Mauritius: Brain-Compatible Pedagogies
Dr Michael Atchia
14 August 2007
opinion
Port Louis — There have been more advances in brain research during the last 5-10 years than in the past 50-100 years. Most recent research shows that the following are brain compatible (i.e. more likely to enable learning and development to take place).
- Flexible time and modular open curricula (on this criteria, international schools and private schools fare better than state schools, here in Mauritius and elsewhere)
- Absence of threat, self-discipline, friendly atmosphere (small, often non-elite schools, such as College Père-Laval fare better here)
- Dynamic interaction and collaborative learning (a direct result of the proper training received by the teachers; when collaborative learning was introduced in the RCEA primary schools it gave best results where the HT encouraged teachers to be dynamic and value interaction, instead of suppressing it in the name of "discipline")
- Learning leading to immediate application (the coming of IT in a big way into the educational world, has been salutary in demonstrating the value of immediate application of any newly learnt skill; Integrated Science, Visual Arts, Home Economics and Industrial Arts, at lower secondary have had the same positive effects, when taught as they should be, through "learning-by-doing"
- Test of success being reality not authority (a gradual evolution from 1960 to date is taking care of that, too slowly to my mind, the gist of this criteria being that the truth lies with what you can prove or demonstrate, not with what you say! Unfortunately too many elders, many in power, do not apply the scientific method, instead believe that if they say often enough, for example that "there is no shortage of iron bars/ powdered milk/soon petrol on the market or that 'the price increase was beyond our control" these will by magic become true!
- Global context (subjects like citizenship, environmental studies, peace education, world affairs help to lead to the desired approach of "think globally, act locally".
- Drama, role-play, debates, games and sports (do RCC, QEC, Loreto-Cpe and other reputed colleges still produce plays each year? Do College St.Esprit and St. Joseph still devote as much time and energy to achieving excellence in sports? While, unfortunately, those fantastic events, the Inter-college Sports, have been much downgraded, the appetite for debate, at all levels of state and private colleges, is, fortunately, much alive).
- Meaningful content, concept-based pedagogy (my own published research has proved conclusively that learning of concepts which are meaningful and may be directly useful results in advance and progress in the learner, whereas the mere knowing of facts and data does nothing for the learner)
- Enriched environment of colours, music, art, dance, spacious classrooms, diversity of trees and well-kept environments, etc. (a positive example is how art and music, kept alive at the MGI as an institute, have permeated the various MGI schools)
- Open choice of what is to be learnt, with learning designed around students needs and interests (this is often defeated by the set syllabuses, from CPE to HSC, religiously followed; while competitive students themselves demand that this be so, labelling teachers who spend time on identifying their learning needs and deal with out-of-syllabus matters as failures!!)
While it seems that the following tend to antagonise the brain:
- traditional schooling, rigid discipline, poor environment (a reality in most profit-making colleges prior to 1974; the creation of MIE, PSSA, MGI, MCA, MES, BEC as well as external involvement from the likes of the British Council and Alliance Française, Unesco, Unicef, World Bank, and International Schools, have all helped to bring about a considerable upgrading in our schools' physical and learning environments)
- rigid prescribed curricula & time-tables (worse as one progresses from Form III upwards to Forms IV, V and VI, in any College, where SC, HSC and Baccalaureate syllabuses dictate what is to be taught and learnt, leaving the student with little choice and time to pursue inner-felt needs or acquire purely practical skills such as driving, orienteering, etc
- teacher-dominated and information-based pedagogy (the large majority of schools and colleges in Mauritius - and a sure cause of the strife between students and establishment now present in many colleges)
- restricted use of the senses (worse in the poorly-equipped schools, with limited space, like in some urban SSS and private colleges; in contrast with a recently opened "jewel" of a college - BPS du Nord, with its 5 arpents of space, its agricultural gardens, etc.)
- lack of movement, artistic, musical and sporting activities (same comment as above)
- ack of contact with the real world.
Soul-compatible pedagogy is a phrase that I have coined but which describes an absolutely real and universally recognised concept, namely the place of love in education, love for those we aim to bring from darkness into light and similarly the respect and love from students for those who devote their lives to teaching. Suffice it to say that all real educators down the ages have known and practised this concept. Which is why computer-assisted learning, an accepted and very useful tool in learning, can never replace the teacher, the guide, the guru. One does not have to look for the great teachers in history for examples of love and devotion in education, the good kindergarten and primary school teachers practice it day in day out!
In conclusion: once understood, further verified and digested, the above findings must necessarily lead to a major reconstruction of educational policy and practice.
