This chapter connects nicely to my book talk book Boys and Girls Learn Differently by Michael Gurian. There are some things ingrained into everyone’s’ brains that may hinder the learning experience. This chapter talks about some general brain research that teachers need to keep in mind when designing their curriculum and running their classrooms.
A good chunk of this text was about making sure students get plenty of time with the material. So we cannot simply teach students the content and then move on. Students need to reflect upon the material and have some kind of application with it if they even have a shot at remembering it. This also means that we cannot rush students’ answers. They need time to think so they can actually open up the neural pathways to their memories and use their knowledge to reflect and answer the question. The wait time also teaches students to think before they speak, which is a valuable lesson for any person. Finally, students need to practice the material. The old adage “practice makes perfect” is partially right. Though practice does not make a student perfect, if students practice the correct material and skills they are more apt to learn the content effectively and be able to recall it quicker.
Another helpful hint is how to structure a class period. Most brains remember most what is said first and then remember progressively less as it goes along. That means doing attendance and handing back paperwork at the beginning of the period is doing no one any good. We must tell students the big important facts at the beginning of the lesson if we want them to retain what we have said.
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