Mind, Brain and Teaching Program Reflection

Through the Mind, Brain and Teaching certificate program, I have gained a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to the classroom. In the first course, the Brain Targeted Teaching Model provided me with a framework for planning my lessons and instructing my students. As I have taken each course since then, I have learned more about how students learn as well as learning differences among individuals and even how learning disorders and disabilities can affect learning. Numeracy and Literacy allowed me to gain more insight into the specifics about how students become literate in math and reading. Finally, this course allowed me to use the information that I have gained over the last year and apply it to the educational setting. 

                Before beginning this certificate program, I sometimes read current research or articles about education. However, this course has opened my eyes to how much new research is out there every day regarding the best teaching practices and the latest information about cognitive processing and how students are learning. Throughout the program we have done an immense amount of research and this has helped me understand how to sift through the most current research to find the most applicable information pertaining to instruction or the topic I am looking for. This program has also taught me how to analyze articles, especially scientific articles that I read. Before these classes, I often had a difficult time reading through scientific articles because there was so much information within them. However, this program has taught me how to take a scientific article and read through it so that I can take away the information that I need as well as decide whether it is the most valuable information for the topic I am researching. I feel more confident and motivated at this point to look for and research information about topics in education. For example, if I am teaching small groups in reading and have a question about what is considered to be the most effective practice within guided reading, I will not hesitate to seek information regarding this topic. I will be able to utilize the resources available to me to find the best and most applicable research that I can apply to my instruction in the classroom. 

                I think the scientific subfield that I have gained considerable knowledge in would be learning disabilities. Before taking the courses within this program, I didn’t really understand the differences among learning disabilities or the specific components of each type of disability. Through the courses, I have acquired more insight into the specific parts of learning disabilities. For example, I now understand the underlying causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Before these courses, I didn’t know that this disorder was caused by deficits in executive function. I always had students with this disorder but now that I understand what is causing this I feel better able to assist these students in the classroom. Another example of a disorder that I better understand as a result of these courses is Autism Spectrum Disorder. I am now aware that this disorder can be a result of deficits within communication, social interaction and repetitive types of behavior. I have also gained more knowledge about how to help students with learning disabilities that can be applied every day in the classroom. All of this knowledge has assisted me in identifying symptoms of learning disorders and being able to respond to these situations better. 

                Overall the Mind, Brain and Teaching program has taught me knowledge that can be applied in my classroom every day. I have become more aware of how to research, analyze, synthesize and implement the most current research into my teaching practices. This program has impacted both my current and future career as an educator.

Reflection #2

In the textbook, Byrnes describes findings related to the effects of stress and emotion on memory. In light of these findings, try to think of instances from your own education—or that of your students—when you believe that stress or negative emotions may have adversely affected your memory for information. What do you believe you can do as a teacher to intervene in the relationship between stress/emotions and memory? Are there strategies you know of or are currently using that may be effective to this end?

     From my own experience as an educator, I have seen stress and emotion negatively impact memory and learning for my students. Since I work at a Title 1 school, I feel like I have witnessed this more frequently than educators at more affluent schools. Students in my class often come from broken homes so they are already dealing with intense emotional issues outside of the classroom. Each day, I don’t really know what to expect when my students walk through the door.  If a student comes to school already feeling upset, they have a difficult time concentrating. I think this issue goes back to what we learned about in the previous class with the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model. In these situations, research has shown that the best way to handle the stress or emotions a child has dealt with before class is to listen briefly and then help them move on and focus on what they are about to learn. However, I think it is widely understood that trying to help a person overcome a stressful situation is easier said than done. The child may go sit in their seat and watch you teach, but their mind is not necessarily on the subject matter. If a student is overwhelmed with emotion, that tends to consume their thoughts, which prevents them from learning. If an individual is not focused during instruction, they are not going to be able to remember what they learned either. 

     I think this is also true for students with ADD or ADHD whom already have a difficult time focusing. I have had some students who suffer from this disorder and when something stressful happens to them, the effects are magnified to the point where they can completely shut down. I know one of my students suffering from ADHD has a difficult time when we play a review game and his team does not win. This is especially true if he feels like he is not good at something or lets himself or his team down. When this occurs, he almost immediately shuts down. Once he shuts down, I have lost him until he calms down. 

     Stress for a child doesn’t have to come from an outside event; it could simply be from an academic subject that is difficult for them. For example, if a child is not confident in their math abilities, they might be feeling anxiety every day during math. In turn, if that child does not do well in math, he or she might start to feel more stressed or emotional about the subject. All of these factors are going to prevent them from learning.

     I think there are a few things that an educator can do to help intervene between stress or emotions and memory. One of the most important things a teacher could do is to provide a positive emotional climate where all of the students feel comfortable, which goes back to the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model. If a student feels safe and relaxed in the classroom, then that student is going to feel more confident. When a teacher provides an atmosphere where students are more relaxed, they will be more likely to let go of their stress rather than be consumed by it. If a child faces a stressful event outside of school and then comes to a classroom environment that also stresses them out, they won’t be able to focus on learning which impairs their memory. If educators can make students feel comfortable and more confident we can help improve the chances of a child being able to still learn even if they might be feeling a little stressed. 

     Another thing that teachers can do is to help students realize there are strategies to cope with stress and emotional issues. I know this has helped some of my students who have severe emotional issues or who are easily stressed. By providing students with ways to cope with their feelings, they can use these strategies to assist in relaxation and help them focus on the instruction in the room. Deep breaths and a quiet place to go sit and think have helped some of my students. Some students need a fidget toy to help them let out some anxiety. Other students have needed positive reminders of “happy places” to think about when they feel worried. For example, one of my students wears a necklace with two fake keys on it and each key has something different written on it. When he feels sad or stressed, he can look at the key and it reminds him to think about one of those happier places, which helps relax him. 

     Educators also have to be aware of the challenges or level of difficulty they are presenting children with in the classroom. Children need to be presented with challenges in order to promote more understanding and retention of the material in their memory. However, if a child is presented with too much of a challenge, they may get anxious or stressed and shut down. Teachers need to know each of their student’s abilities and plan lessons, activities, and differentiation accordingly. 

      Overall, I think the most important thing would be to make sure the students know how much their teacher cares about their success. This also goes back to the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model in that students need to feel safe and confident and be aware that their teacher is concerned about them. They need self confidence and reassurance along with positive feedback. If a child knows they can count on their teacher and he or she believes in them, in the end it will be easier for them to cope with stress.

Reflection #1- Constructivism

Is there a continuing influence of constructivism in the field of education? Do you know of any educators who you would consider not to be constructivists? If so, please explain and give examples. If not, tell us what you think this means.

I believe that there is a growing influence of constructivism in the field of education. In a constructivist environment, students are the center of the learning and the teacher serves as the guide to help them construct new schema and ideas as well as build on their previous ideas. Students participate in discussions and activities to help them form new concepts or a better understanding of previous concepts they were taught through assimilation and accommodation (Byrnes, 2008).

From my own experience, I think that the influence of constructivism in schools is increasing.  Each year at my current school, the administration wants to see more learning become student-directed. For example, according to my administration, teachers are not supposed to be at the front of the room simply lecturing for each subject. The administrators want to see students engaged in discourse and discussions where they come to conclusions themselves rather than the teacher giving them all the answers. Students should be engaging in social interactions with other students to build upon their previous knowledge and help them form new connections. I remember after one of my observations last year, my principal told me that I shouldn’t have to do all of the work when I am teaching a lesson. He wanted to see the students actively participating in learning and guiding the discussion.

In constructivism, teachers serve as guides to help students build up their schema. In this environment, teachers would want to help students build upon their existing knowledge. However, constructivists also believe that not every student needs the same activities because the students have different schema and needs. For a teacher to be a constructivist, he or she would be providing differentiation in their classrooms. From my own experience, school districts and administrators want to see a whole group activity where students are introduced to a new concept with their classmates, followed by time for students to be engaged in learning with students on similar instructional levels. This is achieved through small groups or guided groups in math and reading. 

I think that literacy centers and math centers have become increasingly prominent in schools, which also coincides with constructivism. The students are given opportunities to practice skills and apply them in different ways. Another aspect I have seen become more prevalent is students engaging in reflection and explaining their answers. For example, all of my students have to write in a reading response journal once a week about what they are reading. However, they have to write about more than just what they read. Students are encouraged to reflect on their reading, which may involve how it made them feel or connections they made with the text.  I have also seen more assessments given to students that require them to explain how they arrived at their answer. 

I think that the second question is a difficult one to answer. When I first answered the discussion question at the beginning of the week about what a non-constructivist would look like, I found myself identifying many details about what the teacher would be doing. However, after reading what Luke wrote about separating the value judgments from the aspects of constructivism and non-constructivism, I started to see the constructivist theory in a different light. I believe it is important to consider what the student does in both environments, rather than focusing on the teacher. If we begin evaluating the different viewpoints then we focus on the details of each environment, not what any individual teacher is doing. 

After taking part in the class discussion about constructivism this week, I think that it is more important to look at the actual classroom environments rather than a specific individual. At my previous school, I definitely saw classrooms that did not demonstrate tenants of the constructivist viewpoint. In these classrooms students were not the center of the learning environment. The teacher directed learning and students sat in their own seat all day long doing worksheets. The students did not talk or engage in discussions and even stayed in during P.E. or other specials if they were not grasping a concept. If one were to examine the teacher in these environments, those teachers had usually been teaching for awhile and believed in a more traditional way of teaching which did not include students coming to conclusions through guidance. 

I think the most important thing to take away from the dynamic of a constructivist versus non-constructivist environment is how those strategies and techniques are impacting the students and whether the teacher is doing everything he or she can to help students succeed. As an educator, I have seen differing viewpoints come and go. Districts implement a new strategy that is supposed to have a significant impact on the educational system; within a year or so, it may be gone. However, I believe it is important as an educator to continually evaluate your teaching methods to make sure the students are learning and making gains. Educators need to pay attention to the changing needs of the students from class to class, adjusting strategies if necessary. After all, children are unique individuals.  

Byrnes, J. P. (2008). Cognitive Development and Learning In Instructional Contexts, (Third
      Edition). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reflection #3

• Are there particular interests you have developed that you would like to focus on throughout the certificate program?
• What goals might you set for yourself regarding what you would like to know and be able to do by the time you have completed the certificate program?

         I have always been interested in psychology and how children learn. However, this first course in the certificate program has opened my eyes up to new ideas in education. It has been fascinating to learn about cognitive and neuroscience research and how it affects the way an individual learns. Acquiring knowledge about the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model has given me an opportunity to apply these new strategies into my classroom in order to improve instruction. It has been helpful to be able to implement these strategies in my classroom as I am learning about them, and to see firsthand how it is assisting my students. I also have been encouraged about this model and the strategies for each target since they are each based on brain research. 

          In this first course, the process of how children develop literacy skills was only mentioned briefly. However, I am hoping throughout the certificate program I will learn more specifics about ways that students acquire new information in reading and mathematics. In my current classroom, there is a wide range of reading levels. I am hoping with more knowledge about how students learn to read and process words and vocabulary, I will be able to help those students who are reading below level make more gains throughout this year. During this first course, we also touched on students with ADD/ADHD and the differences in their brain functions. I am hoping I will be able to learn more about ways to assist students with these special needs. Each year, it seems like more of my students suffer from these types of learning disorders and I am hoping as I start to understand how their brain is functioning, I can begin to incorporate strategies to help those students stay focused and be more successful in the classroom. With a more complete understanding of how these students are processing information, I will be able to identify the best ways to help them. I also am looking forward to learning about motivating my students and helping them deal with their emotions. Since I work at a Title I school, I need to be able to use the best strategies to keep my students engaged and excited about learning. I would like to help them separate their emotions and anxiety about events at home from their behavior in the classroom.

         By the end of the certificate program, I would like to be able to implement the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model in various academic areas. I have been able to utilize parts of the model in my classroom during this course as I have learned about the various strategies. However, I hope by the end of the certificate I will be able to make use of the model consistently. I am also hoping that it will become second nature to be able to implement the arts into my lessons. Right now, it is extremely time-consuming to figure out ways to include artistic activities in all of the academic areas. My goal by the end is to be able to find ways to include the arts more easily. Another goal I would like to set for myself is to have more of my students motivated and engaged for a greater duration of their time in the classroom, especially those students who suffer from ADD/ADHD and other emotional issues.

Reflection #2

• What would the ideal physical environment for the setting in which you currently work as an educator look like?
• How do you think the features of this environment would serve to enhance student learning?

In my ideal physical environment as an educator, my classroom and school would include several key features. The school building would have natural light throughout the hallways and classrooms. According to researchers, if a classroom is dark it may cause the pineal gland to produce melatonin which could decrease the alertness of the brain (Hardiman, 2003, p.42). Therefore, if a setting is well lit, students are going to feel more energized and awake. In my current classroom, there are numerous children who come to school tired from lack of sleep. I need a way to help wake them up and keep them energized.  Along the same lines, the walls in both the hallways and classrooms would encompass samples of student work that reflect the objectives that students are mastering in their classes. There would be bright, colorful bulletin boards and learning materials on the walls to keep the students engaged.  Each classroom would be neat and organized with materials and books on the shelves to enhance student learning.  Also, each subject area would have a distinct place in the room. For example, everything related to math would be in one area of the room so the students knew where to look to find vocabulary, student work samples, and center activities.  These features would allow students to feel safe, secure, intrigued, and calm. 

Teachers would be required to change their classroom displays on a routine basis for all subject areas.  For example, once a teacher began a new unit in math, he or she would be required to put up new vocabulary and educational materials that would reflect that unit.  Students are likely to be more attentive to their surroundings if they are intrigued by the displays in their learning environment. If the classroom looks the same as it has for several months, it can become monotonous for them and they could lose interest. In turn, they would have to find other stimuli to focus on. In 2000, Jensen reported that 90% of the total brain’s sensory input comes from visual sources. Therefore, the brain is constantly searching the environment for new and stimulating visual features (Hardiman, 2007, p.40). Teachers would also be more excited about their classroom if they are changing the displays frequently because they would constantly be assessing what material is on the walls.  Students can sense this enthusiasm and respond in kind. Frequently changing aspects of the learning environment would also assist those students who suffer from ADHD to focus on their education. The studies completed by Sydney Zentall in the early 1980s found that children are going to be more off task if there are not novel stimuli in the environment (Hardiman, 2007, p.41). If teachers are changing strategies or small parts of the classroom, students are going to be more interested in the learning environment. Therefore, they won’t need to search for new stimuli. 

Also, each educator would be required to put up student examples of work for that unit. Students certainly learn from their teachers, but sometimes students need to see work from their peers to fully understand a concept that they are learning.  Learning objectives and a daily schedule would need to be posted so that the students know exactly what they would be doing every day for each subject area. All educators would need to establish classroom rules within the first week of school. Rules should be designed by the students so that they could take ownership of them.  After establishing about five rules that were written in a positive way, the students would all sign the rules as a commitment on their part to follow them.  In my own experience, I have seen that students are more likely to follow rules that they have helped create.

Routines would also need to be established by teachers so that students knew what was expected of them during each subject area.  The students would know how to come into class in the morning, how to prepare for the learning day, what to do during each part of the day, and how to get ready to go home. For example, students would need to know what to do during the entire reading block. If a teacher has a time for whole group instruction, the students would know what was expected of them during this time.  If students are supposed to go to literacy centers and have an independent work time, they need to know how to rotate to each place during that block of time. In order for students to feel confident about what they are doing, they need to understand expectations. After all, how can a teacher get upset with a student for not following directions if they were not explained beforehand? Students are not going to be able to focus on the concepts they are being taught if they don’t feel self-assured in the classroom routines. I believe expectations for noise level should also be well-known by the students. This could be accomplished by having something as simple as a stop light poster in their room.  This would allow the students to have a visual representation of what the noise level should be during each part of the day. There would be clear expectations for them as well as these visual reminders. 

The physical environment would also need to provide a home like feeling for the students. This would be achieved by nature murals on walls around the school or simple things that could be done in the classroom. For instance, teachers could have a few plants, picture frames, or maybe even an aquarium or classroom pet to provide this type of atmosphere for the students. Students would feel safer and more at home if the classroom was setup in this way. This could help ease students’ nerves and help dissipate their stress. They may even be more open to learning and listening to what the teacher is saying because they are not upset or stressed. 

The seating arrangement in a classroom impacts the learning that takes place. In my ideal environment, every teacher would be required to arrange their desks in a way that allowed both the students and teacher to move around the room easily. Some children need to keep their distance from other students so they don’t bother others or become distracted. If students are sitting too close together or can’t walk around without bumping into others, they may constantly be tempted to touch their peers. This would result in a distraction to the remainder of the class. Desks also need to be placed in a room so that depending on the assignment, students can easily work together in groups, partners, or individually. If desks are easily moved around, the teacher will be able to alter the seating arrangement for each activity. There should be a place for teachers to sit with a small group of students and this place should be the same each day. Small group instruction allows a teacher the opportunity to differentiate instruction.

Inspiring quotations such as “I believe in you” and “I know you can do it” would be posted around the school and classrooms. Students need to feel encouraged as well as know that their teacher believes in them and their abilities. There could be a place for each child to be “show cased” each week for something such as a star student of the week. The students would be allowed to post pictures of themselves and information about their favorite things. Also, each classroom would contain motivational posters as well as “character counts” type posters promoting good character. These traits would include respect, honesty, trustworthiness, etc. Educators would also have places in their room in order to promote team building. For example, a teacher should have a place for the students to encourage their peers. This might include a compliment corner where students could write something positive someone else did for them. Students would write each other encouraging comments when they were the star student of the week and the teacher would create a booklet for each star student of the week. 

Teachers would be encouraged to use classical music during independent work time to help stimulate students’ thoughts. There would also be times that it would be silent for students so that they could concentrate on their work. The entire school would have scented air fresheners to provide a calming effect in the hallways. There would be a lavender scent throughout the hallways. In each classroom, the teacher would be able to choose the scents he or she would have in their classroom depending on the effect they desired on the learning environment. Smells impact student learning and concentration. In my own experience, when a child smells something that they dislike, that is all they can focus on. In 2001, John Ratey found that smells can affect an individual’s heartbeat and blood pressure. In 1999, Amie Gabriel conducted a study on the effect of scent on the behavior of students. She found that when a teacher utilized scented oil in the classroom, off task behaviors were reduced by 54% (Hardiman, 2007, p.43). 

I always knew the physical environment was important for a child’s learning to take place. However, since I have read more about the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model, specifically Brain Target 2, I have gained knowledge about the significance of the physical environment. Due to the brain research that has been conducted, we as educators can utilize this information to help promote student success. There are so many factors that impact a child’s learning in the educational environment. If a child feels nervous or stressed, their brain is not going to allow them to process anything the teacher is saying and in turn they will not be able to understand new concepts being taught. By providing novel visual stimuli and a safe learning environment for every child, we can help each child stay on task as well as become more engaged in learning.