The Brain Goes to School

WHY NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH IS GOING TO THE HEADS OF THECLASS

BRAIN-BASED LEARNING (SECOND EDITION) Eric Jensen, M.A. (Brain Store Inc., 2000)

FOR THE LEARNER'S SAKE: BRAIN-BASED INSTRUCTION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Judy Stevens, Ed.D., and Dee Goldberg, Ed.D. (Zephyr Press, 2001)

HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS: A CLASSROOM TEACHER'S GUIDE (SECOND EDITION) David A. Sousa, Ed.D. (Corwin Press, 2000)

BECOMING A "WIZ" AT BRAIN-BASED TEACHING: FROM TRANSLATION TO APPLICATION Marilee Sprenger (Corwin, 2001)

Imagine this: A teacher inserts a CD into a player, and the classical sounds of Mozart fill the classroom. The students kick back and listen. An exercise in music appreciation? No, it's a math lesson.

This scenario is based on the idea that listening to certain kinds of music stimulates a part of the brain involved in spatial relations. This stimulation is supposed to help students learn math subjects such as geometry. So, to teach students how to calculate the area of a rectangle, first play Mozart.

This theory is, of course, highly speculative--especially because the Mozart Effect, as it is called, has taken a beating from researchers of late. Yet there are those who are convinced that this kind of neuropedagogy will be common practice in the future. Indeed, the hottest thing in education today is brain-based teaching.

The assumption behind brain-based teaching is that research in neuroscience should guide instruction. As educational consultant David Sousa, Ed.D., puts it: "Teachers try to change the brain every day. The more they know about how it learns, the more successful they can be."

So what kinds of discoveries have researchers made that might prove useful in education? Consider these:

o Complex environments produce smarter brains than do boring environments. Implications: provide lots of variety in classroom activities; offer students new challenges every day.

o The brain requires sleep to clear out the neurochemical garbage that accumulates during the day and to solidify memories. Implications: encourage students to get plenty of sleep; provide naptime after lunch.

o Experiencing high levels of stress for prolonged periods can destroy brain cells. Implications: reduce stress (no more pop quizzes); lead students in relaxation exercises.

Although it is a bit premature to rebuild the school-house on a neuroscience foundation, brain research can teach us some things about learning. Unfortunately, these authors drift from their chosen topic and recommend practices that they like, but which have little or no support in neuroscience. For example, educational consultant Eric Jensen, M.A., urges teachers to "give praise that is not contingent on performance." There is probably nothing in neuroscience to support this advice, and a great many studies have shown that, when used correctly, earned praise is a powerful teaching tool.

It appears, then, that the books' authors are less interested in telling us what brain research can contribute to education than they are in using the prestige of neuroscience to promote their own views on teaching. This hidden agenda is most apparent in the book by educational consultants Judy Stevens, Ed.D., and Dee Goldberg, Ed.D. For the Learner's Sake is really about constructivism, an educational philosophy that used to be called progressive education.

There is nothing wrong with educators writing books to promote their ideas about teaching. But it is dishonest to suggest that brain research supports those ideas when, in fact, it does not.

Books on brain-based teaching may be written by people with an axe to grind, but why are teachers so excited about the topic? Perhaps they think it will improve their status: If teachers can understand the functions of a dozen neurotransmitters, identify the parts of the brain and know which of those parts heat up when a student studies French, they might be accorded more respect.

But teachers who talk like brain surgeons won't impress parents and taxpayers for long. Outstanding student achievement will, and that can be accomplished only through excellent teaching.

Whether reading these books will help teachers teach more effectively is debatable. All four are flawed by an abundance of errors, and not merely where neuroscience is concerned.

The bottom line? Stevens and Goldberg are interested in promoting constructivism, not brain-based teaching. Jensen's book is disjointed and redundant. Sousa offers useful material, but it has little to do with neuroscience. Marilee Sprenger, a middle school teacher and educational consultant, does the best job of translating brain research into classroom practice; if you're interested in that topic, hers is the book to read.

In the meantime, if you're a teacher and you have a geometry lesson ahead of you, here's my advice: Put a CD in your home stereo and listen to Mozart. Then, when you get to school, show your students how to calculate the area of a rectangle. That works almost every time. Imagine that.

Paul Chance is the book review editor of Psychology Today, a former teacher and the author of Thinking in the Classroom (Teachers College Press, 1986).