We are almost to the end of my blog series, Education A to Z. I am up the letter Y in my long series of education blogs. My focus in this blog will be your child and brain based learning.
First, let’s define what brain based learning is for those of you who may not know exactly what it is that I am talking about. Much research was done over the years that focus on the brain and how it interacts with the learning someone does. Researchers came to a conclusion that the brain is always seeking meaning in things, looking for patterns, and how things connect to each other. It is believed that when a child is allowed to actively seek information while learning, that the child will retain more information and new information than if he or she weren’t allowed to actively seek this information. Thus, the theory of brain based learning.
If your child’s classroom has him focusing on working with his hands, such as using manipulatives, going on field trips, listening to guest speakers or doing projects that utilize different styles of learning (touch, see, hear, do, etc.) and using multiple intelligences, then most likely your child is being educated using a brain based learning approach.
Another brain based learning approach is to teach using interdisciplinary curriculum, meaning teaching the same ideas or topic throughout several different classes. For example, a teacher may have a dinosaur unit in which she teaches about dinosaurs in language arts, with math activities and in science class. Research has shown that students retain more information with an interdisciplinary approach rather than being taught a skill that is isolated from other skills.
The best environment for brain based learning to take place? A non-threatening environment that is relaxed and doesn’t focus on failure. When I was teaching, I had the distinct advantage of having only six to seven kids in my special education class. Many of them were with me for most of the day, therefore my classroom was very brain based. It worked for my students and I loved this type of teaching.
I am a big advocate of this type of learning. However, it may not be for every student. What type of learning environment works for your child? What type of learning does your child’s teacher emphasize?