The principles that make up brain-based learning were initially suggested by Renate and Geofrey Caine in their book Making Connections [Dale Seymour Publications, 1994]. It is based on twelve principals, including:
- The brain is complex and adaptive.
- The brain is social 3. The search for meaning is innate.
- The search for meaning occurs through patterning.
- Emotions are critical to patterning 6. Every brain simultaneously perceives and creates parts and wholes.
- Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception.
- Learning always involves conscious and unconscious processes.
- We have at least two ways of organizing memories 10. Learning is developmental.
- Complex learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat.
- Every brain is uniquely organized.
How Learning Occurs
Children learn by absorbing the information and processing it through physiological and psychological action. They learn by smelling, sensing, hearing and doing. Because the brain absorbs and processes information so efficiently, it is important to provide children with as many experiences as possible to help them learn. They often enter the classroom with prior knowledge that both they and the teacher can use to their benefit.
Howard Gardener was a proponent of learning by doing, and promoted the idea that different learning styles require different teaching methods. His Theory of Multiple Intelligences is based on the idea that varied stimuli will encourage brain growth, and that each child will learn according to their individual needs. This is the basis of brain based learning as well.
Brain based teaching/learning is a teaching strategy that incorporates different instructional techniques including orchestrated immersion, active processing and relaxed alertness. This is the basis for the “brain-based learning theory. Each of these techniques works in combination to help students learn.
Orchestrated Immersion
Orchestrated immersion is the idea that immersing students into a learning environment will help them to absorb the material more fully than they would from a lecture or book. This type of technique would have children create a classroom environment that emulates a garden where they grow their own plants to learn about the lifecycle of a living organism.
Relaxed Alertness
An environment of relaxed alertness would be one where children have no fear of repercussions should they answer a question incorrectly. This would be a classroom where all answers are acceptable and open discussion that includes brainstorming or using educated guessing is encouraged. Assignments would be personalized to help students to relate to prior knowledge. Because this may involve shouting out, or active group participation, this sort of teaching requires a teacher to have solid classroom management skills.
Active Processing
Active processing would be analyzing situations in a variety of ways in order to gain knowledge. Students would use all of their senses and experiences to connect to the material they are to learn. Students might use technology, tactile, audial or other forms of learning tools to actively make connections to the learning material.
Innate Meaning
Brain based learning relies on the brains ability to look for innate meaning by accessing prior knowledge, emotions and memories. Encouraging new experiences is essential to brain development.Brain based teaching/learning recognizes that each child is an individual and will learn based on his or her own specific neural processes and brain development.
 |
