Advantages of Brain Compatible Learning environments
BOJ1127A: PSY370: Learning & the Brain
August 1, 2011 Although we learn in school and use our brains, it is important to have a brain compatible environment that will enrich the minds of our students. This paper will explain what brain compatible environments are and how they can enrich the brain. It will also explain the curriculum (what is taught) and instruction (how it is taught). This paper will also discuss brain based planning strategies, and ways to integrate brain based learning. In order to discuss brain compatible environments we have to first explain what brain based education is. We all know that we use our brains when we learn, however, we, as educators, have to find a way to maximize our students’ learning. Our brain learns when it is ready to learn, it does not learn on demand because it has its own rhythms. “Brain-based education is learning in accordance with the way the brain is naturally designed to learn,” (Jensen, 2008, p. 4). The brain needs an appropriate environment for any intelligence to develop. If a student feels any threats they will use negative behaviors to survive because our brains are designed to help us survive. Moreover, our brains are not set up for typical formal instruction. So, it is important to make sure the environment focuses on positive reaction. That being said we will now talk about brain compatible classrooms. Brain compatible classrooms should have absence of threat, meaningful content, choices, collaboration, and immediate feedback, use of totally positive language, and an enriched environment (music, sights, aromas, and movement); that is just to name a few. There is one very important thing to remember when teaching in a brain compatible classroom, and that is to make sure to allow the students to participate actively. When teachers allow the students to talk to others about the content being taught the frontal lobe is processing information more actively and they learn more,” (Hammond, 2007). As an educator, it is important to make sure that a brain compatible environment enriches the brain or it does no good for the student academically. “An enriched environment is a setting that provides multisensory input. The more senses that are involved in the learning experience, the longer the learned information will stay in memory,” (Cercone, 2006). There is research that states living in an enriched environment, a rat, can grow better brains than those living in an impoverished environment. “We can literally grow new neural connections with stimulation, even as we age. This means that nearly any learner can increase his or her intelligence, without limits, using proper enrichment,” (Jensen, 2008, p. 189). Enriched environments have led to twenty five percent more connections in the brain. And because the nerve cells are able to communicate better it has led to larger and even heavier brains. When you get enhanced environmental stimulation it affects the brain’s metabolism, mapping, it allows the brain to heal more than usual, and it allows faster learning. “On the inside, our brains are continually changing as each experience helps either to grow new neurons or prune away old ones,” (Juola-Rushton & Larkin, 2010).
When students leave the classroom they leave with new synaptic connections and a cerebral cortex that is changed. Some of our brain is hard wired and some of it is soft wired. Hard wired would be the limbic system that changes just a little bit over time. Soft wired means that it is constantly changing when we have new experiences. An environment that supports optimal brain stimulation is an environment that causes sensory overload. For example, colorful charts and objects placed throughout the classroom; maybe showing some students how to cook an apple pie, some type of exercise or movement, or children sitting together in groups working on a project that uses the sense of touch. Also having a case of art work that the children did because this gives them a sense of independence and also they feel they have some control in what they are learning. It is important that teacher fully knows the students’ abilities and capabilities. We are all individuals, we all learn in different ways and at different times. A teacher should use curriculum that enriches all of the students’ brains not just some of them. Teachers should allow students to use their individual styles and their uniqueness. All students should be able to express their selves. Also, “active processing is the key that enables a teacher to move away from providing information to ensuring that students have many opportunities to make personal sense of material and learn in depth,” ( Jack, 2010). It is ideal to make the curriculum meaningful to the students. The brain decides what information is relevant and what is not. It also decides what needs our conscious attention as well. We store information in our neural circuits throughout our lives and the brain searches the neural circuits to see if it can find a place for the new information. For example, give them a lesson that involves something that they are familiar with, like the colors of the rainbow, and have them draw and color the rainbow. If they have never seen a rainbow then this lesson will have little or no meaning to them. Doing lessons that involve something they have experienced before will allow them to learn more from this experience because of the previous one they had.
Create new experiences for them as well. “Consider that much of the information stored in our neural networks has come not from associations but from our concrete experiences. This is how the vast majority of connections are made in the early years before formal schooling begins,” (Westwater & Wolfe, 2000). Have the students get into groups and talk amongst themselves. Have learning centers so that they can interact with one another and “learning centers help to stimulate the growth of neurons from one part of the brain to another,” (Juola-Rushton & Larkin, 2010). Because we are all different and unique there is not a template that works for everyone. Instead we have to use different approaches for different people. There are seven stages of brain based planning that an educator could follow. The seven stages are: 1. Pre-exposure: helps the brain by providing an overview of new learning. “Pre-exposure helps the brain develop better conceptual maps,” (Jensen, 2008, p. 215). 2. Preparation: when a teacher uses this stage it creates curiosity or excitement in the students. 3. Initiation and acquisition: give the students an initial overload of ideas, details, complexity, and meanings. It is okay to let the students become overwhelmed, but only temporarily. “This will be followed by anticipation, curiosity, and a determination to discover meaning for oneself,” (Jensen, 2008, p. 216). It is okay it will eventually get sorted out by the students. This gives them a look into what happens in the real world. 4. Elaboration: In this stage the students really have to think on what is being taught, sort of the processing stage. 5. Incubation and memory encoding: because the brain learns over a period of time and not all at once this stage shows them the importance of review and down time. 6. Verification and confidence check: this stage allows the students to show the teacher, the other students, and themselves what they have learned. Have the students give oral presentations or some type of presentation to the class to show what they have learned and that they fully understand it as well. 7. Celebration and integration: This stage is pretty much self explanatory. Celebrate with the students because they did a great job and they understand the material being taught. Play music, have a snack, play a movie, or just have the students share things and stories amongst themselves. Just remember to keep bringing up what they have learned because if you do not then they can forget it, and that would defeat the purpose of teaching it in the first place.

Dr. Jeff Lackney summarized what he calls brain space design principles. He feels that they can have great impact on learning as well as teaching. The principles are: 1. Create a rich stimulating environment with the student’s projects on the walls so that they can connect with the lesson as well as have ownership of it. 2. Make areas for group learning so that it facilitates social learning. 3. Go outside of the classroom environment but make sure it connects with what you are learning. This promotes movement which “engages the motor cortex linked to the cerebral cortex for oxygenation,” (Burch, n.d). 4. Create safe places for the students so that they do not feel threatened in any way. This will make them relaxed which allow them time to understand the lesson being taught. 5. Make sure that the students have somewhere to go so that they can have alone time. Doing this will allow the student to reflect on the lesson at hand and it does not allow them to become overwhelmed. 6. Use the community for learning as well. Put together a lesson that involves the community because this gives you as the teacher and the students in the class broader ideas. 7. Make sure you have plenty of resources available so that it provides the students with tools that will enable them to better understand the lesson you are teaching. This is just a few of the principles that he came up with. These principles can help give the students a way to impact their learning.
Conclusion
Although we learn in school and use our brains, it is important to have a brain compatible environment that will enrich the minds of our students. This paper has explained what brain compatible environments are and how they can enrich the brain. It has also explained the curriculum (what is taught) and instruction (how it is taught). This paper has also discussed brain based planning strategies, and ways to integrate brain based learning.

References

Burch, L. (n.d). Brain compatible Learning Environments. Retrieved July 12, 2011, From www.sdmesa.sdccd.net/facility21/pdf/braincompatiblelearningenvironments.pdf
Cercone, K. (2006). Brain-based learning. Retrieved July 22, 2011 from, www.itari.in/categories/brainbasedlearning/brainandlearning.pdf
Hammond, G. (2007). The brain compatible classroom- general characteristics. Retrieved July 22, 2011 from, http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/glenh/newpage124.htm
Jack, C.D. (2010).Exploring brain based instructional practices in secondary education Classes. Retrieved July 22, 2011 from, http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu
Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-based learning (2nd ed). California: Corwin Press.
Rushton, S., Juola-Rushton, A., & Larkin, E. (2010, March). Neuroscience, Play And Early Childhood Education: connections, Implications and assessment. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(5), 351-361. Doi: 10.1007/s10643-009-0359-3
Westwater, A. & Wolfe, P. ((n.d). The brain compatible curriculum. Retrieved July 23, 2011 from, www.sjsu.edu