Many teachers do NOT fully comprehend the home and cultural environments of
the students we teach-- many of us are white, middle-class,
academically-oriented individuals. Therefore, we must make enormous leaps and
adjustments to attempt to reach a diverse student body. We must all study and
come to understand what motivates pupils to learn, as opposed to traditional
teaching methods. Brain research points to variety, student choice, changing
traditional seating arrangements, topic integration, etc. (These are all
concepts which cause many instructors to tremble!) Table 1.1 on page 5 of the
text summarizes some student survey responses which were gathered regarding
this discussion. Brain research seems to fit in very well with this chapter's
contents. Our school has utilized some of this research and plans on
implementing more soon.
In what ways have brain research changed your teaching methods, especially
with respect to this chapter?