The Brain that Works...

I was fortunate enough to work on a team that recently hosted the 1st Annual ELIcon - Excellence in Leadership & Instruction Conference in Green Bay, WI. While I was busy with logistics, coordination, and customer service, I was able to enjoy our keynote speakers and walk away with a few thoughts and reflections. One in particular continues to resonate with me - Dr. Skip Downing, founder and owner of On-Course Workshop. His workshops are dedicated to helping colleges improve student success and retention. Although our conference was aimed toward Higher Education, there is a notion that Dr. Downing shared that carries true throughout all levels of education and life.

"The Brain that Works is the Brain that Learns!"

Nine simple words that can carry such weight with educators across any realm. For far too long, classrooms have been repositories of information in which teachers spit out knowledge and asks students to regurgitate what was supposed to be learned. The brain has never been asked to work harder than to simply recall. As waves of teachers begin to abandon teaching to the test and take a stance against standardized testing, schools find themselves at a cross-roads: to continue to encourage teaching the way its been done, well forever, or to adopt new teaching practices that encourages the brain to work.

Enter Active Learning Environments...perhaps known by many other names, active learning environments grant students the opportunity to explore, tinker, question, converse, build, and learn by actively seeking answers to questions unknown. Teachers become facilitators of learning, constructing environments that encourage growth through failure. How is it that any teacher can create an active learning environments? By fostering these three ingredients; Connections, Curiosity, and Collaboration.

Every student wants to feel important to someone - to feel like they matter and can be successful. Every students needs to be influenced and motivated to work harder. When teachers attempt to make connections with students they begin to build a bridge between the impossible and possible. As connections are made and grow, only then can teachers push students to unimaginable heights. Only then do students feel comfortable in taking risks, in failing.

After the connection is established, teachers can begin to give students the freedom to be curious. To explore into the unknown by finding creative ways to solve problems, present solutions, and share ideas with classmates. Teachers must be willing to model an environment of curiosity themselves. Either by flipping their classroom, providing pre-class work, or simply allowing students to teach, teachers will open the door to spark student interest. Once you've gotten to know your students and their strengths, you can help build off them by encouraging students to use them more often.

Finally, every student is going to need to collaborate and communicate with others in the fast-paced world. Teachers that use an active learning environment will not only encourage, but intentionally build collaborative opportunities into what they do. Think, Pair, Share topics, case-studies, or group challenge problems are great ways for students to share their thinking process and collaborative efforts with classmates.

No matter how you think of learning today, we must recognize that the brain needs to work in order to learn. Teachers need to find creative ways in which students feel comfortable controlling their own learning. Failure is an option and we need to help them understand how to persevere and grow through learning. Active learning gives teachers the ability and students the opportunity to put their brains to work!