Brains turned on to learning, connecting new info with what they already know —Active Learning is exciting. But notice who is doing the most thinking. Sometimes it’s the teacher. Students may learn less when the teacher is the busiest one in the classroom. Turn that around by having students make something work, illustrate a concept, create something new, or translate what they have learned into something meaningful they can communicate to a peer. Interaction can turn passive to active in many learning environments.
Social learning--peers discovering principles and concepts with others--bumps the learning curve up a notch. Eric Jensen in Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 2d Ed. says, “…social experiences literally change the human brain. An entirely new discipline has developed called social neuroscience. It’s the study of brains in a social environment.” (Jensen ASCD, 2005) He recommends that students “…spend 5 to 20 percent of class time in social groupings used purposefully and strategically…including pair share, competitions, simulations, cooperative groups, and unstructured social time for discussions.”
Enthusiasm is contagious when one student picks up a connection to previous learning. taking on a life of its own. Who would want to stop them? Concepts learned together are more easily recalled together.
Fun adds emotion to the mix, triggering both attention and learning. Robert Sylwester in How to Explain a Brain notes that “Attention is our brain’s focusing system that is activated by emotional arousal.” (Sylwester, Corwin Press, 2005)
‘Tis the season to be jolly. Who knew that could be good for learning? We’d love to hear about interaction and fun in your classroom!