Advantages of Brain-Based Learning Environments

Advantages of

Brain-Based

Learning

Environments

Debbie Barry

Advantages of Brain-Based Learning

2 Environments

Published by:

Debbie Barry

2500 Mann Road, #248

Clarkston, Michigan 48346

USA

Copyright © 2013 by Deborah K. Barry. All rights

reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without

the written permission of the author.

ISBN-13: 978-1490367477

ISBN-10: 1490367470


Environments 3

Originally submitted as a college

assignment:

Ashford University

PSY 370 Learning & the Brain

Keia Farr

April 4, 2011


4 Environments


Environments 5

Advantages of Brain-

Based Learning

Environments

Brain-compatible learning

environments provide significant cognitive

advantages for students, in contrast with

traditional learning environments. Students

“learn best when they are immersed into the

subject area” (McCarthy, 2010, para. 3),

which engages all of the students’ senses:

sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, as

well as the proprioceptive and vestibular

senses. While the five basic senses are

familiar to almost everyone, the last two

senses might not be. “The proprioceptive

sense gives us information about where our

body parts are and what they are doing. The

vestibular sense gives us information about

our position in space and the movement of


6 Environments

our head in relation to gravity” (Stensaas,

2008, para. 2). “It's the snap, crackle and

pop of neurons combined with the senses of

sight, sound, taste, touch and smell that help

the human mind form thoughts” (Smith,

2009, para. 1). Learning environments that

serve the five basic senses, and that

incorporate movement, provide the best

learning opportunities for students.

“90 percent of the brain’s sensory

input is from visual sources” (Jensen, 2008,

p. 56). In education, the sense of sight

usually involves movement, lighting, and

color in the classroom. Educators can keep

students’ attention by moving about the

classroom as they teach. Movement

provides stimuli for the brain, which

increase the brain’s ability to learn. “When

speaking to a group, the teacher needs to

move around the room, increasing and

decreasing distance from the audience”

(Wilmes, Harrington, Kohler-Evans,


Environments 7

Sumpter, 2008, para. 6). Students who are

compelled to watch and listen to a teacher

who sits or stands still in a given spot while

teaching are likely to become sleepy and

inattentive, and they will not retain the

lesson.

Lighting is important for a brain-

compatible learning environment. In fact,

“one of the most critical physical

characteristics of the classroom is lighting”

(Ali, Hukamdad, Ghazi, Khan, 2010, para.

3). “[S]oft, full spectrum lighting is optimal

for learning” (Wilmes, et. al., 2008, para. 9),

while bright or harsh lighting impairs

learning. Natural lighting from windows is

the best for learning. Fluorescent lighting,

which flickers, can distract students from

learning, and can produce increases in

hyperactivity among students. This type of

lighting produces a stress response in the

brain, causing an increase in the brain’s

level of cortisol, which can “wreak havoc on


8 Environments

the brain” (Jensen, 2008, p. 44). Brain-

compatible learning environments provide

soft lighting in the classroom, with areas of

brighter lighting and of lower lighting

available to students. Turning off the lights

for very brief intervals allows students to

reflect on what they have learned, and

allows an opportunity for the brain to move

information from short-term memory to

long-term memory.

“Color in the visual environment is

particularly important because of its

powerful impact on the brain” (Wilmes, et.

al., 2008, para. 7). Color is important in the

brain-compatible classroom because color

affects mood, attention, and memory. A

dull, colorless classroom, with white, grey,

or brown walls, does not stimulate learning,

but a bright, colorful classroom engages

students’ attention and imagination and

promotes learning. For classroom walls,

“yellows, beiges, or egg shell white are the


Environments 9

best for creating an optimal learning

environment” (Collins, 2011, para. 2.4).

Brightly colored peripherals, using bold,

simple symbols, reinforce memory for the

subjects that are being taught. Reds and

oranges increase alertness, while blues and

purples have a calming effect on students.

Color-coding handouts, notes, bulletin

boards, and manipulatives helps students to

sort facts and to develop patterns of

association that increase the number and

complexity of neural connections in the

brain to improve learning and memory.

Brain-compatible learning environments use

colorful visual aids in conjunction with

lectures, and with other teaching activities to

help fix lessons in students’ memories.

Besides its importance for memory,

color is important in the brain-compatible

learning environment because of the impact

of color on the emotions of learners, and

because of “relationships between emotions,


10 Environments

memory and the brain” (Kaufman,

Robinson, Bellah, Akers, Haase-Wittler,

Martindale, 2008, para. 3). Morton Walker

(1991) writes that “[r]ed tends to raise blood

pressure, pulse rate, respiration, perspiration,

and excites brainwaves … Orange is similar

to red … Blue tends to lower blood pressure

and pulse rate … Green is also a fairly

calming color … Yellow … stimulates a

sense of well being and optimism” (Cited in

Wilmes, et. al., 2008, para. 7). When the

brain reacts to reds and oranges, the

amygdale usually triggers a survival

response. When this happens, the brain is

unable to engage in learning. Thus, a

learning environment with predominantly

red or orange walls, furnishings, or lighting

is likely to keep students in a state of

emotional arousal that impedes learning.

When the brain reacts to blues, and to greens

and purples that tend toward blue, “[c]ool

colors … bring about reverse effects such as


Environments 11

muscles relaxing more and sleep being

facilitated” (Ali, et. al., 2010, para. 19).

Jennifer Lloyd (2010) writes that “students

who are mentally, [or] emotionally …

engaged … might understand the underlying

concept more easily” (para. 3). The

emotions associated with yellows are the

most conducive to effective learning.

After sight, hearing is the sense that

is most often involved in learning in the

classroom. “It is possible to use … music

memory techniques to help students retain

more information and provide them with

multiple modes or [sic] information

retrieval” (Brewer, 2011, para. 1). Playing

classical music in the classroom while

teaching “engages the entire brain … [and]

the nerves in the ear have more extensive

brain connections than any other nerves of

the body” (Wilmes, et. al., 2008, para. 12).

Learners who listen to music while learning

facts will tend to associate those facts with


12 Environments

the music. Hearing the same music at a later

time will facilitate retrieving facts from the

learner’s long-term memory. Brain-

compatible learning environments avoid

distractions from outside sources, such as

street sounds, and the distraction of silence

itself, by playing music that is appropriate to

the type of learning that is taking place.

[M]usic can be used in the classroom

to accomplish various learning goals

including: creating a relaxing

atmosphere, establishing a positive

learning style, providing a multi-

sensory learning experience that

enhances memory, increasing

attention by creating a short burst of

energizing excitement, developing

rapport, providing inspiration, and

adding an element of fun. (Wilmes,

et. al., 2008, para. 14)

Soft music, such as classical music or New

Age music, and recordings of melodic


Environments 13

nature sounds, are played during lectures,

independent reading times, reflective

periods, and during testing, to help learners

to integrate the learning or to retrieve prior

learning. “It can help students understand

and remember lessons better” (Collins,

2011, para. 2.1). More energetic music is

appropriate for group project times and for

other kinesthetic activities. Stirring, lively

music is good for celebrations and for

physical activity periods. “As teachers, we

can increase sensory input during learning

by using music intentionally during memory

activities” (Brewer, 2011, para. 2).

Music in the form of song is very

common and useful in a brain-compatible

learning environment. Nearly everyone –

from preschool teachers to marketing

executives – knows that songs make

information easy to remember. Children

learn to sing the alphabet song almost as

soon as they learn to speak. Children’s


14 Environments

television programs, such as Sesame Street,

the Wiggles, and Dora the Explorer, use

songs to teach a dizzying number of ideas

and lessons. Advertising jingles flood

television, radio, and even cinema previews.

Almost any educational topic can be

arranged into a memorable song, as

evidenced by the popular 1970s television

series, School House Rock, which is still

utilized in America’s classrooms thanks to

You Tube. When learners sing the material

that they are learning, more connections are

made in the brain to help retrieve the

material at a later date. Songs become

deeply embedded in long-term memory, and

it often requires no more than a few notes of

the song’s melody for the entire song to

flood into conscious memory. “Words of

songs are very easily remembered … and,

therefore, are often used as educational

tools” (Wilmes, et. al., 2008, para. 14). This

is a huge advantage for educators in brain-


Environments 15

compatible learning environments, as it

takes much less time and effort to teach

lasting lessons with songs than with

textbook readings and lectures.

The senses of sight and hearing work

very well together to make lessons even

more memorable. Using colorful pictures of

symbols with songs connects the pictures,

words, and music in the brain, thus creating

more and more neural connections.

Learners are later able to recall all three

elements – pictures, words, and music –

when they encounter any one element. The

strongest recall in such an event happens

when the learner encounters the music.

Smell and taste are not actively

employed in most classrooms to the same

extent as sight and hearing, and “the senses

of smell and taste are often overlooked in

the learning process” (Make Sense, 2001,

para. 1). Smell, however – and taste to a

lesser extent – is important to learning


16 Environments

because “[i]t is through the sense of smell

that we gather messages about the

environment around us … [and] smell plays

a powerful role in the way we … recall

memories” (Haughey, 2011, para. 1). In a

brain-compatible learning environment, the

educator makes an effort to control the

aromas to which students are exposed during

learning activities. “Pleasant smells can

improve cognitive functioning … [and] one

study showed that a combination of floral

aromas was associated with double the

speed of learning” (Wilmes, et. al., 2008,

para. 22). The sense of smell is widely

recognized as the most powerful sensory

trigger for memory, as the slightest whiff of

an aroma will bring back otherwise-

forgotten memories. “The use of aromas

produces similar effects as music in the

learning environment” (Wilmes, et. al.,

2008, para. 19). Teachers are able to use

essential oils and other fragrance-producing


Environments 17

items in the classroom to reinforce students’

memory of the lessons. Scented stickers and

pens with scented inks are popular incentive

rewards that have been in American

classrooms for at least three decades. Joan

Collins (2011) tells teachers to “[s]timulate

your student’s minds with … cinnamon,

lemon, peppermint, basil … and rosemary”

(para. 2.2).

It is important that educators avoid

having odors in brain-compatible learning

environments that trigger negative responses

in students unless a strongly negative

memory is specifically desired for a

particular lesson. Odors such as sewage,

garbage, vomit, burned hair, and strong

disinfectant many have their places in very

specific history lessons, for example, but

they are likely to trigger a stress response in

the amygdale and prevent effective learning

if they are not managed very carefully. It is

more effective for students to associate


18 Environments

learning with the aromas of flowers, fresh-

baked goods, citrus, herbs, spices, and fresh

air, than with negative odors.

Taste is greatly neglected in many

traditional classrooms, but educators are

bringing taste into the classroom more often

in brain-compatible learning environments.

Classes often include samplings of foods

from various nations, cultures, or ethnicities.

Students at my sons’ school had the

opportunity to sample fresh tamales that

were made in the classroom by the mother

of a Hispanic student for Cinco de Mayo

two years ago. When they studied the

Chinese New Year, they ate egg rolls and

dumplings in the classroom. A recent study

of Hawaii concluded with a celebration that

featured pineapple and other treats from the

South Pacific. Each year, the school

celebrates Thanksgiving with a turkey

dinner, and the students celebrate the winter

holidays in their classes with peppermint


Environments 19

candy canes before getting out for vacation.

Since smell and taste are closely related,

taste has much the same effect as smell on

the creation, the reinforcement, and the

retrieval of memories.

The sense of touch “is as important

as vision for learning and retaining

information” (Cabrera & Colosi, 2010, para.

2). The sense of touch includes not only

haptic activity, but also spatial intelligence,

responses to textures, elevations, and air

pressure; and responses to temperature. For

the purposes of this paper, proprioceptive

and vestibular senses are also grouped

within the sense of touch. “The sense of

touch allows us to make a better connection

between sight and hearing and therefore

helps [students] to learn to read” (CNRS,

2008, para. 1). Also related, to a certain

extent, to the sense of touch is the need for

teachers to “[k]eep students from

dehydrating … [because] dehydration can


20 Environments

impair cognitive performance and affect

mood” (Lloyd, 2010, para. 5).

“Kinesthetic refers to knowing

through touch or by doing” (Massaro &

Wallis, 2004, para. 3). Many learners favor

the kinesthetic modality of learning. In a

brain-compatible classroom, students are

immersed in the subject matter. Not only do

they learn by reading texts, listening to

lectures, and performing practice drills, but

they also learn by handling math

manipulatives, by building models and other

projects, by performing skits, and by

actually doing what is being taught through

field trips and internships. “A ‘sensory

smart’ classroom provides children with

many opportunities for heavy work,

movement, and other … activities to

improve their ability to attend and focus”

(Stensaas, 2008, para. 4). Deborah Laurel

(2011) offers an example of how profoundly

kinesthetic activities can affect learning for


Environments 21

some students:

John … didn't participate in the

banter, or offer answers to questions,

or even ask questions … He had no

affect and no emotion in his face …

After the second morning break, …

[i]t finally dawned on me that John

was a kinesthetic learner … I found a

wide purple rubber band. I gave John

the rubber band and explained that it

might help his ability to learn if he

kept his hands busy. I suggested he

just play with the rubber band during

the rest of the class … Within a

minute, John was animated, joking

around, making constructive

suggestions, answering questions,

and completely engaged. (paras. 5-8)

Kinesthetic learners need to be physically

engaged during learning, even if the

physical activity is not actually related to the

learning. Squeezing a bit of clay or putty, or


22 Environments

playing with a rubber band, or any of a vast

number of small activities can help a

kinesthetic learner get through the inevitable

lecture portions of the classroom experience.

Educators in brain-compatible learning

environments provide models and

manipulatives along with visual and

auditory instruction. The physical activity

secures the visual and auditory components

of the lesson in the student’s memory.

“When designing learning environments,

teachers should focus on what the children

will be doing, and on what objects and

materials they can provide for the children

to handle and observe” (Stone &

Chakraborty, 2010, para. 1).

“While many types of obstacles are

known to impair learning, heat stress is one

of the most preventable” (Jensen, 2008, p.

60). Students cannot learn effectively if

they are too warm or too cold. A warm

classroom without adequate air circulation


Environments 23

will lull students to sleep. A hot or cold

classroom will trigger a survival stress

response, and students will be unable to

learn. Teachers need to “[c]reate the perfect

learning environment by setting the

thermostat to the optimal temperature for the

day” (Collins, 2011, para. 2.5). For most

students, 70ºF is the best temperature for

effective learning, and teachers in brain-

compatible learning environments strive to

maintain this classroom temperature.

The brain-compatible learning

environment takes into account not just the

basic senses, but also the need for students

to move around during the day. Physical

exercise promotes the “production of nerve

growth factor” (Jensen, 2008, p. 38) that

improves brain function. Movement is not

limited to physical education classes.

Students should stretch and walk around the

classroom, at the minimum, every 45

minutes to an hour to improve their


24 Environments

alertness. “Strategies that work movement

into the school day boost blood flow to the

brain” (Lloyd, 2010, para. 21). Physical

activity can be paired with music to further

enhance education.

Brain-based learning and brain-

compatible learning environments foster

learning more effectively than most

traditional classrooms. In traditional

classrooms, students are often faced with

grey or tan walls that do not promote

optimal learning. Many traditional

classrooms feature fluorescent lighting or

inadequate lighting, either of which is

deleterious to effective learning. Many

traditional classrooms include loud fans or

other environmental control devices, the

noise from which is distracting for students.

Extraneous noise can also keep students

from hearing the lesson clearly. Traditional

classrooms often use very little music and

few songs in their lessons, although learning


Environments 25

songs are found in some traditional

classrooms. Many traditional classrooms,

especially those in older or urban buildings,

smell strongly f the disinfectant that is used

to clean them. It is not unusual to smell

dirty rest rooms, or to smell Dumpsters and

local city odors in these schools. Negative

odors do not permit effective learning.

Students in traditional classrooms often

spend hours sitting still at their desks. The

only exercise provided in some schools is

walking to and from the cafeteria or to and

from the rest room; some schools do not

even offer the movement of a physical

education class.

Brain-based learning is finding its

way into more and more classrooms. Bright

peripherals and hands-on manipulatives can

be found in most American schools. As

more schools develop brain-compatible

learning environments, the quality of student

learning will improve. “Providing the


26 Environments

setting for effective learning using a brain-

based model creates an individualized and

multisensory approach by fostering learning

as a process of discovery, deepening

learning” (Roizman, 2010, para. 5). Brain-

compatible learning environments involve

all of the senses, which causes the brain to

develop more connections for learning and

memory. The brain is “involved in

everything we do learn and achieve at

school” (McBeth, 2007, para. 7). Because

brain-based learning environments teach the

whole student, by immersing the student’s

senses in an array of experiences, brain-

based learning environments provide

significant cognitive advantages for students

of every learning modality.


Environments 27


28 Environments

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(2010). The impact of brain based

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at our fingertips: The connection

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Environments 29

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30 Environments

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Environments 31

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32 Environments

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34 Environments

Debbie Barry and her

husband live in

southeastern

Michigan with their

two sons and their

two cats. The family

enjoys exploring

history through French and Indian War re-

enactment and through medieval re-

enactment in the Society for Creative

Anachronism (SCA). Debbie grew up in

Vermont, where she heard and collected

many family stories that she enjoys retelling

as historical fiction for young audiences.

Debbie graduated summa cum laude with a

B.A. in dual majors of social sciences with

an education concentration and of English in

2013.


Environments 35


36 Environments

Also look for these titles by Debbie Barry:

Books for Young Learners: Around the Color Wheel

Colors and Numbers

Stories for Children: Bobcat in the Pantry

Born in the Blizzard and Freshet

Expressing the Trunk

Gramp’s Bear Story

When Mary Fell Down the Well

Writing Competition

History and Genealogy: Family History of Deborah K.

Fletcher

Grandma Fletcher’s Scrapbooks

Nana’s Stories

Property Deeds and other Legal

Documents of the Fletcher and

Townsend Families

Property Deeds and other Legal

Documents of the Fletcher and

Townsend Families, 2nd Edition

with Digital Scans

The Red Notebook

The Red Notebook, 2nd Edition with

Digital Scans

Zoa Fletcher’s Photos


Environments 37

Zoa Has Her Way

Other Topics: A Journey Through My College

Papers: Undergraduate Series

African Americans in Post-Civil War

America

American Students Are Crippled By

Cultural Diversity Education

Debbie’s Vision in Art, Volumes 1-4

Debbie’s Writing

Indifferent Universe

Loss

More Than Just Monogamy

Nature in Early American Literature

Picturing The First Writing

Religion and Myth in English Poetry

Responsibility to a Broader

Humanity

Speech Codes in Education

The Evil of Grendel

The Heart’s Vision

The Heart’s Vision in Color