By Melina Uncapher, Babe Liberman,
and Judi Fusco
You’ve probably heard about the
“learning sciences,” but what is this research field and how can it help
educators?
Learning sciences research — which
draws from many academic disciplines including neuroscience, education,
developmental science, linguistics, psychology, and sociology — focuses on how
people learn, investigates novel approaches to teaching and learning, and
designs for educational environments to promote effective learning. Learning
sciences research can aid educators in selecting instructional strategies,
developing curricula, and creating learning spaces.
The learning environment is an
important equity consideration, as equity gaps often stem from different
opportunities in the places in which students grow up. How safe, nurturing, and
stimulating an environment may affect a child’s brain development.
When children are born, their
brains are optimized for all environments. As they grow and develop, their
brains undergo a process of synaptic pruning, removing connections that are not
necessary for the environment where they live. In the schematic below, you can
see that the older brain (the brain on the right) has fewer connections, and
that is because it has pruned away connections that were not consistently
needed for its environment, in favor of making strong connections for
experiences that were consistently encountered while growing up. Thus, this
older brain is more efficient than the younger brain (on the left) because it
has been optimized for its environment.
Context matters for student
learning, so those who design learning environments — including architects,
education leaders, curriculum developers and teachers — can benefit from
incorporating learning sciences research into their work.
Keep reading for three learning
sciences insights, and associated design considerations, for setting up
research-based environments to support powerful learning for the full spectrum
of students. These teacher strategies will help you be a resource for the best
possible learning environment.
1. Students
learn well when they feel safe and connected.
To thrive at school,
students need to feel that they are part of a positive, supportive learning
community. Feeling safe and connected at school can reduce students’ anxiety,
allowing them to focus their attention on the learning at hand.
Trauma-Informed
Design
Childhood trauma results from emotionally painful or stressful
events and is often associated with lasting mental and physical effects.
Unfortunately, such trauma is commonplace: nearly half of all children in the
United States have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, such
as parental divorce, death, or incarceration; being a victim of violence or
witnessing violence in their community; or experiencing economic hardship. Many
students who have experienced trauma view the world as a scary place and may
have trouble engaging in everyday activities, including participating in
learning activities in the classroom.
The good news is
that trauma-informed practices, such as teaching coping skills and building
caring relationships between teachers and students, can benefit all students,
not just those who have experienced traumatic events.
Teacher Strategies:
●
Begin class
with a breathing or mindfulness exercise to acclimate students to the learning
environment.
●
Set
and stick to a consistent schedule and classroom routines, informing students
in advance about any upcoming changes to their schedule. When school is
predictable it feels safe. Post the schedule somewhere prominent so that
students can refer back to it.
●
Designate
a “calm down corner” in the classroom, so that students always have a safe
place to visit to refocus and recharge until they are ready to rejoin the
group. Deck this space out with cozy seating (bean bags or pillows) and quiet,
independent activities (tactile toys or books).
●
Explicitly
teach social and emotional skills, like empathy and kindness, and encourage
students to practice using these skills in multiple contexts (during group work
or on the playground).
Positive
Student-Teacher Relationships
It can be challenging for teachers to build authentic
relationships with each of their students, but these connections matter. To
grow and persist through challenging learning experiences at school, students
need teachers who know them as individuals; who care about them, have high
expectations for their success, and understand what they need to succeed.
Teachers and students who have different cultural backgrounds may experience
difficulty connecting, so teachers should practice culturally relevant pedagogy
(CRP) to help all learners. Practicing CRP requires teachers to understand
their own cultural background, make a point to learn about the backgrounds of
their students, and incorporate the personal and sociopolitical issues that
impact their students and communities into their teaching.
When teachers are able to build such stable, trusting
relationships with their students, this connection can promote students’
self-worth and sense of belonging, allowing them to be confident and valued in
the classroom.
Teacher Strategies:
●
Foster
connections with students by opening up about your own hobbies, pets, and
family members, and by encouraging them to do the same with you. Designate a
gallery space in the classroom for students to show off photos of their
families or special memories.
●
When teaching
students from a culture different from your own, discover culturally
appropriate ways to get to know them. Learn about how students from different
cultures may interpret directions, feedback, and discipline to create an
atmosphere that guides and supports them appropriately. Build an inclusive classroom by displaying artwork or poetry from a
variety of cultures, and books featuring diverse characters.
●
Communicate
positive and high expectations (related to classroom behavior and, especially,
learning) for all students. Explicitly remind them: “I believe you can do it,” and prominently display student work so they can take pride in
their achievements.
●
Ensure
that each student has an equitable opportunity to participate in class by
rotating the students who are called on. Allow sufficient wait time for
students who may need more time to formulate responses. Work to invite students
with language differences, and those who may be less comfortable speaking in
class, to participate in other ways.
2. Collaboration and social interaction can be powerful learning
experiences because they encourage deeper processing and engage the “social
brain”.
Students can be highly tuned to
social dynamics, particularly during the transition to and through adolescence,
and research shows that collaborative and relational interactions can drive
learning. Harnessing this social drive in the classroom can take students
further than they can go alone. Working collaboratively towards a common goal
can encourage students to discuss, think about ideas they might not have
considered, and learn more than they would if working individually. Since
collaboration isn’t suitable for every learning task, educators can help
students identify opportunities when working together is most beneficial.
Fostering Teamwork
Create a classroom
environment that nurtures positive peer relationships so that students feel
included in the learning community and understand how to work together to solve
problems.
Teacher Strategies:
●
Promote
collaboration and exchange of ideas by structuring projects to require shared
learning and co-creating, rather than splitting tasks among group members.
●
Encourage
students who are working on teams to get to know one another to better
understand each other’s perspective. To help students work together in more
effective ways, it may be important to have discussions about cultural
differences. As students build stronger relationships with fellow team members,
they can move beyond superficial questions to ones that are deeper and more
challenging.
●
Ask students
to take the perspective of others (e.g., the people who you are teaching about
in social studies or literature) to help students tie the learning to
themselves and to a broader perspective.
●
Invite students
to teach each other. The process of preparing to teach is a powerful way to
engage the social brain, whether or not students end up teaching the material!
Teaching others often benefits the tutor the most, so be sure to give all
students the chance to be tutor as well as tutee, or to compare notes on the
lessons they prepare.
3. The entire
environment, from space to temperature to lighting, can affect learning.
It may be no surprise that
elements of the physical environment can play a role in determining whether the
classroom will be conducive for focus and learning. For example, exposure to
sunlight and views of nature from the classroom have been shown to boost
student achievement, well-being, and behavior.
Consider
the Physical Space
Teacher Strategies:
●
Incorporating
flexible furniture — lightweight or on wheels — can support flexible
instructional goals and gives students choice in where they work to empower
them to take responsibility for their learning. The best arrangement of
furniture depends on the task at hand: More interactive tasks benefit more from
interactive arrangements (semicircle and clusters), and independent tasks from
independent arrangements (rows).
●
Try to keep
the temperature between 68- and 74-degrees Fahrenheit so students are
comfortable and able to focus. No thermostat? Have blankets and small fans for
students to use.
●
If your
classroom has less natural light than you’d like, replacing lighting with
blue-enriched or full-spectrum bulbs may improve students’ cognitive
performance.
●
No windows
with views of nature? Take your class for walks outside and have plants in the
classroom to get some of the benefits of nature.
To learn more about the learning sciences,
check out the following resources:
Melina
Uncapher is Assistant
Professor at UCSF and CEO & Co-founder at Institute for Applied
Neuroscience
Babe Liberman is the Project Director, Research Communications at Digital
Promise.
Dr. Judi
Fusco is a Senior Research Scientist,
focusing on STEM Teaching and Learning, at Digital Promise.
