NUTSHELL NOTES "Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The University of Colorado at Denver's One-page Newsletter for Teaching Excellence

    Learning is the evolutionary brain function that once ensured our survival. As a result, our brains quickly capture and retain information that is novel or unusual, and this trait can be exploited to good advantage when teaching. This issue deals with some surprising findings; some may seem like fodder for the 'skeptical Inquirer,? but do have confirmation in research. The brain learns through the senses, so what is felt, seen, heard, and even smelled can have surprising effects.

    How does it feel? When an environment feels uncomfortable, our tendency is to escape from it rather than learn in it. If an environment feels physically uncomfortable, psychologically unfriendly or threatening, it won't be a good learning (or working) environment. We know how temperature affects our ability to remain attentive. Given a choice, we'd leave a too cold or too hot room; not given a choice, we'll "tune out" whatever doesn't lead to granting an exit.

    How does an optimal learning environment look? Over 80% of the information our brain receives is visual, so light and color are two important attributes that will affect how the brain learns. Psychiatrist Wayne London did a famous experiment in classrooms in 1988 when he used the Christmas holiday break to replace the standard fluorescent bulbs in several classrooms with Vitalite® full-spectrum lighting. The result was a 65% drop in student absences. In 1991 Dr. D. B. Harmon studied about 160,000 school children and learned that about half of these suffered detrimental effects from classroom lighting. In 1987 the American Psychological Association officially recognized "seasonal affective disorder (SAD)" which is a depression caused by lighting typified by the season with the shortest daylight. Studies have also shown this season (the season of now!) to be less favorable to learning. Good lighting provides a compensatory remedy. Most studies show that soft, full-spectrum lighting is optimal for learning; the prevalent fluorescent lighting used in most classrooms and offices is rated among the worst possible choices for long periods of learning or working.

    In 1999, Vuontella and others studied the effects of color on learning by comparing verbal cues for recall with color cues. Learners invariably did better using color. Morton Walker in his book, The Power of Color, deduced that the long wave colors (red, orange, yellow) stimulated more active brain response, whereas shorter wavelengths (green, blue, violet) were more conducive to relaxation.

    NASA scientists have discovered that the presence of plants in a room seems to stimulate learning—not merely because of their green color but because of their ability to increase negative ions in the air and remove pollutants. Some house plants are more effective than others. Studies have confirmed that the presence of plants in an office increases productivity by about 10%.

    What might the ideal environment sound like? Studies reveal that learners have divergent preferences. Some prefer complete silence; others prefer a noisy, busy environment. Studies have shown that extraneous noise is detrimental to most learners, but music is a more controversial issue. A number of workers have tried to relate use of various types of background music to increased learning. The most famous of these claims (the "Mozart effect?) was recently disproved. Yet, a number of teachers do use music to good effect at the start of a class or during breaks to help create an atmosphere that is positive and energized, but relaxed.

    The olfactory senses stimulate the brain, and optimal learning environments may come with distinctive smells. Neurologist Alan Hirsch discovered that groups exposed to the aroma of peppermint solved puzzles 30% faster than the unexposed control groups. Basil, lemon, cinnamon and rosemary seem to have a similar stimulating effect, while other odors elicit relaxation.

    Try some of these things for yourself in your own office, and to learn more sign up for the February 16 workshop. See below for details. This issue is primarily a summary of  information compiled in Chapter 5 of Jensen, E., 2000, Brain-Based Learning.