Donna's Dispatch
May 2008
A message from Donna Bernard
Superintendent of Schools
What have you learned lately? Have you tried a new activity? Constructed something? Experimented on a project?
When we reflect on the conditions that maximize student learning, we know that the conditions in which the students learn the best are the same as those in which adults learn the best. Real world environments provide the best places for learning. When one is actually trying to cut the 2x4, he or she will learn far more than reading about cutting the 2x4. When one experiments with making a new food dish, he or she will learn far more about the process and the product than they ever would learn by having a conversation about it with someone.
Leslie A. Hart is famous for her research and understanding of learning conditions. Her book Human Brain and Human Learning is one of the tools we use in Coventry Public Schools to improve overall student performance. Educational environments all over this country need to be modified to become more “brain computable.” The brain learns best when it collects data from a variety of sources (also called inputs). This is best done using real experiences.
Of course in schools, we can’t always provide real experiences. However, we understand the need to connect new learning to a student’s previous “being there” experience. The chart below (adapted from the one in Leslie Hart’s book) shows the levels of input, which promote learning. The top two levels (often infrequently used in classrooms) are the most effective. The bottom two levels (frequently used in classrooms across the country) are the least effective.
As you reflect on your own learning and the learning of the people in your sphere of influence, know that their understanding will be increased relative to this brain research.
Happy learning!
Donna
PS: The last “Donuts with Donna” for the 2007-08 school year will be held on Tuesday, May 13 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Jodi Lynn & Company, 1141 Main Street.
April08
March08
February08
Dec07/Jan08
November 07
October 07
September 07