Thank you to NEARI's Smoothies for the Brain author Penny Cuninggim for providing this article to share.Shannon Chabot, NEARI's coordinator and school consultant in the areas of sensory integration and reflex and motor development, hosts this blog and explains the importance of sensory development and learning. He built the list below that both provides teachers with some useful sensory tools and shares their impact on areas of learning readiness.Our nervous systems begin the process of … [Read more...]
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS PLAY A ROLE IN LEARNING
With the change of seasons, I was reminded of the importance of brain rhythms for learning. Every brain's energy varies throughout the day, month and year. If we can be aware of our own special rhythms and cycles, and our peak moments of efficiency, we can improve our performance.The brain does not turn on or off. It cannot work at high throttle endlessly either. Here are some facts about one of our biorhythms: Circadian rhythms. These rhythms happen once a day and are related to the sun and … [Read more...]
Brain-Based Learning Tools and Ideas
During the summer months when work is less taxing, I like to look through my older books on brain-based learning to remind myself of what some of the early researchers had to say. I am surprised by how often I find ideas and tools I had forgotten to keep in my current ways of doing things.Here is an early summer look at some old books and good ideas:The Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave MeierAccelerated learning is one form of brain-compatible education that you don't hear much … [Read more...]
National Institute for Student Centered Education Receives 2015 Best of Arlington Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Institute for Student Centered Education Receives 2015 Best of Arlington Award Arlington Award Program Honors the Achievement ARLINGTON July 15, 2015 -- National Institute for Student Centered Education has been selected for the 2015 Best of Arlington Award in the Education category by the Arlington Award Program.Each year, the Arlington Award Program identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community … [Read more...]
Thinking Errors Adolescents Can Bring to School
Many of our older students who can make choices yet are unwilling to always make good ones, use thinking errors regularly to cope with stress and avoid taking responsibility. These are the students who have some frustration tolerance and ability to control their actions as opposed to little of either. This group is more the "Won't" than the "Can't" students (who have reactive patterns they are unable to stop; "can'ts" often have mood disorders, pronounced ADHD, or serious trauma symptoms.) Of … [Read more...]
Outdoor Education
With the longer days and warm weather approaching look for ways to incorporate outdoor education into your classroom. Below Penny offers some insight into outdoor education, the benefits of it, and how you might want to incorporate it into your classroom, with multiple resources for further investigation. I recently found a new outdoor education site in the United Kingdom, Learning Through Landscapes, and read the following:"A quarter of a million children are persistently … [Read more...]
Does the Seating Arrangement Matter
As I share new evidence-based tools for increasing calm, focus and achievement in school, I also look for any research on more traditional approaches. Recently, I focused on the traditional practice of sitting in rows. Here is what I turned up: "Seating Arrangements That Promote Positive Academic and Behavioral Outcomes: A Review of Empirical Research," by Rachel Wannarka & Kathy Ruhl. Support For Learning, 2008 "There is no single classroom seating arrangement that promotes positive … [Read more...]
When Children are Unable to Regulate their Behaviors and Emotions
During this winter season when I am confronted with an unhappy student who can't easily or is unwilling to follow directions, I find it helpful to pause and remember some important principles of behavior management. Here are some thoughts to remember when children are unable or unwilling to regulate their behaviors and emotions: You can't control another person's behavior, only your own response. No matter what it seems, students do not want to be in control of the … [Read more...]
Do You Have a Laughing, Playful Classroom
Do you make sure there is play and laughter throughout the day in your classroom? Are you comfortable with an enlivened and active class of fellow learners? If so, you are building relationships, increasing focus and attention to task, building community, relieving physical and mental stress, promoting divergent thinking, lowering the stress hormone cortisol, focusing on student strengths, and increasing motivation to learn new things and take risks.Take this quiz to see if you have a … [Read more...]
Using Frequency, Intensity and Duration to Improve Learning Outcomes
It is a well understood neurological fact that to increase learning, improve automaticity, and embed skills and concepts in memory, one needs to be sure there is sufficient frequency, intensity and duration of the particular skill or stimulus. We decide this every day when we determine the correct use of a medication, the right training program for an athlete, the nature of pregnancy contractions, and peak performance requirements that produce quality results in, say, a factory assembly … [Read more...]
