Educating America in the 21st Century
by Vicki Ebeling, PhD.
Redondo Beach, CA

Excerpted with permission from Educating America in the 21st Century, published by Vicki Ebeling with Little Leaf Press, Lavalette, WV, 2002, ISBN: 1-893385-11-6.

The 1990s were called the decade of the brain. With each new piece of research, the brain was portrayed as a stunningly complex system of processes. Science continues to make discoveries about the way we think. An area that has exploded with new information is how a human learns.

Look in a typical American classroom and you’ll see an amazing spectrum of faces, each with its own combination of characteristics. Behind each face is a remarkable brain. Inside each brain is a learning system that is uniquely individual to that person.

Learning style explains how a learner processes information. It includes not only cognition and behavior, but many other influences as well. Prior to the 1970s, the cognitive theories of learning were the major focus of research in learning styles. Since then, numerous influences in learning styles have emerged.

The way we learn is determined by all of the following factors:
• Cognitive (thinking) styles
• Preference for the sense or senses (sight, hearing, etc.) used in learning
• Personality and emotional factors
• Environment and culture
• Physiology and genetics
• Physical health and comfort
• Developmental issues

When we consider all of this, it becomes clear that individual learning styles are infinitely varied and profound.

In the 1950s, neuroscientists decided there were critical periods for learning in the first years of life; that is, if the brain did not learn certain basic functions by approximately 3 years of age, it became rigid and its organization largely unchangeable.

At the end of the 20th century, the importance of stimulation and enrichment for the healthy development of cognitive and emotional abilities of the brain in those first three years of life became a huge issue in child development. It was discovered, for example, that not all neuron (brain cell) connections for vision are fully formed at birth, and they need to be stimulated after birth to develop fully. U.S. parents and manufacturers responded to this news by filling babies’ nurseries with primary colors, interesting patterns and entertaining mobiles.

The first three years of development are, indeed, crucial. But we know now that the brain has a life of its own with the ability to constantly reorganize itself beyond the age of three. It is deeply affected by events in the first three years. Trauma and abuse in those first years, for example, can damage emotional and learning functions. But in many instances, the brain can be changed by and can benefit from stimulation throughout our lives. The brain is actually a malleable (able to be reshaped or reformed), "plastic" organ. There are certain critical periods of age when a child learns some functions at a more rapid rate than he would when he is older. But the good news is that the window of opportunity to learn is not permanently shut once the critical period ends.

There is strong evidence that the number of brain cells increases significantly in relevant areas of the brain and loss of cells can be offset by intellectual stimulation throughout our lifetime. As a result, the structure of each individual’s brain is dependent on his or her life experience and, therefore, unique. Brain imaging studies have shown that practicing a musical instrument produces additional neural connection in the part of the brain which controls the fingers frequently used to play the instrument.

Research on twins raised in different homes tells us that environmental enrichment increases cognitive ability. Physiological evidence in animals that receive more than normal stimulation shows measurable growth in the size and weight of the brain.

Understanding these concepts can impact education by making us more aware of how we use enrichment and stimulation in the way we teach. We are not talking here about the number of pictures on the wall or the activity in the classroom. We are talking about the level of stimulation in the education process.

One theory, for example, suggests that giving children a chance to problem-solve in partnership with someone above their level can stimulate their cognitive growth. This could be a partnership with more highly functioning peers, older children or role models who can teach those less neurologically able to learn to become problem-solvers. This partnership encourages children to ask questions, use learning strategies and understand the quality of their own learning.

But what can you do as a parent to help your children in their learning process? We know that where children learn is critical. We may believe that school is the only place where children learn how to learn. In fact, school does a very good job of teaching children academics, even without the contribution of the family. But the environment in which a child grows has a major influence on the child’s ability to learn in school.

A home with consistent, realistic guidelines can teach children how to function in the controlled, structured environment of a classroom. They will learn about limits to their behavior, how to recognize when they have approached those limits and how to establish their own schedules. A home where parents and children are connected and the child is important in his or her parents’ lives gives the child confidence and motivation. The time the parents spend with the child prepares her or him for the world outside the home.

What children learn is also essential to academic success. What they learn will determine, in many respects, their maturity. Parents teach values, and even more importantly, they practice or do not practice those values in everyday life. Modeling how to be a person is the most important job a parent has. What parents do or say matters more than how well they are educated or how much money they make.

Parents help their children develop their expectations for themselves by making them part of family decisions and teaching them delayed gratification, in other words, being able to perform a task now or postpone a want in order to receive a reward at a later time. In these ways and in more direct conversation, parents can teach children to think about the future.

Parents also demonstrate the joys and rewards of the learning process by modeling their pleasure in learning new things. Children understand that learning is a lifelong process. Active involvement with games, reading and discussions about local and world events stimulate the children’s desire to learn more.

Another important role parents could potentially have in their children’s academic success is being a spokesperson or champion for their child’s needs or goals. There are some crucial points to be considered when parents see the need to advocate for a child.

The first step is to become as informed as possible about the school, its teaching approach, the teacher and the administration. Parents need to understand that there are many teaching approaches, and that even the "experts" disagree as to effectiveness. Also, even within a classroom there are variations in effectiveness of teaching styles for different students.

If they are confused, parents should feel confident about their right to ask questions. They also need to understand that the first intervention that is attempted on behalf of their child may not be effective. Instead of despairing or becoming angry, they can advocate for further interventions. In addition, they may need to be prepared to accept that their expectations for their child may require an adjustment.

Parents may have disagreements with the school’s goals and priorities. For example, the parents’ role in the accomplishment of homework can become burdensome, tense, or damaging to the child and family. This is a place where parents can communicate with the school regarding their child’s needs. Indeed, parents may decide that extracurricular activities such as sports, the arts, social events or even just sharing time with the family will better serve their child than an evening spent on homework. They can communicate with the school regarding these matters.

Schools need to increase their respect for families and encourage their contributions and involvement with the school. Parents need to feel that their voice will be heard, their questions answered, their children’s needs met. The alternative is to vote, unite or protest school policies. Parents need to be able to express their concerns, for example, if their child is being picked on in class. But teachers also need to be able to express their feelings to parents. For example, when a child is disrupting the class. Cooperation, not anger, compromise not rigidity, and mutual respect are essential for an effective relationship between parents and schools.

One very important function of the family is how it represents its attitude toward educators. It is easy in our society to fall into the trap of disregarding the professional status of teachers and administrators. But if parents do not respect teachers, how can we expect children to do so?

As a society, we need to cherish the opportunity to cultivate the finest in our future generations, and we need to believe that, just as the school philosophy that began our universal educational system originally stated, all children deserve to be taught.

As Thomas Jefferson wrote, By far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people. No other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness.

Vicki Ebeling, Ph.D., is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Board Certified Educational Therapist. Dr. Ebeling helps students in pre-school, elementary, middle and secondary schools. You can contact her at: (310) 375-4790.