Wow… I think my head has finally stopped swirling. Being on the road for 3 out of the 5 weeks in July was a bit taxing on my noggin - though I wouldn’t have traded the experiences for anything. (Well, maybe for a new Harley, a cruise around the world, and another shark diving experience!) But seriously, the opportunity to attend NECC 2008, BLC08, and the PA IU TIMs bootcamp all in one month was a blessing. My only gripe would be that I didn’t feel as though I had adequate time to reflect on the myriad of presentations, new ideas, new tools, and new people I met along the way.
An experience this past week further emphasized the need for reflective time for meaningful learning. Dr. Debbie Estes visited our Intermediate Unit this week and presented Brain Power: How to Create Experiences to Maximize Learning. Dr. Estes taught us some brain basics (anatomy and physiology) and how the brain works when it comes to learning. It was a thoughtful, engaging, movement-filled day! Debbie fully engaged us from the start and didn’t give us a chance to move off-task. She constantly had us moving, thinking, talking, visualizing, and celebrating our learning. When lunchtime came around, we were like a beehive - talking, dancing, and discussing the things she’d helped us learn. I, for one, couldn’t get enough! And at the end of the day, the most amazing thing happened: I retained at least 85 to 95% of the things we talked about - all because of her methods of teaching and the awareness of where I was in my brain.
I think we’ve all been to those lecture presentations in which we are talked at: Here’s the Sage on the Stage flinging information at our heads - hopefully some of it sticks. Dr. Estes had us up and moving, really living the learning when it came to the subject of utilizing the basics of brain function and how it relates to learning and teaching.
There’s too much to try to cover here in a single post, so let me share one idea that may help you in your quest in helping your students learn: the classroom Brain Monitor. No this isn’t a machine with electrodes hooked into each student’s head - it’s one student who constantly monitors the state of student brains in your classroom. The Brain Monitor keeps an eye on fellow students and alerts the teacher when student brains are no longer in the attentive and learning state. The Brain Monitor signals the teacher when the need for a ‘State Change’ is in order.
The definition of a ’state’ is: “A feeling we have that is a combination of our emotions, thoughts, and physiology.”
- All behavior is connected to a state.
- To change the behavior change the state FIRST.
So when students start moving from the task at hand, to a different state - it’s time for a state change. In order to change the state, allow your kids to decide what they’d like to do for 45 seconds, to change the state of their brains. Suggestions include:
- Whistling a short tune
- High-five your neighbor in 3 different ways
- Pass an object and tell one descriptive word about it when you are holding it
- Practice Smiling
- Take a one-minute field trip (requires an extra 15 seconds!)
- Do the wave in your classroom
- Recite a tongue-twister
I think you get the idea. Change the state of the brain from working with the frontal lobes (responsible for critical thinking, problem solving, etc.) to working with the occipital, temporal, or amygdala for a few moments. After 45 seconds of this state change, your students will be refreshed and ready to go back to their frontal lobes for thinking and solving again.
( The one caveat to this is that you must have good respect from, and control of, your classroom — or chaos may ensue.)
Teaching your students about how the brain works and making them aware of the part of the brain they are ‘in’ is a key part to this strategy. If they know how their brain works and realize that you are trying to assist them in the most effective ways of learning - AND are having some controlled fun in the process — you will have a happier, more-engaged classroom, and therefore, a better learning experience for all.
If you’d like to hear more on the subject, I interviewed Debbie for the Twenty Minutes for Tech podcast. On the podcast she tells of a unique experiment done with goldfish to emphasize the importance of reflection time on effective learning. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I had experiencing Debbie’s presentation.
Now that my reflection is done on this subject, I’m off to change the state of my brain with a cool beverage and quiet sounds of my backyard! 
