Column by Brent Kaneft: Learning and the brain
If you've never held a sheep's brain in your hands, I recommend it. I cradled this woolly quadruped's brain and, like Mufasa lifting a baby Simba into the air, displayed it for 100+ PK-12 educators in February 2020.
Participants took turns holding the sheep's brain at their table, while I asked them to imagine they were holding one of their students' brains. I wanted them to feel its impressionable surface, its impossible fragility, hoping the reality of their daily mission would sink in even more profoundly - every day, teachers shape brains; they are, literally and figuratively, brain changers.
Rarely do educators have the opportunity to physically feel the sacredness of their calling, but this is what I offered them during this sheep's brain dissection. Today's teachers have the distinct advantage - and all the consequent challenges - of knowing more about how the brain learns than any previous generation. Since the 1990s and largely due to the advent of fMRI machines, information about the brain has been flooding into academic journals, the news media and bestselling books. Some of this information is helpful, while some has been misleading, if not wildly quixotic. In this column, I will distill some of this research and consider its implications for education primarily, but certainly parenting, coaching, leading youth groups or any role that engages with children and young adults will benefit from this knowledge.
The foundational concept of my field - referred to as Mind, Brain & Education research (MBE) - is "neuroplasticity." We used to believe intelligence was fixed at birth, but now we know that though there is a "significant genetic component to the architecture of each individual's brain," our brains are always being shaped by learning and experience, which is the definition of neuroplasticity. A neuroteacher - one who effectively understands how the brain learns and can apply these principles to their teaching practice - can employ strategies that promise to shape the brain in more positive ways. MBE research empowers teachers, and we know that nothing has a greater influence on student outcomes than teacher quality ("Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education" 33 & 3).
Remember, education is not broken, it's distracted - and we have forgotten two essential truths: learning is hard, and it takes effort. Any solution or technology that bypasses those realities leads to superficial learning and unprepared students. In this column, we will explore concepts and research that, if implemented, will lead to improved student outcomes.
Brent Kaneft is head of school at Wilson Hall.