20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain: #1 Brainstorming and Discussion
Participants in my workshops can be some of the chattiest people in the world. This fact is based on my more than 40 years of teaching teachers and administrators. Yet some of those same people who love to and should talk to one another in my classes, will not let their students participate in the same behavior in their own classrooms. Many students get in trouble for doing something that comes so naturally to the human brain – talking.
When people open their mouths to speak, they send more oxygen to their brains. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for three or more minutes, it can be declared dead. That is why both comedian Joan Rivers and Bobbie Christina, Whitney Houston’s daughter, lost their lives due to lack of oxygen to their brains. I’ve observed some classrooms where students are breathing, but it is hard to tell. The students appear figuratively brain dead. Those classrooms always remind me of this:
Just as importantly, talking facilitates the growth of dendrites. A dendrite is a memory cell and every time a student learns something new from you, their brain grows a new dendrite. This is the reason that I tell teachers to put on their resumes that they are dendrite growers. Having students discuss the answers to open-ended questions, express opinions, or brainstorm a variety of ideas is advantageous to their brains and expedites dendritic growth.
What the Research Says
·Teachers can use brainstorming as a technique to achieve positive transfer by enabling students to see the connection between what students already know and new learning (Sousa, 2022).
Class discussions are beneficial with all students, including ESL students, since they allow students to produce language in context, boost their confidence, enhance their critical thinking skills, and enable them to practice specific content-area vocabulary (Kialo Edu, 2023).
Positive conversations trigger higher levels of a neurochemical brain cocktail consisting of dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin (Balboa & Glaser, 2019).
Make It Happen
Use the think, pair, share, technique with students. Pose a question or discussion topic to the class. Have each student think of an individual answer. Then, have them pair with a peer and share their answer. Call on volunteers and nonvolunteers to respond to the entire class. Be sure you allow students to debrief with their peer before calling on them as a nonvolunteer.
Give students a content-area question to which there is more than one appropriate answer. Students brainstorm as many ideas as possible in a designated time while complying with the following DOVE guidelines:
Defer judgment when other students are contributing ideas.
One idea at a time is presented.
A Variety of ideas are encouraged.
Energy is directed to the task at hand.
Have students work with peers in families of four to six. During the lesson, stop periodically and have families discuss answers to questions related to what is being taught. For example, in math class, students could compare their answers to the homework assignment, and when answers differ, they could engage in a discussion to reach consensus as to the correct answer. Have students stay together with their families long enough to build relationships and then change the composition of the families
For additional research and more specific examples of instructional activities that engage students in the strategy of Brainstorming and Discussion, consult Chapter 1 in the 4th edition of my best-selling book, Engaging the Brain: 20 Unforgettable Strategies for Growing Dendrites and Accelerating Learning.
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