligences
important in people, but Gardner believed that people need to be developed in five
disciplines, which he calls the five kinds of minds. Gardner (2006) stated, “no one knows
precisely how to fashion an education that will yield individuals who are disciplined,
synthesizing, creative, respectful, and ethical. I have argued that our survival as a planet
depends on the cultivation of this pentad of mental dispositions” (pp. 18-19). These five
characteristics or the five kinds of minds, Gardener believed are minds needed to enhance
the future.
Eisner (1998) affirmed that different forms of literacy depended on the types of
programs provided and the environment presented in schools “reflect the directions in
which we believe children should grow” (p. 13). He supported this claim by stating that
this could only be achieved through his three aims, which are to increase the variety and
depth of meaning in learning, to develop “cognitive potential” in students, and to create
educational equity in schools (Eisner, 1998, p.15). Meaning that in order to create
learning where students can “conceptualize” meaning and develop their cognitive
abilities, Eisner (1998) believed, students have to be given the opportunities to expand
their potential through different ways of thinking and learning. This again supported the
claim that many forms of learning, thinking, and doing are needed in any educational
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setting. Reggio Emilia, an educational philosophy that started in a village in Italy after
World War II, focused on this same premise of creating an environment that connects
teachers, students, and parents to work collaboratively together (New, 2003).
Not only are learning experiences important, but having an art program is also
beneficial to learning. Eisner (1998), an influential advocator for the arts and its role in
education, stated that even though many researchers claimed that art increased test scores,
through his own research and findings, he argued against this. Instead, he advocated for
the distinction that art be taught for art’s sake and not to fulfill core curricular
components and that several authors’ have claimed that arts improved academics, yet he
found otherwise. Eisner (1998) found these claims to be invalid because the aim of these
researches was not focused on the arts itself but only used the arts to support academics;
therefore, the focus was academics and not the arts. Although art helped Eisner (1998)
develop himself and helped him through school when he was young, he found that
schools “in which arts are absent or poorly taught are unlikely to provide the genuine
opportunities children need to use the arts in the service of their own development” (p.
78).
Furthermore, at the end of Eisner’s research, he concluded that art itself did not
increase test scores but can positively affect students in four different ways. The first way
is that art enables students to connect art to culture and life (Eisner, 1998). The
connection between art and culture is “important because the quality of experience the
arts make possible is enriched when the arts are experienced within a context of ideas
12
relevant to them” (1998, p. 96). This experience of the arts is infuse in the pedagogy by
Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), which provides learning experiences that
“engage the sense, emotions, and imagination as well as the intellect” (Burgoyne, 2003,
p. 1). Through Boal’s theatrical approach, students are active and “research shows that
active learning helps develop critical thinking” (2003, p. 1). But to Eisner (1998),
understanding “cultural context” means that culture does have influences on art and this
is how enrichment can be achieved. The second way art affects students is that art helps
students to become aware of the “aesthetic qualities” of art and life (Eisner, 1998, p. 97).
In Eisner’s words, “if art education is about anything it is about helping students become
alive to the aesthetics quality of art and life” by developing a sense of understanding of
the works and situations that one encounters and “be able to say something about them
with insight, sensitivity, and intelligence…this means that they will have reasons for their
preferences” (1998, p. 98). The third way is that art helps students create art and express
their feelings by “getting a feel” and “getting in touch” with the process of arts or of
doing (Eisner, 1998, p. 98). To truly understand how to do something or experience it
esthetically, one must really experience the process in order to understand it. Finally, art
helps students to be artistically creative and open to different ideas and as Eisner (1998)
said to “imagine possibilities” and to have a disposition to want to learn (p. 99). This love
for learning is also instilled by the Waldorf education, or Steiner-Waldorf education, a
pedagogy based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf develops
13
students to think abstractly and creatively through storytelling and imagination (Barns,
1991), which are important components of an engaging environment.
The Importance of Teachers’ Role
Although there have been many researches on the positive impacts of the
aesthetics and art in education, the emphasis of education in the twenty-first century is on
standardized testing, which is the role placed on teachers. Teachers are expected to get
students to perform mastery on standardized testing while leaving behind authentic
educational experiences. Curriculum is now chosen by a school district, with individual
schools supporting the choice, and teachers teaching it. This approach is focused on
getting students to achieve or excel on the state standard testing through the selected
curriculum. This process puts a heavy weight on teachers, who are expected to get
students to the mastery of the standards. Eisner disagreed with this model of standardized
achievement testing and in his book, The Kinds of Schools We Need, he passionately
advocated for a different kind of school, as well as the need to reevaluate current
practices and reforms in education. In Eisner’s opinion (1998), “we cannot know much
about the educational quality of schools simply by examining test scores” (p. 167). In
addition, he believed that very few teachers value the tests; therefore, ineffective
educational research should be changed so that new methods such as assessments that are
aligned with educational values should come into play (Eisner, 1998). To foster
educational values, Eisner (1998) believed teachers must teach what they believe is
valuable to students and reflect on their teaching. Furthermore, to support educational
14
research, Eisner (1998) proposed an artistically crafted research, which can “inform
practicing educators and scholars in ways that are both powerful and illuminating” (p.
153). Meaning, “research with no coherent story, no vivid images, and no sense of the
particular is unlikely to stick” (Eisner, 1998, p. 153). What Eisner meant is that
artistically crafted research helps students understand what is important and what
students need in order to be successful (1998).
Advocacy and Impact of the Arts and Aesthetics in Education
To provide purposeful schooling to all learners, educational values and traditional
ways of teaching, ineffective pedagogy practices, current school reforms and policies
need to be reevaluated so that change can occur for the betterment of future education.
For example, Eisner (1998) proposed that in order for changes to take place, five
dimensions—the intentional, the structured, the curricular, the pedagogical, and the
evaluative—are crucial. The intentional, as Eisner (1998) stated, is related to the
institution—the schools—and how schools foster and celebrate individual talents as well
as enable learners to take responsibility for their educational future. Eisner (1998)
believed that educators need support and need to work with their colleagues in
collaboration for the betterment of all children, not just their students. Teaching can be a
very lonely field, as teachers are often isolated working in their own classroom, and as a
result, fifty percent of those who enter the teaching profession in the United States leave
after five years of teaching experience (Eisner, 1998). The last three: the curricular, the
pedagogical, and the evaluative are also important and connected to each other, the
15
curriculum to the pedagogy (the teaching), pedagogy to teachers, and teachers to the selfevaluation of their practices. By reflecting on one’s pedagogical practices, educators can
make changes to better their teaching as well as create an effective and meaningful,
aesthetic learning experience for all their students.
Throughout Arnstine, Dewey, and Eisner’s work, they sought conditions that
make learning accessible to students. All their work embodied similar values even though
each discussed different points. Eisner’s overall main points are that the kinds of schools
that people need must include all three things: multiple forms of literacy and learning,
inclusion of the arts, and the incorporation of artistically crafted research. Any absence of
one of these three things will limit the potential of students. In addition, throughout
Dewey and Arnstine’s work, they infused the importance of esthetic experiences in
education and the significant connection between democracy and education such as the
freedom to enjoy an experience through effective pedagogical practices as expressed in
Reggio Emilia, Theatre of Oppressed, Waldorf, and Howard Gardner’s work. As Dewey
(1934) said, “free interaction of individual human with surrounding conditions, especially
the human surroundings, which develops and satisfies need and desire by increasing
knowledge of things as they are” (p. 6). Overall, all the authors’ dispositions, as
discussed, were to foster an aesthetic learning experience, to emphasize the importance of
teachers’ role, to create a more equitable educational programs that included the arts and
aesthetics, as well as define the value of arts in education. All three of which can be
16
created through various pedagogical practices that educators can utilize to implement
curriculum through the most effective and effectual ways.
Introduction to a Brain-Compatible Classroom
For classroom teachers, the challenges are immense—from the pressures of
getting students to perform on standardized testing, to differentiating lessons to meet the
needs of all students, as well as effectively managing and engaging students to achieve
grade-level standards! These pressures can be overwhelming and teachers can feel lost at
times. One of the greatest challenges and a teacher’s top priority is being able to create a
conducive learning environment where classroom management issues are nonexistent and
teaching flows in a natural manner. When the class is manageable and students are
engaged, this is when learning takes place and students can achieve at their highest
potentials. This section will reference numerous sources such as Highly Effective
Teaching (HET) model, Howard Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences, and other authors. In
addition, this section will provide information on how the brain functions and the value
of creating a brain-compatible classroom that is aesthetically intriguing to all types of
learners.
How the Brain Functions
Brain-based learning has become a popular theory of learning and a widespread
trend in education. There are many books, workshops, and other published works to give
information and insights on how to best educate children through the brain, brain
research, and brain-related learning. Brain-based learning theory came about and
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developed quickly in the 1960s and 1970s and was based on the studies of animals
(Davis, 2008). This study found that animals responded to several areas, especially
extrinsic motivation (2008), motivation from outside or external physical rewards.
Although extrinsic motivation worked for animals, over time it did not work for children
(2008). The authors of Chaos in the Classroom suggested the opposite of extrinsic
motivation, which is intrinsic motivation, but still felt that intrinsic motivation—
motivation from within one self—was still teacher centered and teacher driven and had
short term effects (Davis, Smith, and Leflore, 2008). This was the reason, these authors
came up with a new theory of learning—a “non-linear approach”—that encompassed
social constructivist theory—the “ideas of student-directed and student-controlled
learning”, the brain-based learning theory, which was “working with the brain in a rich
and diverse environment that increases dendritic connections” and the critical thinking
theory—“advanced ideas of in-depth learning” (2008, p. 73).
Authors Davis, Smith, and Leflore (2008) believed that these three theories
combined are what are needed in the classroom even though the constructivist learning
theory provided the most hopeful results and had longer effects, this approach required
teachers to give up some control to students so that they can use critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking is a higher order of thinking and is beyond worksheets and rote memory
learning; it is learning that enables students to response constructively without giving
answers teacher expect to hear (2008). Critical thinking involved “creativity, flexibility,
risk taking, and an interdisciplinary approach to learning, both on the part of the student
18
and the teacher; the brains of both student and teacher are highly involved and active”
(2008, p. 5).
Davis, Smith, and Leflore (2008) suggested teachers perceive learning and the
brain as a chaotic and complex process that is unique to every individual child; and that
when this mindset is in place, educators can start to create an environment that is part of
the brain-based learning theory, social-constructivist theory, and critical theory. These
authors also believed that these three theories all work in conjunction with each other and
not as separate entities. When all these theories have been combined, Davis, Smith, and
Leflore (2008) believed one can “facilitate learning in a way that is consistent with how
the brain works” (p. 73). These approaches, more specially the brain-based approach,
continue to look at how children learn in the classroom and provide an understanding of
how learning unfolds as a result of the work of the brain.
To fully understand how learning occurs, educators must understand how the
brain functions in conjunction to learning. Lyons (2003) stated that the human brain is a
wet mass of brain that weighs a little over three pounds and is an extension of the spinal
cord. Highly Effective Teaching (HET) stated that the fundamental parts of the brain work
to produce learning are neurons, brain organization (different parts of the brain control
different abilities and these parts operate independently, and information substances that
include transmitters, peptides, hormones, factors, and proteins ligands that carry
information throughout the body (Kovalik, 2009). Neurons are brain cells; every neuron
has at least one axons and up to 100,000 dendrites (2009). “Neurons have a cell body, a
19
tail-like extension called an axon, and branchlike structures called dendrites” and “the
junction between two connecting neurons is called a synapse” (Jensen, 2005, p. 16). The
neurons move around, connecting to each other to produce learning (2009). As the brain
grows in age, more dendrites and axons increased to full size by age five; as a result of
this growth, “multiple branching of the dendrites, myelination of axons, enlargement of
synapses and overall size of the neurons” is the brain’s reaction to learning caused by a
rich environment (Kovalik, 2009, p. 3). Additionally, one of the key elements of the
brain’s function is communication through an “electrical-chemical process” (Kovalik,
2009, p. 3).
This process is when
the sending neurons transmits an electrical signal down its axon to its tip which
is very close to the bulbous ending on the dendritic spines of the receiving cell.
Chemical messengers, neurotransmitters, travel from the axon to the dendrite
across the synaptic gap. If the information is compelling enough to the
receiving neuron, it in turn will spark an electrical transmission down its
axon to the dendrites of another cell and on and on until communication is
complete. (Kovalik, 2009, p. 3)
The brain is an important part that educators must nurture since “learning is the result of
the actual physical growth of the brain” (Kovalik, 2009, p. 3). The physiological changes
in the brain, from the changing and shrinking shape of the dendritic spines, to the
growing of the neurons will become denser and heavier without stimulation in the
20
classroom. Therefore, the types of input that educators provide and the stimulation from
enriched classrooms can help the brain grow as much as twenty percent in comparison to
dull classrooms (2009) without aesthetic qualities. Moreover, an enriched classroom is
one that includes all areas of the aesthetics needed to stimulate the brain in order to
produce learning; otherwise, the brain can lose dendrites (Kovalik, 2009).
Furthermore, the brain has unique ways of learning information. According to
Jensen, the brain is complex and has ways to filter information quickly; keeping
information that is worth saving, then storing it in specific areas. Jensen (2005) stated that
information that comes from the five senses are activated by thinking and memory; then
the information is transferred to the “thalamus for initial processing” (p. 15) before being
routed to other areas for processing. “Visual information is routed to the occipital lobe,
language to the temporal lobe, and so on” (Jensen, 2005, p. 16). The brain is quick at
forming “a rough sensory impression of incoming data” (Jensen, 2005, p. 16). If any
information is perceive dangerous or threatening, the amygdale, or uncertainty activator,
will be activate and will alert part of the nervous systems that helped people deal with
emergences (2005). The amygdale is the “emotional memory; encodes emotional
messages to long-term memory” (Burgoyne, 2003, p. 32). Although that brain received
much information, not all is stored because the frontal lobes, or short-term memory, can
only hold the new information for five to twenty seconds (Jensen, 2005). If any
information is worth storing, it is then transferred to the hippocampus to be determined
whether or not is valuable information before sending it to the cortex for storing (2005).
21
The hippocampus also encodes information from working memory to long-term storage
(2003). Jensen (2005) believed that this process begins again at “lightening speed” (p.
16), even though the storing process can take up to hours, days, and weeks.
If physical changes in the brain are important factors to learning, what can
teachers do to stimulate brain growth in their students? Highly Effective Teaching (HET)
suggested three ways to do this: the first is to remove low-sensory input materials and
processes such as textbooks, worksheets, and non-cooperative group work. The second is
to provide age-appropriate and skills related activities that does not require prerequisite
skills that are not obtainable. The third is to “design curriculum and instructional
strategies that encourages practice and mastery in real-world situations” (Kovalik, 2009,
p. 5).
According to the Highly Effective Teaching (HET) model, there are nine bodybrain-compatible elements as well as six kinds of sensory inputs that engage nineteen
senses to achieve learning in the classroom. HET’s nine body-brain-compatible elements
are enriched environment, meaningful content, collaboration, movement, choices,
adequate time, immediate feedback, mastery, and absences of threat/nurture reflective
thinking (Kovalik, 2009). HET believed that these elements are practical strategies that
are aesthetically interesting to students, therefore, in return help educators achieve
effective learning. HET firmly believed that in addition to the body-brain-compatible
elements, there are nineteen senses and not just five and that is a direct relationship
between the number of senses activated and the amount and location of brain activity.
22
HET stated that “the greater the range of sensory input, the greater the physiological
activity and growth in the brain” (2009, p. 6). The result is that there is more learning and
more chances of learning saved in the long-term memory. This is the reason why an
enriched environment that fosters sensory input directly through the nineteen senses will
bring forth the best learning (2009). HET affirmed that input through the senses is the
brain’s way of taking in information from the world and that large amounts of sensory
input enable students to grasps concepts and information accurately (2009). In addition,
“…large amounts of sensory input are what cause physiological changes in the brain,
resulting in phenomena of learning” (Kovalik, 2009, p. 6). The kinds of sensory input that
HET discussed that are used less in the classroom, but are needed the most are “being
there experiences” and “immersion” (Kovalik, 2009, p. 6). “Being there experiences” and
“immersion” are two of the six kinds of sensory inputs; the other sensory inputs are
“hands-on (the real thing) ¸ hands-on (representation items), second hand, and symbolic”
(2009, p. 6). HET’s “being there experiences” (2009) supported what the authors of
Chaos in the Classroom believed in, which is taking students on field trips as a prior
knowledge or prerequisite to starting a new unit. Giving students background knowledge
before exposing or introducing a topic can increase comprehension.
Attributes of a Brain-Compatible Classroom
This section will delve into the concepts of what a brain-compatible classroom
looks like, sounds like, and feels like. It will also explain the reasoning and purpose of
creating a brain-compatible classroom. Imagine having a staff meeting in a relaxing café
23
style room where the colors of the walls are soothing, complementing each other; the
designs of the paintings on the walls are not too busy; the furniture is modern with clean
and simple lines that create an uncluttered feeling; the lighting is not too alluring or too
dim and the presence of plants create a welcoming feeling. Imagine learning and working
in a room like this as a student. Imagine how pleasant a room like this can subtly
stimulate the brain. This is what a brain-compatible classroom looks like--a place with
the absences of clutter, busyness, unpleasant smells, and flickering or dull lighting.
The physical environment of the classroom must be aesthetically intriguing to students
since it is crucial to students’ learning. Referencing to what the previous section
discussed, the physical environment can stimulate growth in the brain that causes
learning. This is the reason why the physical characteristics of the classroom, from its
scent and lighting, to the furniture layout, can make the classroom inviting or uninviting.
An inviting room makes learning happen. Setting up a classroom so that students feel
comfortable to learn is imperative since "there's no place like home," (Wikipedia, 2009,
p. 1) a quote by Frank Baum, which literally means there is no place like one’s home;
therefore, if a classroom has a homey feeling, students will be more apt to want to learn
in it and teachers will be more incline to work in it.
An aesthetically fulfilling classroom is one that is well lighted and well ventilated.
According to Highly Effective Teaching (HET), lighting in the classroom has been
examined over the past fifty years, but more recent research showed light-amount,
intensity, and color spectrum, has a significant effect on people of all ages as well as the
24
physical, emotional, and brain function (Kovalik, 2009). Proper lighting not only permits
students to see, but it stimulates the pineal and hypothalamus glands, and affects the
functions of the body—from the endocrine system, biological clock, immune system,
circulatory system, respiratory system, sexual development, and part of the nervous
system (Kovalik, 2009). According to HET, artificial lighting is not as beneficial as
natural lighting and has been associated with irritability, eyestrain, headaches, fatigue,
and other health related issues such as depression and changes in heart rate, and blood
pressure (2009). HET stated that studies have shown that lack of natural lighting can
result in increased anxiety, irritability, oversleeping, inability to tolerate stress, crying,
decrease activity levels, and lower academic scores (2009); therefore, educators should
do a thorough check of lighting in the classroom. In addition, educators should remove
glare from windows, keep exposure time on the computer or TV screens to a minimum,
and to make sure that lighting can enter through windows, and ensure that the intensity of
lighting is not too strong as to strain the eyes (Kovalik, 2009).
A well-ventilated and pleasant smelling classroom is one that allows fresh air to
enter through since “the two most essential fuels for the brain are glucose and oxygen”
that are provided first by proper diet and second by fresh air (Kovalik, 2009, p. 13). HET
believed “no oxygen, no learning” (Kovalik, 2009, p. 13), meaning that the brain needs
oxygen in order to produce learning. For this reason, HET suggested opening windows to
allow fresh air in but said to monitor to make sure that outdoor air is safe and to always
maximize fresh air (2009). Also, the temperature of classroom is imperative; HET stated
25
that “a steady, reliable temperature of 68 degrees in the winter and 76 degrees in the
summer helps students stay focused on learning” (Kovalik, 2009, p. 13).
Tabitha Miller, a certified practitioner from the Time-Space School of Feng Shui
under Master Joseph Yu, states that “natural smells affect us in a way that manufactured
scents never can, with the added advantage of not causing us respiratory problems or
polluting the atmosphere” and that science now knows that the quickest way to impact
how the brain works is through the sense of smell (Miller, 2009, p. 1). Miller referenced a
1996 study on odors and learning, by Alan R. Hirsch, director of the Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, that “odors can have an impact upon
behavior because the part of the brain that recognizes smell, the olfactory lobe, is part of
the limbic lobe or emotional brain” (Miller, 2009, p.1). In this study, Hirsch discovered
that people were able to complete a maze seventeen percent faster when wearing a floralscented mask (Miller, 2009). Miller (2009) suggested not using aerosol sprays for scents
because of the chemicals in it that may cause allergies, but to use essential or natural oils
rather than fragrance oils. Essential or natural oils are directly extracted from plants
versus fragrance oils, which use synthetics and various amounts of natural oil to produce
scents that have no medicinal purposes (Miller, 2009). Miller (2009) also discussed ways
to fragrance a room such as the use of diffusers and spray bottles that have natural or
essential oils in it; she does not recommend the use of candles or aroma burners because
they are not safe for classrooms. A specific oil Miller (2009) suggested using is
Bergamot oil, which is soothing and relaxing for the mental state and can be used as an
26
antiseptic solution to clean desks, by mixing five to ten drops of this oil or other oils in a
soap and water mixture. Other oils or scents that are stimulating for the brain are mint,
lavender, and geranium (Miller, 2009). The use of oils can be stimulating but according
to HET, a pleasant environment is one that does not have any smell at all except a welloxygenated fresh air classroom (Kovalik, 2009).
Colors in a classroom have a great effect on students’ learning. Color
combination, color choices, and the different hue or shades of colors can have a negative
and or positive effect on students. There are many current research studies evaluate the
effect of colors on the brain and the stimulation that it offsets. According to Sasson
(2007), who reported findings from Sinofsky and Knirck that color affects students’
attitudes, behaviors and learning; especially bright colors because it affect teachers and
students’ attention span and sense of time. Sasson (2007) suggested using colors such as
light green and blue since light green is the color of spring and can filter negativity and
make teachers and students feel a sense of ease; light blue, on the other hand, is the color
of the water, ocean, and life, and sets off a sense of calmness. Sasson (2007) stated that
“in the Western culture, blue symbolizes loyalty and authority while it also symbolizes
strength and power in the Eastern culture” (p. 1). Furthermore, according to Sasson, light
blue can also help deter discipline and classroom management issues because it reduces
the number of behavioral outbursts (2007). Kennedy found that different color choices
depended on the age group. Kennedy quoted Engelhrecht that younger children like
preschool and elementary students need bright colors such as red, orange and yellow to
27
stimulate them, but these colors might be too distracting for older children, such as
adolescents, who respond better to less stimulating colors such as blue and green
(Kennedy, 2005).
Color is an important factor, but Kennedy stated that there are other components
in the classroom to consider; for example, seating and furniture since furniture is where
students spend the most time in. Therefore, Kennedy suggested the following when
designing a classroom. The first is to choose simple colors and styles that are not very
trendy; the second is to choose a variety of seating types to make the classroom feel less
institutionalized, and third to choose comfortable seats and backrests that reduces fatigue
and physical distractions (Kennedy, 2005). In addition to an aesthetically appealing
physical environment, the interaction and engagement of students in learning is also
needed.
Student engagement—the interaction, interest, and involvement of students in
learning—is a powerful device in a teacher’s toolkit. Student engagement is also by far
the hardest component that determines whether a school year is going to be successful.
Teachers want all their students to excel and to do well in school. However, how can
students be engage if they are uninterested in what the teacher is teaching or the contents
and concepts presented. By the lack of student engagement, students become bored and
either act out and misbehave, or their mind wander off and they miss important concepts
taught. This section will provide different strategies through the arts and aesthetics to
engage and stimulate students’ learning.
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When students pay attention, follow directions, and do their assigned class work,
the assumption is that they are engaged and learning, but according to Jensen (2005),
author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind, this assumption is true for some learners but
not for all. Jensen believed that learning is the result of both nature and nurture. Jensen
(2005) states that nature is genetic and that genetics are responsible for almost half of all
student learning and intelligence, but nurture, on the other hand, is educators’ influence
and support and is just as important. Jensen (2005) described learning as “explicit
learning and implicit learning” (p.33). Explicit is what is mainly read, written, and talked
about and conveyed in print form; implicit learning are things that are learned through
“…life experiences, habit, games, experiential learning, and other hands-on activities”
(Jensen, 2005, p. 33). Furthermore, Jensen believed that explicit learning revolve around
task predictions. For example, if students can “identify or predict the relevant
associations among variables in the learning situation, predict and express accurately the
appropriate concepts or actions, and store, retrieve, and apply the predictions in context
next time” then they are learning because “better learners can accurately and quickly
identify relevant properties in the material to be learned” (2005, p. 34). This relates to the
brain because thousands of neurons are connecting with each other at the synapses to
create a process called memory (Jensen, 2005).
Although student engagement is invaluable in the classroom, Jensen (2005)
affirms, “Engagement is not a requirement for all learning” because ninety percent of the
time, learning occurs unconsciously (p. 34). Learning can occur on a stroll through the
29
park and does not necessary have to happen through direct teacher instructions in the
classroom; students can learn through “relevant school stimuli [that] include
opportunities to make friends , quench thirst or hunger, notice a change in the weather, or
interact with classroom visitors” (Jensen, 2005, p. 35). On the other hand, while students’
brains are learning, their mind is also worrying about avoiding the dangers of getting
embarrassed, failing, or being harmed (Jensen, 2005). When the mind is preoccupied with
these worries, the brain is not learning or paying attention (2005). Paying attention is the
brain’s ability to “orient, engage, and maintain”, as well as “exclude or suppress external
and internal distracters” (Jensen, 2005, p. 35). This means that educators must revisit
their instructional strategies to tap into the part of the brain that is involved in attention.
Paying attention requires that students be engage because “engagement activates
more of the pleasure structures in the brain than do tasks of simple memorization”
(Jensen, 2005, p. 35); therefore, there are simple tasks that educators can do in order to
boost student engagement besides changing the physical environment. There are four
strategies that author Jensen suggest educators consider when trying new strategies to
support classroom attention. Jensen (2005) suggests educators to seek attention from
students constantly and to cut the length of required focused attention time according to
grade level. For instance, the appropriate amount of direct instruction time is five to eight
minutes for grades kindergarten through second, eight to twelve minutes for grades three
to five, twelve to fifteen minutes for grades sixth through twelfth, and fifteen to eighteen
minutes for adult learners. Another strategy is for students to just focus on one task at a
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time just as students would do when playing video games (Jensen, 2005). Additionally,
students need to set goals for these tasks and to share these goals with others. Jensen
(2005) suggested educators to use a variety of attention grabbers such as changes in tone
of voice, using vocal pauses, changing the location of attention being sought, the use of
props, purposely changing emotions, changing group leadership, using surprises, and
implementing attention getting rituals such as clapping and stomping before giving
teachers one’s attention (2005). With any of these activities, teachers should use
repetitive pre-teaching—strategies Jensen called pre-exposure (exposing a lesson days,
weeks, and months ahead), previewing (minutes and hours ahead), and priming (seconds
and minutes ahead) (2005). In addition to pre-teaching is reviewing, which occurs
minutes after learning, and revision, which happens hours, days, or weeks later (2005).
Jensen (2005) believed that the effectiveness of these strategies varied depending on the
frequency and variety that educators used in combination to the ones they create on their
own.
Critical thinking is a vital part of the classroom. According to Davis, Smith, and
Leflore (2008), authors of Chaos in the Classroom, “an environment that fosters critical
thinking is multilevel and diverse, with as many different perspectives as there are
students and teachers who are members of the learning community (p. 6). In addition, an
environment that fosters the brain is one that also incorporates the multiple intelligences.
HET’s model incorporates and values individual strengths and intelligences in relation to
their nine senses.
31
An important component of student engagement is prior knowledge. Prior
knowledge consists of real, physical matter (synapse, neurons, and related, connected
networks) and is “personal, complex, and highly resistant to change” (Jensen, 2005, p.
45). Children who come to school with prior knowledge or background experience are
more interested in learning and are more willing to participate in class discussions, which
mean that they are more engaged in learning. But those without prior knowledge is not at
all a lost because Davis, Smith, and Leflore (2008) believed that “students at different
levels of prior knowledge will understand at different levels when new information is
given to them” (p. 77). This means that students have the capacity to learn as long as
educators give them the tools necessary to learn and grasps concepts. Jensen (2005)
suggested that the best way to build on students’ prior knowledge is to understand and
respect that all students have some form of prior knowledge and to work with what
students know versus trying to change or erase students’ prior knowledge. Davis, Smith,
and Leflore (2008) suggest three strategies to create prior knowledge when students do
not have it such as field trips—going to places that will give students hands-on
experience before a unit or lesson starts. The second is shared experiences—students
share their experiences and/or prior knowledge with other students. The third is
research—allowing students to form groups to research collaboratively before presenting
or demonstrating to the class. HET also discussed the importance of prior knowledge in
being there experiences as those experiences that allows students to understand, grow,
and experience life first-hand.
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Whether it is an educator’s first year of teaching or fifteenth year, creating an
environment that embraces the aesthetics and using it to stimulate the brain fully is a
satisfying reward for educators. By evaluating the importance of arts and the aesthetics of
the physical classroom to understanding how the brain works to learn, are essential
components of a well-rounded education. The result of achieving a brain-compatible
education for children is a teacher’s ultimate goal and success because the purpose of
education is for the students. Therefore, as John Dewey says, “Education is a social
process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life
itself” (Brainy Quotes, 2009, p.1). As educators, teachers are the ones who will prepare
and bring students into the future.
33
Chapter 3
RESOURCE HANDBOOK
Introduction to the Resource Handbook
This project follows Pathway III: developing a curriculum, program, or
performance related to arts education or arts in education. The goal of the project is to
create a classroom management handbook filled with helpful information and ideas that
support how the brain functions and learns. The resource handbook can be a valuable tool
for all educators, but the ideas are implemented at the elementary levels: grades
kindergarten through sixth. Although there are vast informational resources for teachers
on the internet and other teachers resource books; often times these resources only
explain, but do not demonstrate how. This resource handbook is unique because it not
only provides ideas but it shows educators how to set up their classroom as well as offer
classroom management strategies through the explicit photographs. The colored
photographs are visual graphics that effectively support how the brain functions. By
implementing ideas from the resource handbook, educators can better support their
students by creating a classroom that considers how the brain learns. This project relates
to the arts because teaching is about creating learning that is appealing and interesting to
students. This type of environment can be achieved through effective management and
inclusion of multiple modes of learning such as the arts.
34
Contents of the Resource Handbook
The contents of the resource handbook are diverse and a mixture of information
and strategies that can be helpful to educators teaching grades kindergarten through sixth.
The classrooms of the teachers featured in the handbook also attended the same HET
training as the author, as well as are willing participants and formal colleagues of the
author. The ideas presented in the handbook are from multiple sources. In teaching,
effective ideas and strategies are borrowed, reused, and recycled from one educator to the
next. Some ideas are the author’s own creations, others ideas are strategies the author
borrowed or implemented from other known and unknown sources over a period of time.
Teaching is like technology, educators strive to find fresh new ideas to provide the best
education for all of their students.
The layout of the handbook is alphabetically sequence by different topics and
themes in the classroom. The handbook will show teachers how to make the classroom
appealing to the brain, and is set-up according to relevant classroom topics. Photographs
describe in detail how educators can explicitly utilize the ideas presented. The book will
first discuss the setup of the physical environment, such as creating different areas of the
room, also known as centers or stations. The different sections will be label and organize,
giving each section of the room purpose as well as function. Next, the handbook will
describe certain aspects of a brain-compatible classroom and demonstrate visually
through photographs how to achieve each section. The handbook will guide the reader
with simple tips and directions, as well as written explanations.
35
The initial setup of the classroom at the beginning of the school year, around
August or September, is crucial and sets the stage for the rest of the school year. One
important component of this setup is clear procedures and expectations. One of the
strategies in the handbook discusses how teachers can establish clear expectations and
procedures through utilizing procedure books and posters. Procedure books lay out clear
expectations in sequential order of what is expected of students during transition time and
activities. Procedures can be written for daily tasks or tasks used only occasionally. The
written expectations can be a few simple words to full sentences depending on the age
group or grade level. There can also be illustrations and pictures demonstrating the
procedures. Procedure posters, on the other hand, are similar to procedure books except
that the posters can be mounted on the wall or put on a flipchart and reference only when
needed. The only difference is that procedure posters are more for teachers’ direct
instruction of the rules and classroom routines as compared to procedure books, which
can be kept in students’ desk to use as a reference or sent home to review. Both the
procedure book and poster work the same way depending on the preference of the
teacher.
There are several important components of the handbook that are described
especially how they are used firsthand in the classroom; this is a distinctive component
that separates this book from other classroom management handbooks. One of the
components of the handbook is the useful and practical tips offered throughout the book
for each of the topics explaining how they are implemented in the classroom. The tips are
36
easy to read and color-coded in red for visibility. Other components of the book are
calming escapes, student engagement, using environmental print, creating library area,
managing learning and procedures, scents and smells, storing things, creating small
groups and teacher area, and utilizing wall space. An example of one of the section in the
handbook is the calming escape, which is a positive and safe place for students to go
when they need to rethink or recollect their thoughts due to sadness, stress, or anger.
Calming escapes are not meant to be negative time-outs, but a safe place that symbolizes
a relaxing and peaceful paradise. Further details and explanations for the calm escapes
and other areas of the classroom are explained in the handbook. Refer to Appendix B for
more details.
In addition to the classroom management ideas presented in the book is the
section on how the arts are an important aspect of education and how arts are integrated
into learning. This section features famous artists and examples of their work; which
students have recreated by adding their own creative touches. There is also another
section that discusses the Immersion Wall, also known as concept-question board, where
students are encouraged to explore their creativity by thinking outside of the box.
Immersion Walls embrace a concept or theme and are student-centered. Students embrace
their work by creating a backdrop and then choose how to set up the board as well as
what is to be displayed. The pieces on the board can be a mixture of posters, realia (live,
tangible objects), books, written or artistic pieces, and printed words or concepts. The
purpose of Immersion Wall is to focus on a theme and is a creative expression of
37
students’ hard work. The reason for displaying students’ work and projects is to promote
cooperative learning, teamwork, as well celebrate individual talents. Immersion Walls
allow for multiple forms of learning since various skills and talents are used to put the
theme together.
Utilizing wall space is important since wall space is not meant to be plastered
with learning posters that are no longer needed. Highly Effective Teaching (HET)
discusses the effective use of wall space and how much of classroom walls should be
cover. It is tempting for educators to want to display everything, from student work to all
different types of learning posters and projects. Traditionally, teachers would cover every
inch of their classroom walls as a way to promote literacy, but according to HET, too
much printed materials on walls can be distracting and can inhibit students from learning.
HET suggests neutral colors and purposeful print. This means that if something is no
longer used, it should not be displayed or left hanging for weeks, months, or years, except
for classroom labels. Labeling the classroom by centers/area with small typed or legible
writing is useful environmental print that helps promote literacy. If teachers want to
display students’ work, students should be given the opportunities to post their personal
best work, whether that is written work, a test, or a piece of art. The purpose of
displaying students’ personal best is that it celebrates and appreciates students’ individual
abilities and aspirations. Personal best walls can be achieved by giving each student a
space to display their personal best work. Refer to Appendix B for pictures.
By following the ideas presented in the handbook, educators can find quick and
38
simple strategies to effectively manage their classroom and transform it into a learning
environment that engages all learners. The handbook will serve as a purposeful tool for
any elementary teacher who is interested in creating a brain-compatible classroom that
celebrates multiple forms of learning. The handbook is located in Appendix B.
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Chapter 4
REFLECTIONS
The following is a personal narrative of the academic and artistic journey this
author took in creating a resource handbook for educators in the elementary level:
kindergarten through sixth grade. I first started writing my project with the idea in mind
of creating an arts experience night for Oak Ridge Elementary, a school that I had taught
at for three years. My dear friends and colleagues at Oak Ridge Elementary were going to
support me by helping me facilitate the event, in addition having their students create arts
pieces to display at this event. However, due to budget cuts at the district level, we were
all laid off and eventually moved to different schools. Therefore, I had to come up with a
different project. Still, over the course of the summer, I could not think of a project I was
passionate about and one worth dedicating all my time and energy. As a result of being
displaced in a new grade-level and having to move things from my house to the newly
emptied classroom, I was bogged down with setting up the classroom and prepping for
this new grade-level. I had never taught kindergarten and knew that it was nothing like
second grade. With the pressures placed by administrators at the new school and the
demands of a new grade-level, my project came to a stop.
It was not until after I attended a one-week training, held in Lake Tahoe, that I
found what I was passionate about and finally thought of the project I wanted to create.
The one-week training was called Highly Effective Teaching (HET), formally known as
ITI (Integrated Thematic Instruction). “HET is a brain-compatible model grounded in the
40
biology of learning, effective instructional strategies, and the development of conceptual
curriculum.” (Kovalik, 2010, p. 1). HET incorporates a variety of components of the arts
as well as reference Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, which is why I was really
interested in their theories. From this training came the inspiration for my project. While
attending the training, many ideas kept coming into my mind but nothing concrete stuck
with me. Then one breezy afternoon as I was sitting outside after having enjoyed my
delicious lunch, a tangible idea came into my mind. Then more ideas kept bursting out of
my mind, quicker than I could imagine. I quickly grabbed my notebook and jotted down
the ideas swiftly. Then lunch was over. As I continued with the training, I could not wait
until break time to share my ideas with my friends. I knew they would see my vision and
would be motivated to help create a useful tool that is beneficial not only for us, but for
all educators. Because of the training and the inspiration I found, I am very pleased with
the results.
One of the challenges of creating the handbook is time—time to plan how the
handbook would look like and what it would include. I wanted to make sure the book had
all the components I was envisioning. The project took a lot of time—time to visit each
classroom, find what I was looking for, and sometimes reorganizing to get the right shots.
As a busy classroom teacher, committing enough time to capture the strategies and ideas
needed to complete the book was immensely challenging at times. Sometimes, I had a
good idea or remembered something I did in the previous years, but did not have a
41
picture for it. Regardless of the issues, all the pictures were worth it; after all, as in a
popular expression, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
Through the course of this project, my classroom underwent many
transformations, resulting in the classroom management handbook being completed
hastily and took longer than I expected. I first took pictures of my classroom in its current
state to use in the handbook, but then had to retake pictures due to many components of
the classroom not fitting the brain-compatible model. Luckily, my classroom was being
repainted with a neutral beige color that would be a perfect fit for the model. The painting
took longer than planned and the room was in a complete mess, everything was
everywhere and out of place. It was like starting all over again in September. I took two
weeks to put everything back and then retook photographs. At the end, the transformation
of the room was well-worth it.
In the process of creating this resource handbook, I learned many new things that
I have never thought of such as the functioning of the brain. I did not realize in all the
years I have been teaching about the impact of certain strategies that I have been using
that some were both ineffective and some were effective. I also learned that there is a
great need to understand how the brain works in learning and what teachers can do to
help to boost learning. In addition, I learned about the importance of infusing the arts into
the classroom through kinesthetic movements and providing students more opportunities
for self-discovery, both oral and written. It was powerful to see how even the smallest
integration of the arts such as singing, making hand movements to the alphabet letters, or
42
drawing and coloring a simple picture, can bring a smile into the lives of students. This is
the reason why the arts are as important as the core subjects are because the impact of the
arts is profound to the well-being of children.
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APPENDIX A
Before and After Pictures of the Classroom Make Over
Before the Painting
Before the room was
painted, cabinets and
cubbies were green and
walls were the original
wood from when the
school was built. The
color of the wall and
the things in the room
looked mismatched.
In addition, the wall
looked old and faded.
After the Painting
After the painting, walls and cabinets were painted a neutral
cream color that was appealing to the eyes. The room now
looks neater and cleaner with a fresh coat of paint.
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APPENDIX B
A K-6th Brain-Compatible Classroom Management Handbook
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