Issue
27(1)
Designing
Brain-Compatible Learning.
(3rd Edition). (2006). Gayle H. Gregory & Terence Parry. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 304
pp., $39.95, (paperback). ISBN # 1412937175.
Review
by: Susan Weaver
Learning
Strategist
Fleming
College,
Peterborough,
ON
Brain-based
learning theory and practice can have practical uses in academic
advising. There are many theories of academic advising (Church,
2005) but Gregory and Parry offer a compilation of practical ways
to engage students in a whole-brain method of advising. What
are whole-brain learning activities? Whole-brain learning happens
when every part of the brain is involved in learning.
This
book is informative, readable, and most all, practical. The authors
provide the reader with an overview of cognitive research and
applicable pedagogical theory that illustrate how the reader can
create units and lesson plans similar to the clear examples provided.
Gregory and Parry look at three theories of intelligence: multiple
intelligence based on the work of Howard Gardner, Daniel Goleman's
interpretation of Peter Salovey's theory of emotional intelligence,
and Art Costa's theory of intelligent behavior. They illustrate
how these theories, combined with brain research and pedagogical
theory, can be applied in the classroom through cooperative group
learning, collaborative skills, thinking skills, and graphic organizers.
Finally, they address the issue of assessment using the full brain
concept developed throughout the book. Each chapter includes sections
entitled, "What is it?", "Why do we need it?" and "How do we do
it/teach it?"
While
the book is designed to assist teachers in implementing best practices
in engaging students in active, meaningful, higher order learning
within their classrooms, the chapters on thinking skills and graphic
organizers can be readily adapted by academic advisors for one-on-one
work with advisees. "Critical thinking is convergent and seeks
to narrow the field of options by applying some criteria or evaluation
to data" (p. 159): the goal of many advising sessions. There are
many examples of activities that could be readily adapted to advising
sessions. Equally valuable is the comprehensive collection of
graphic organizers. These tools allow students to apply their
thinking skills to develop visual representations of past experiences,
future goals, and means of reaching these goals. The authors illustrate
many types of organizers from mind maps to concept webs; ranking
ladders to fishbone diagrams. The authors state that, "Visual
representation as an instructional strategy has been shown to
increase student achievement" (p. 203) and that the use of graphic
organizers (a) allows students to make connections among pieces
of information, (b) makes information easier to recall, and (c)
allows students to break information into manageable chunks that
help them to see relationships. When used in advising situations,
these tools actively engage students in the advising process and
requires them to take ownership of their decisions.
If
there is a downside to this book, it is in the copy editing. The
significant number of errors, including incomplete sentences,
is distracting. Despite this, the content is practical and logically
presented; I highly recommend it. Use of ideas presented in the
latter chapters, mentioned above, will re-vitalize advising sessions
for both advisor and advisee through the introduction of new strategies
and techniques which will take the advising session to a new level.
This book will have a place of prominence on my shelf and will
be one I will frequently use in my work with students.
Reference
Church,
M. (2005). Integrative theory of academic advising: A proposition.
The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal, 7(2).
Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/050615mc.htm.
