About Brain Based Classrooms
Something that I am very proud of and that I truly believe in is my brain based classroom. I was introduced to brain based classrooms in 2008 when I became the second group of teachers in our school system to take part in the Kids First workshops. These workshops taught me how to change the environment of my classroom and teach in a way that promotes better learning. The speaker at the workshops was Dr. Fitz Mengert. Dr. Mengert is a retired nuero cognitist and now goes around the country teaching about brain based classrooms. He teaches about the way a child's brain learns and what changes should be made to help their brains retain what they are learning. To learn more about Dr. Mengert, please visit his website at http://fmengert.net/index.html.
The classroom environemnt is very important in a brain based classroom. If you were to compare a regular classroom with a brain based classroom you would notice some differences right away. The first would be the lighting. In a brain based classroom the flourescent lights would be turned off (or at least dimmed) and lamps and natural lights would be used. Flourecent lights were created to be used in factories where the workers needed to be on their toes and a wake for safety reasons. Flourecent lights were made to keep your brain in moving in high gear. For children the flourescent lights make them hyper, they fidget more, and they can't focus. When I first heard about this I was a skeptic until I tried it. The year before I made the changes to my classroom, my class was the class that no one wanted. They were hyper, did not listen, and they could not focus. The next year I turned off the lights and added lamps. My new class was much better and their attention spans were increased. One of the things I personally noticed was that I did not have head aches any more and I was not as tired at the end of the day. It was great!!! Another environment change was to declutter the walls in my room. Dr. Mengert says that too many unused posters and decorations just help to keep the kids distracted, especially boys. Their eyes just bounce around the room from one thing to another. He says to only hang up items that you use on a daily basis and to keep one wall completely bare. It was and still is very hard for me not to over decorate my room.
The next thing you might notice in a brain based classroom is that it may have couches, rugs, pillows on the floor, plants, and other items to make the children feel like they are at home. Children are more likely to learn more if they feel safe and comfortable in the learning environment. I added a couch and comfy chair half way through the year and the kids loved taking turns sitting on it.
In a brain based classroom there are certain types of classical music played at a very low level. The music plays all day long, even during instruction. The music helps calm them and keep them on task. Music that plays with 60 beats per minute is really good for calming because it is the same tempo as the students heart beats.
Having word walls is another great way for children to learn. My classroom has two word walls, a sight word wall and a science word wall. For older children, you can have help you create your word walls. In order a word wall to be effective, students need to practice the words daily.
Other things you will notice in a brain based classroom are water bottles and snacks on the tables. Our brains are mostly made up of water and as we learn are brains get very heated. It is very important for students to drink water through out the day so that they can replace the water lost during learning. As for the snacks, I put 6 animal crackers in their cups and they are allowed to munch on them through out the day. They still get snack in the afternoon but the animal crackers are there to keep their blood sugar from dropping during the day.
There are many more things that are involved in creating a brain based classroom. It can be very overwhelming to implement all of things at one time. I was told to pick things that I felt the most comfortable with and work from there. Not everything may work for everyone. It is trial and error to find what best suits you and your students.
The classroom environemnt is very important in a brain based classroom. If you were to compare a regular classroom with a brain based classroom you would notice some differences right away. The first would be the lighting. In a brain based classroom the flourescent lights would be turned off (or at least dimmed) and lamps and natural lights would be used. Flourecent lights were created to be used in factories where the workers needed to be on their toes and a wake for safety reasons. Flourecent lights were made to keep your brain in moving in high gear. For children the flourescent lights make them hyper, they fidget more, and they can't focus. When I first heard about this I was a skeptic until I tried it. The year before I made the changes to my classroom, my class was the class that no one wanted. They were hyper, did not listen, and they could not focus. The next year I turned off the lights and added lamps. My new class was much better and their attention spans were increased. One of the things I personally noticed was that I did not have head aches any more and I was not as tired at the end of the day. It was great!!! Another environment change was to declutter the walls in my room. Dr. Mengert says that too many unused posters and decorations just help to keep the kids distracted, especially boys. Their eyes just bounce around the room from one thing to another. He says to only hang up items that you use on a daily basis and to keep one wall completely bare. It was and still is very hard for me not to over decorate my room.
The next thing you might notice in a brain based classroom is that it may have couches, rugs, pillows on the floor, plants, and other items to make the children feel like they are at home. Children are more likely to learn more if they feel safe and comfortable in the learning environment. I added a couch and comfy chair half way through the year and the kids loved taking turns sitting on it.
In a brain based classroom there are certain types of classical music played at a very low level. The music plays all day long, even during instruction. The music helps calm them and keep them on task. Music that plays with 60 beats per minute is really good for calming because it is the same tempo as the students heart beats.
Having word walls is another great way for children to learn. My classroom has two word walls, a sight word wall and a science word wall. For older children, you can have help you create your word walls. In order a word wall to be effective, students need to practice the words daily.
Other things you will notice in a brain based classroom are water bottles and snacks on the tables. Our brains are mostly made up of water and as we learn are brains get very heated. It is very important for students to drink water through out the day so that they can replace the water lost during learning. As for the snacks, I put 6 animal crackers in their cups and they are allowed to munch on them through out the day. They still get snack in the afternoon but the animal crackers are there to keep their blood sugar from dropping during the day.
There are many more things that are involved in creating a brain based classroom. It can be very overwhelming to implement all of things at one time. I was told to pick things that I felt the most comfortable with and work from there. Not everything may work for everyone. It is trial and error to find what best suits you and your students.