The Big Picture

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Everyone's "big picture" is not the same. Take Bob Ross for instance. His big picture was always the happy little trees ... and remember ... that was consistent. The same holds true for education; the big picture is not the same as others, but it is consistent: "the happy little students." 

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Is every educator's "big picture" the happy little students? 👦👧👦👧👦👧👦👧

...

OF COURSE NOT!
Does that make them a bad educator?

...

OF COURSE NOT! Children should be the big picture to all but...
No people have the same functioning brain and life experiences, causing priorities to be different in each person.
"Big Picture" of different Educators:

  • pleasing administration
  • test scores
  • teaching every standard for that grade or content 
  • pay increase / promotion
  • individual student growth and progress
  • other / miscellaneous 
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Chapter 9 of Janet Nay Zadina's text, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain (2014), focuses on the big picture of what we have been reading about the entire book: the connection of learning and the brain. Factors that affect the brain and learning include:
  • gender
  • sleep
  • fuel
  • exercise
  • environments
How can those factors affect the brain and learning?

SLEEP: "...research indicated that adolescents need late-morning sleep." (Zadina, 2014, p. 214)

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GENDER: "...differences between any male and female on any single item avergae out." (Zadina, 2014, p. 212)

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EXERCISE: "All students need exercise and all students need recess, a time to rest their frontal lobe." (Zadina, 2014, p. 215)

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ENVIRONMENTS: "Some calming music in a relaxed atmosphere can teach students to provide their own "time-out" and ways to gain control of their emotions." (Zadina, 2014, p. 216)

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FUEL: "Meals are important for learners... one study showed that middle school children who ate sugary breakfast performed on tasks of memory and attention at the level of seventy-year olds." (Zadina, 2014, p. 214). This means children need to healthy, balanced breakfasts that are filled with protein and fiber.

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What are some given ways we can use given factors to benefit students?
Factors 
Example Strategies and Activities 
Effects  
Sleep 
5 minute “nap” bell ringers. Have the students put their heads down while the lights are off and there is a calming instrumental playing. This is effective in helping the children to “refresh” themselves Tell them to think of things that help them be happy or relaxed, so they can be productive during instructional time. This is the equivalent to what small naps and sleep periods do.  
  • Self – reflection 
  • Meditative/calming practices 
  • “What can I do to be my best today?” 
  • Sets tone for environment and climate 
Exercise 
  1. Brain Breaks  
  1. Music/Movement Integrated lessons 
  • Blood-flow increase  
  • Increased attention, which leads to increased memory 
Environment 
  1. Playing calming music during independent or silent activities and tests 
  1. Open discussions 
  • De-stressing and soothing 
  • Lowered anxiety 
  • Better focus and attention 
  • Trusting 
  • Open communication  
  • Safety 
  • Social skills 
Fuel 
  1. Small, quick snacks that can be eaten fast and not produce messes including granola bars, crackers, peanuts (if no allergies are present in your class), and raisins 
  • Students can focus on the lesson rather than hunger pains or being distracted by wanting to eat.  

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