from LeEdna via Ed Ford (950904)
To William Powers regarding: relaxed alertness and brain compatable
learning.
Relaxed alertness as defined in the book Making Connections by Renate
Nummela Caine & Geoffrey Caine is: a degree of general relaxation and
intrinsic motivation. This is the desired state for learners and requires a
threat free environment. Brain Compatable or Brain Based Learning's basic
premises on learning are guided by current "research" regarding the brain.
The principles of this method are (from Making Connections):
1. The brain is a parallel processor. The brain is always doing many things
at once....Good teaching orchestrates the learner's experience so that all
aspects of brain operation are addressed....
2. Learning Engages the Entire Physiology: Everything that affects our
physiological functioning affects our capacity to learn.....
3. The Search For Meaning Is Innate: ....Lessons need to be generally
exciting and meaningful and offer students an abundance of choices....
4. The Search For Meaning Occurs Through Patterning: ....Learner are
patterning, or perceiving and creating meanings, all the time. For teaching
to be effective, a learner must be able to create meaningful and personally
relevant patterns....
5. Emotions Are Critical To Patterning: The environment needs to be
supportive and marked by mutual respect and acceptance.
6. The Brain Processes Parts & Wholes Simultaneously: Parts and wholes are
conceptually interactive...Vocabulary and grammar are best understood when
incorporated in genuine whole language experiences. Equations and
scientific principles should be dealt with in the contxt of living science.
7. Learning Involves Both Focused Attention And Peripheral Perception:
Peripheral information can be purposely organized to facilitate learning....
The teacher should organize materials that will be outside the focus of the
learner's attention (ie noise, temperature,art, music,etc)....
8. Learning Always Involves Conscious and Unconscious Processes: ....Allow
students to review how and what they learned so that they begin to take
charge of learning and development of personal meanings....
9. We have at least Two Different Types Of Memory: A spatial Memory System
and A Set Of Systems For Rate Learning: We have a natural, spatial memory
system that does not need rehersal and allws for instant memory of
experience....Facts and Skills that are dealt with in isolation are
organized differently by the brain and need much more practice and
rehersal...teaching devoted to memorization does not facilitate the transfer
of learning and probably interfers with the subsequent development of
understanding. By ignoring the personal world of the learner, educators
actually inhibit the effective functioning of the brain.
10. We Understand An Remember Best When Facts And Skills Are Embedded In
Natural Spatial Memory...Spatial memory is generally best involved through
experiential learning.
11. Learning is Enhanced By Challenge And Inhibited By Threat...Teachers and
administrators need to create a state of relaxed alertness in students.
This combines general relaxation with an atmosphere that is low in threat
and high in challenge. This state must continuously prevade the lesson and
must be present in the teacher....
12. Each Brain Is Unique: Although we all have the same set of systems,
including our senses and basic emotions, they are integrated differently in
every brain....In addition, because learning actually changes the structures
of the brain, the more we learn, the more unique we become....Providing
choices that are variable enough to attract individual interest may reuire
the reshaping of schools so that they exhibit the complexity found in
life...
The authors also state (which I am sure will delight you), "The behavioral
model, particularly as practiced in education, must be put to rest." I
believe these principles are compatable with PCT and need to be understood
by educators and reflected by how we organize and operate our schools. For
me the first "ahha" came when I placed my son in a Montessori Schoold which
reflects these principles better than any program I have seen to date. The
proof of the effacacy of these principles has at a very personal level been
watching my son and his classmates continue to flourish intellectually,
academically and emotionally. They understand concepts introduced in public
schools 4 to 6 years later. Personal responsibility and community are also
a part of the picture, without coercion.
However, last year, even there, they had significant discipline problems as
a result of admitting to the elementary program some very troubled students
who had not come through the preschool program. This greatly disturbed me
on both a personal and professional level. We assume if the conditions for
success exist in the environment children will succeed. That is not the
case. The child brings herself into the environment and her development,
prior experiences and perceptions have a great influence on chosen goals and
how she acts to achieve them. I was amazed at the level of aggression and
disruption occuring in what appeared to be a "threat free" environment (ie
no punishments, no competition academically, a great deal of personal
freedom and a multisensory environment, etc.). After repeatedly hearing the
teacher had been called a "motherf..ker" in class and repeated aggressive
behavior occuring in the school yard, it was evident to me that some
children find benefiting from even this environment difficult, if they have
no models for achieving their goals without violating the rights of others.
I gave the teacher Ed's book on discipline and we discussed limiting a
student's scope of choices until he could demonstrate success (ie you play
in the small yard with supervision until you can successfully interact with
peers). Additionally, it was suggested she work with these students on
developing plans on how to achieve their goals without hurting (disturbing)
others. It has helped.
This experience demonstrated to me that since actions are incidental and the
child's attention is on achieving his goal, if prior experience with others
has been to not concern one's self with the effects of your acts on others
as long as your goal is satisfied, she will continue to disregard the
effects of her acts on others as long as the goal is quickly achieved
irregardless of the environment. The child is not experiencing an error
signal and will see no need to change, until a bigger, stronger child enters
the picture. I believe Ed's program begins by sending an error signal when a
natural one may not be immediate. Rather than waiting until a group decides
to unite and take care of the bully, the bully is removed from the setting
until she understands there are effects to acts that may not relate to her
goal and that these effects have impact on the individual and others. Then
true choices can be made with a more complete understanding of the likely
outcomes. As I said my first "ahha" was Montessori. The second huge "ahha"
came when I met Ed and saw the rubber band demonstration. Best, Le.