Brain--Compatible Teaching in a Block Schedule.

A massive amount of research in recent years shows that student learning and retention can be increased significantly through brain-compatible teaching procedures.

As secondary schools implement block scheduling, more students now face one of two realities--longer periods of more effective, brain-compatible teaching or longer periods of less effective brain-antagonistic instruction!

Block scheduling can offer some advantages even without increased attention to brain principles. These include more laboratory time, less time and effort dealing with problems during hallway passing periods, and a reduction in separate course preparations by teachers.

However, the major power of longer teaching periods is that such periods make attention to brain-compatible teaching principles far more feasible. The learning value of longer periods can be increased markedly by providing staff members with advance training in the related application of brain principles. These are not new principles, but they are especially important for proper implementation of block scheduling. Let us consider a few of the major principles.

Establishing Relevance

The brain tends to be more interested in and pay more attention to activities that are related clearly to usefulness in real life. When using longer teaching periods, it is especially important to introduce any new lesson or topic with an exciting demonstration that accomplishes two purposes:

* Shows the relevance of the new topic to real-life concerns; and

* Stimulates serious questions in each student's mind.

There is more time to insert such "hooking" activities in longer class periods.

These activities can adjust the state of mind of students--giving them the motivational energy to want to make the best use of their longer learning time.

For example, when a teacher introduces a science unit on electromagnetic radiation, he or she might show students that an electric razor held near but not yet touching an electromagnetic radiation meter sets off a red light warning. This signal indicates a level of radiation above the recommended level for human tissue!

This demonstration invariably generates many questions from students. They want to know more about electromagnetic radiation and their own health. They want to borrow the meter for some measurements on appliances. In short, they are eager to use their available time for learning what's important to their well being. Short periods would not be long enough to fulfill what they now want to know.

Hooking Students

Many ways exist for starting units with hooking activities that generate interest in using learning time effectively:

* Short video sequences that show dramatic real-life events influenced by human skills or the lack of same (e.g., the Kennedy-Nixon television debates);

* Skits that demonstrate effective or ineffective behavior (a customer salesperson communication exchange);

* Simulations that illustrate the practical power of some process (teamwork and planning enabling one student group to win over another in some competitive game); and

* Any dramatic demonstration that shows the importance of a topic in terms of real-life safety or power.

Longer periods give teachers more time to use these connections to real concerns. In turn, the connections can lead to much higher levels of student motivation.

Incidentally, the focus on real-life or application tasks should continue throughout the carefully planned use of longer time blocks. Remember, the brain seeks and pays attention to real-life relevance. The motivation that comes from introducing that relevance can be best maintained by ensuring that use of subject matter and skills is emphasized.

Longer time periods make it more feasible to pursue complex, realistic tasks instead of just discrete objectives.

Consider this example from a photography course. A simple objective assigned to students might state: Take a good picture (good being defined by a list of standards). In comparison, a complex task might be in the form of the following assignment: Take 4 to 6 good pictures and compose a clear photographic essay for the school newspaper on a topic approved in advance by the teacher. Moving from discrete objectives to more complex, real-life tasks gives more meaning to learning.

Novel Beginnings

Consider what psychologists call the BEM or beginning-end-middle principle. Students learn or remember the most from the beginning and the end of any specific learning activity; they remember less from the middle of that learning activity. The implication is clear for longer teaching periods of 60 to 90 minutes or more.

Generally, a teacher should schedule two or more different learning activities in a longer period. If only one activity is scheduled, students are subjected to a long and less effective middle. If two or more activities are scheduled, students gain the positive impact of the novelty or newness of multiple beginnings and endings. They also are subjected to shorter middles.

Here is an example of the use of two different but related learning activities in a business management course time block at our high school.

At the beginning of the period, students receive an explanation of how to collect and record and analyze data on the sales performance of individual employees in a company. This involves a teacher presentation and class discussion.

Later in the period, the same students move into an adjacent computer laboratory. They are involved in application, using spreadsheet and charting tools to tabulate and analyze actual sales data of employees.

After the application activity, the students then moved back to their regular classroom for a third learning activity-a group review and celebration of their learning.

These three different but related learning activities in one course period constitute a basic example of properly observing the BEM principle. The three separate activities increase learning and retention by avoiding the long middle of a one activity per period approach. The example also illustrates proper observance of another brain principle--the use of pulsed learning.

Pulsed Learning

The brain tends to learn most effectively in a pulsed sequence-focused activity followed by a more diffuse or less concentrated activity. The principle here is not just a matter of switching activities. Rather the idea is to cycle between focused or concentrated activities and more diffuse or relaxing activities as a natural pattern for the brain.

Eric Jensen, author of Brain-Based Learning and Teaching, suggests that the focused periods of study or listening should not exceed a time equal to the age of the learner plus two minutes up to a maximum of 25 minutes. Then there should be a switch to a diffusion activity like the application activity in the business management course, discussion, physical movement, or even a short break from the content of the lesson.

Here are partial examples of focus-to-diffusion cyc [e:

* Teacher presents for 15 minutes followed by 3 minutes of student partners discussing a part of the presentation.

* Students read a story for 17 minutes followed by three-member teams working for 5 minutes or so on completion of a grid or matrix on the story.

* Students watch a video and then individually summarize their learning by drawing a mind-map.

In each case, focused or concentrated learning is followed by a more informal processing activity that gives the brain a welcome change. Even a short break from formal instruction can serve this important purpose.

Cooperative Teaming

When students work together in teams, they can learn the interpersonal skills and team responsibility useful in most career areas. Many students are more energized by the opportunity to work with others than by always working alone. This is especially true of those who have a high preference for using interpersonal talent or "intelligence."

However, all students should develop talent in this area. Teachers should plan opportunities for team work carefully, ensuring that such opportunities are part of the BEM/pulse cycling of learning activities.

A superior resource for planning such cooperative activities is the book, The Cooperative Think Tank, by James Bellanca. It presents graphic organizers like the ranking ladder and fishbone charts that encourage teamwork and higher-order thinking.

But the tasks take longer than the time available in shorter high school periods. Therefore, we see the two-way reaction again. Complex, brain-compatible projects take longer to accomplish, and longer time periods make complex, brain-compatible learning projects more possible. A teacher can schedule an explanation activity and a graphic application activity and a review/celebration activity all in one expanded 90-minute period.

Longer periods and the use of organizers like grids and fishbone charts also provide an opportunity to teach the fundamentals of total quality management to students of any age. Planning systems and teaming to achieve quality results are the basis for quality processes in industry and business today.

Learning Options

We know all students do not learn the same way or at the same rate. Shorter teaching periods discourage adequate attention to these realities. There is a tendency to teach, test, and give a grade.

Having the longer period of time with students makes a mastery/options approach more possible. Following the initial instruction, a teacher can check for competency without giving a grade, then reteach in another way when necessary to reach mastery.

Student peers can assist in reteaching activities while other students who have mastered material move to enrichment or advanced learning. The how of reteaching should focus on attention to learning styles or options.

When a student has difficulty learning or communicating, he or she should be given an opportunity to learn or communicate in another way. Planning use of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and interpersonal learning options and/or different ways of demonstrating learning give a course two powers:

* The power of giving a student maximum learning help by having available his or her preferred way of learning. For example, I had trouble learning to use a particular computer program with a manual and directions from a teacher. Then, as a visual learner, I was given a videotape that showed me how to use the program. Success then came quickly.

* The power of having enrichment activities that help students to increase their talent in a particular multiple intelligence area. For example, if a student demonstrates competency in the checking phase of a mastery cycle, he or she can move to an optional learning task or station that focuses on developing a talent or intelligence in which the student is much weaker.

Managing Variation

This picture of variety and choice and personal management of the growth of different talents or intelligences by a student is complex. But it is especially possible when teachers have longer periods in which to get to know students and in which the individual teachers and students have the time needed to manage variation in use of that time.

At Minuteman Science-Technology High School, teachers and students have been concentrating on developing brain-compatible teaching and learning procedures for approximately six years. We have found that longer time periods facilitate use of these procedures. In turn, the brain-compatible activities make longer periods a joy and an opportunity rather than a chore and an imposition.