10 CEREBRAL TECHNIQUES for a brain friendly classroom

based on an extract from the forthcoming book on 21st century pedagogy Do Less, Do it Better by Jenny Pope and Kirsty Gillon

A brain friendly classroom is one where the curriculum is structured to optimise the way the brain learns best. The richer the learning environment, the deeper the understanding.

1. CLASS ENVIRONMENT

Make sure that your room is an interesting environment for students to work in (plants, student work, posters, ambient lighting, quotes, puzzles, news items, colour).

2. VISUAL TOOLS

Use visual tools to get the brain working on a number of levels.

e.g.

a. Mindmapping

This combination of words, images and arrows is perfect for organising thoughts at any time during a lesson. Note: mindmapping is not a random spider diagram it is a practice that has very specific rules. Done well mindmapping can engender very rich thinking. Students love mindmapping when it is taught according to the way Tony Buzan, the founder of this technique, describes it. See his video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ SHOW this to your students.

b. Picture dictation

Students love Picture dictation. It is a simple technique whereby the teacher reads a short passage then breaks that passage into 8-10 extracts. The student divides their page into 8-10 squares and in each square they draw the image inspired by the teacher’s reading of each extract. On the third reading of each section the student may insert a name/word or number into their picture. At the end the student tells their neighbour the story of the passage while looking at their page.

3. LANGUAGE TRICKS 1

Use and encourage mnemonics, rhymes and catchphrases for stimulating memory.

Just about everyone will have their own mnemonic. For example

“I before E except after C

And weird is just weird”

The order of planets in average distance from the Sun:

(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto(?))

My Very Easy Method: Just Set Up Nine Planets

This mnemonic sentence that gives the names of the seven continents of the earth via the first two letters of (almost) every word:

"Eat An Aspirin After A Naff Sandwich"

(Europe, Antarctica, Asia, Africa, Australia, N.America, S.America)

4. LANGUAGE TRICKS 2

Use metaphors or similes to draw analogies.

Eg.

A leaf is basically a green factory.

Platelets clump together at an injured site like rugby players in a scrum.

World War II is a metaphor for what can be accomplished when unified for a common purpose.

Essay structure is like a Russian nesting doll.

Algebra is detective work.

The language of physics is the Rosetta Stone of the universe

Metaphors and similes foster deep thinking. The student must interpret the message of the metaphor and apply it to the learning content. This is bringing prior learning into the new learning. This is a bridge from the known to the unknown. Students can make up their own metaphors and similes for deep learning and make connections. Better still, they can PAINT the metaphor or simile.

5. MANIPULATIVES AND 3D STUFF

Many students respond to hands on tasks which involve manipulating items or objects. Most people associate manipulatives with maths in the form of origami, tangrams and integer bars. However, manipulatives can also be used in any subject that involves a process for example manipulating parts of a formula or parts of an essay or stanzas of a poem.

6. STORIES

Never underestimate the power of reading a story to students. OR of telling your own personal stories to illustrate a learning concept.

'People see their own lives as stories; a lifelong story with a single hero or heroine... much contemporary unhappiness is due to the fact that people in high tech societies receive neither strong myths and stories from their culture nor the ability to construct their own... they lose the plot.' Guy Claxton in 'Wise -Up

7. MOVEMENT

Students need to get out of their seats and move around. Recent research shows that the brain operates at its best after physical movement every 20 minutes. Other research states that attention span is roughly equivalent to the student’s age. So get them moving!

This could take the form of ‘turn to the person behind you and discuss’ or ‘get up and find someone you haven’t spoken to today’. A great way to encourage movement is to get the students to use their muscle memory. This is where the neuromuscular system memorises motor skills eg driving a car. A teacher can make use of muscle memory and turn it into a memory aid eg a student could be a plant curling on the ground and go through the photosynthesis process. Students can physically demonstrate how electrons move around a nucleus or demontrate the relationship between sun, moon, and tides. They can use their hands to mimic the concepts of similes, metaphors, aliiteration and personification.

8. THE ARTS

Students should be encouraged to use all the senses: touch, sight, sound, taste, movement, smell when revising and learning, to remember things. Get out the paints, get out the clay, get out the dressups, get out the musical instruments. Allow your students to explore a topic by using the creative side of their brain. They may be reluctant at first and slow to start. This is to be expected. Stimulating the creative brain is often like trying to start an engine on a cold winter’s day. It actually involves a physical shift within the brain to set fire to a whole lot of new neurons and it can take time for this to happen (When I try to use my creative brain I am convinced I can feel a physical shift in my head). Allow students an “engendering” time- the results are worth it and the learning deepens considerably. Through creativity a student will find his/her personal voice which is vital to the development of a true sense of self. This is possibly one of the most important things we can do for our students, particularly at Year 9 and 10 level.

9. HUMOUR

This definitely stimulates the brain and is great when trying to foster new learning. Surveys rank humour as amongst the top five traits of an excellent teacher. But stand up comedy is not a topic covered in training college. Nevertheless, relevant cartoons, jokes and having fun with students can be very effective in promoting a caring classroom as well as providing cerebral enrichment.

10. PROJECTS

This is particularly important for Year 9 and 10 students where students are now developmentally ready to explore real world situations and challenges by using media, the arts, constructions, interviews and research. This is learning that results in a “demonstration of performance”. Projects are given value when they are presented to a real audience via classroom presentation, wikis, webcasts or youtube . Remember our students are attuned to living their lives publicly. For some examples of project based learning go to this website, watch the video and review the resources. http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning

Jenny Pope December 2008