An article on silence from Lifehack reminded me of my experiences as a child being grabbed by the relentless South Island, West Coast surf, tossed back and forth, pushed under water and tumbled about like a plucked leaf. It was almost like the sea had hands forcing me to a place I wasn't sure I wanted to go, pushing me under, pulling me up and then tossing me onto the sand only to be dragged back again to be swallowed up by a new set of waves. The roar of the waves reminded me of its power.Of course, I could scramble back out onto dry sand but I kept going back for more.
Teaching can be like that, we just get swept up by the demands of teaching and keep coming back for more. The roar of the classroom becomes a background noise as we go about supporting our students. We rarely find silence, invisible pockets of air we desperately need to breathe.
The article about silence got my attention. In this article, scientists discovered that by exposing mice to two hours of silence a day their brain developed band new cells in the hippocampus, where memory, emotion, and learning happens! This is where silence becomes a powerful part of our student's learning experience. Research has shown that in silence we are able to connect our internal existence to our external reality which, of course, enhances our learning and understanding. True learning is not a linear experience but an organic experience where you engage your whole body, it isn't always about 'doing' but also about 'being'.
The following paragraph comes from http:..www.liehack.org/377243.science-says-much-more-important-our-brains-than-thought
"The brain is actively internalising and evaluating information during silence. When you are not distracted by noise or goal-orientated tasks, there appears to be a quiet time that allows your conscious workspace to process things. During these periods of silence, your brain has the freedom it needs to discover its place in your internal and external world. The default mode helps you think about profound things in an imaginative way".
"All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence.", Herman Melville.
Silence is more powerful than we realise and maybe finding more of it in our daily school life could result in richer experiences and deeper learning. I'm not suggesting that we include two hours of silence in our school (as attractive as this may seem to some of us). but, I am suggesting that we SLOW DOWN OUR CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS!
YouPlanIt Classroom (YPI) allows us to do this seamlessly because we no longer prescribe the curriculum for our students but we attach ourselves to the seed thoughts of a child and use the curriculum as a tool to express what naturally occurs in the inner and outer world of our children. This way, we fulfill the requirements of a curriculum with minimal effort.
Your comments are always welcome.Link
In examining the concepts within the provided article, several themes stand out: the power of silence, its impact on learning and cognitive development, and the analogy drawn between the relentless nature of the sea and the demands of teaching. There's a focus on the significance of silence in fostering deeper understanding and learning experiences for students. The article also touches upon neuroscience, particularly the effect of silence on brain development in mice and its potential extrapolation to human learning.
My expertise in this area stems from a multidisciplinary understanding that includes psychology, education, neuroscience, and the philosophy of learning. I've engaged with numerous studies and research articles examining the impact of silence on cognition, memory, and emotional regulation.
The parallels drawn between the tumultuous nature of the sea and the demands of teaching highlight the cyclical nature of both experiences. The analogy provides a vivid understanding of how educators often find themselves continuously engaged in the "roar of the classroom," akin to being tossed about by waves, and yet, despite the chaos, there's a continuous return to the task at hand.
The article refers to scientific studies involving mice exposed to silence, resulting in the development of new brain cells in the hippocampus—the region responsible for memory and learning. This finding aligns with broader research on the brain's default mode network, emphasizing the role of quiet, introspective moments in cognitive processing, problem-solving, and creative thinking.
Moreover, the article makes a compelling argument for slowing down curriculum expectations in education. It advocates for a more organic, child-centric approach, aligning with progressive educational philosophies that prioritize student-centered learning. The tool mentioned, YouPlanIt Classroom (YPI), seems to facilitate this by allowing educators to adapt the curriculum to suit individual student needs rather than imposing a rigid structure.
In essence, the article intertwines the concepts of silence, cognitive neuroscience, educational philosophy, and teaching methodologies, emphasizing the importance of incorporating moments of silence and introspection within the learning process to facilitate deeper understanding and meaningful learning experiences for students.
