According to Colin Rose, author of Accelerated learning Action Guide (1995), learning styles are visual (40-65 % of learners) and auditory (about 25-30% of learners) and the least 5 % -15%of all learners seem to be kinesthetic-tactile (Rose, 1995) The Adult Brain: Majority of adults can maintain their mental abilities until they die if they enjoy good physical health.
Aging affects the adult brain. At the age of 30, the brain starts to shrink, causing slight cognitive decline, yet the decline is not noticeable.At the age of 40, the brain weight decreases by 2%. At the age of 70, the hippocampus and amygdale located in the limbic system of the cerebrum will shrink by 25 %( Khalsa, 1997). Aging will affect the hippocampus ability to transfer short-term memories into long-term memories.
Because of the age factor, adults tend to be more stressful when they learn new information. "Adults are by far more self-directed and antonymous learners than their younger counterparts. " Laurie Materna, (2006), the author of "Jump start the adult learner".The blend of previous experiences and the new ones made the adult brain apply concepts directly and modify the application to fit their needs.
Adults posses an innate desire to construct meaning to make sense out of what they are learning. (Taylor , Marienau and fiddler 2000) From the brain compatible perspectives adults can be motivated on engaged by transferring the memorization of facts into acquiring skills. When that happens, a change in behavior will occur. Brain-compatible and motivate adults 3 Preparing the Brain to Learn:The positive appeal to the learner's emotion is the key for storing this information in the long memory, which transferred to the neocortex, or thinking part of the brain. On the contrary when negative emotions or fear is present, the middle brain refuses to transfer new information. Oxygen helps the adults to learn, as oxygen is the energy needed for the brain to function.
Pleasant smells can trigger emotions and motivate adults to learn . Vitamins from healthy food are also important in functioning the brain. According to Richard Nestake (2003), music helps to lower the blood pressure and dilates the blood vessels in the brain. Imagination is more important then knowledge.
"(Albert Einstein) Visualization is the key of imagination, which promote creativity."Music exerts a powerful effect on the brain through intellectual and emotional stimulation"Sousa D. A. (2006),the author of "How the brain learns" Anita Woolfolk (2007) in his book "Educational Psychology" states that it is impossible to separate intelligence from the genes to that of previous experience and knowledge.
Consequently, differences in intelligence are the outcome of both. Classroom applications and recommendations It is supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge" (Albert Einstein).Making learning fun and enjoyable will help adults' brain emotion to work positively and be engaged as the long term memory turns on. Brain-compatible and motivate adults 4 Adult learning can be enhanced through brain -compatible learning strategies. By the use of visual, auditory and kinesthetic memory pathways. Consonantly, extraordinary amount of information can be stored in the long-term memory through the variety of class activities.
Students cannot learn at the time of fear and negative emotion where the learner's brain becomes defensive and protective of their own identities where information filtered out of the emotion brain and never reach the neocortex part. Breathing exercises are very effective at the beginning of the learning session. Use aroma and fragrance at the class to enhance cognitive processing. Recommend healthy food to your students, enhance adult to learn. Quite and light music may motivate adults learn.
Visualization can be used at the beginning of the teaching session to promote a positive learning state and stimulate creativity and imagination.Movement exercises causes harmony between the left and right side of the brain, which made processing the information more smooth and efficient. Finally, I would like to share my own philosophy of education which is always my classroom dream to peruse ; My Own Philosophy of Education My philosophy of education is open as I break the borders. I open the box, I read the lines, between and beyond of Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Existentialism, and Behaviorism. I learn, I add, modify and change.
I apply, I fail, I succeed as I believe in the purpose of education is not to follow, copy and repeat but to explore, create and complete.
