What Every Parent and Educator Should Know About Enriching Young Brains
and Minds
To learn important lessons for all parents and educators,
we interview today Eric Jensen, a former middle school
teacher and former adjunct professor for several
universities including the University of California, San
Diego. Mr. Jensen co-founded the Learning Brain Expo, a
conference for educators, and has written 21 books on the
brain and learning. His most recent book, Enriching the
Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner's Potential
(Jossey-Bass, 2006), is highly recommended for educators
and parents alike.
Alvaro Fernandez (AF): Eric, thank you for your time. Can
you explain the role that you and your organization play?
Eric Jensen (EJ): We act as translators between the
neuroscience and education fields, helping to build a
Brain-Based Education movement. We launched the first
conference that attempted to bridge these two worlds in
1998. The goal of the conference, called Learning Expo, was
for teachers to speak to scientists, and, equally
important, for scientists to speak to educators.
Critics say that neuroscience research can add little to
educational practices. What we say is that, whereas it is
true that much needs to be clarified, there are already
clear implications from brain research that educators
should be aware of. For example, four important elements
that are often neglected by educators, given the obsessive
focus on academic scores, are nutrition, physical exercise,
stress management, and overall mental enrichment.
AF: Since 1998? How would you characterize the progress so
far?
EJ: The good news is that today many educators, more than
ever, are learning about how the brain works. There is a
growing number of academic programs such as Harvard's
masters program in Mind, Brain, and Education, and
peer-reviewed journals such as the Mind, Brain and
Education Journal.
Still, there are clear areas for improvement. Too many
staff developers are weak on the science. I see too many
books saying "brain" in the title that are not grounded in
any brain research. Something I always recommend when
shopping for books is to check the References section,
making sure the book references specific studies in
credible journals from 2000 on.
AF: Now, those are mostly awareness-related initiatives.
What, if any, are the implications in daily teaching and
learning in schools?
EJ: You are right, this is still an emerging field. A
number of private, independent, forward-thinking public
schools and charter schools are implementing specific
initiatives, mostly around brain-based teaching strategies,
nutrition and exercise. But these are tougher for some
public schools, which have limited resources and
flexibility. to implement. We also see an growing number of
enlightened parents learning about the principles we
discuss and applying them at home.
AF: Have you seen any impact at the policy level?
specifically, what do you think about the current debate
about the merits or demerits of No Child Left Behind?
EJ: I agree with the move towards accountability. Now, the
question is, accountability for what? for creating narrow,
specific test scores? or for helping nourish better human
beings. I have seen very little policy activity in the US;
some in Asian countries such as Singapore and China, that
are evaluating how to refine the curriculum for 5-10 year
olds. In the US, there was a major push for music
enrichment programs, that was somehow misguided, in the
late 90s. The problem is that, whereas it is clear that
enrichment has an impact, it is tough to measure
specifically what type of enrichment, since much of the
benefit develops over time. The short term "stock-market"
mentality that measures student growth over a few weeks or
months has to be tempered by long-term measures, too.
For example, it seems clear that there are important skills
that can be trained, that make for a better and more
successful human being - such as the ability to defer
gratification, sequencing, emotional intelligence, improved
working memory, vocabulary, and processing skills. However,
the type of assessments used today to measure schools'
performance don't focus on these. We would need broader
assessments to allow educators to focus on those important
long-term skills, beyond the immediate pressures.
A specific area going from bad to worse is the level of
stress in the system, and the lack of resources and
knowledge to regulate it.
AF: You mention processing skills, as well as other
cognitive skills. In your recent column you highlight
Scientific Learning's computer program that can train
auditory processing. What's your view on the role of
computer-based programs?
EJ: It is encouraging to see programs based on extensive
research, such as Scientific Learning's. I appreciate the
value of such programs to tailor individualized
interventions to the needs of specific kids. So I believe
these programs present a huge potential.
Now, we must not confuse what is just one narrow tool with
a whole enrichment program. Brain-based education also must
take into account other important factors such as
nutrition, physical exercise, the arts, stress management,
social interactions...
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Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which covers the brain training and brain
plasticity fields. SharpBrains has been recognized by
Scientific American Mind, Newsweek, Forbes. Alvaro holds MA
in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches
The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong
Learning Institute. You can learn more at
http://www.sharpbrains.com/
