Workshop Food for the Brain
August 18, 2000
The Edmonton Examiner

By Conrad McCallum

When they read books, many school students slow down for better comprehension. But in many cases, they should be doing just the opposite, says educator Tonia Chrapko.

Missing the meaning of a text may mean "the brain is getting bored" she says, because the brain processes words faster than the eye scans them.

"Read ideas per minute, not words per minute," she advises.

A teacher since 1990, Chrapko has started a company offering learning workshops called BrainBOOSTER™. The "brain-based" workshops offer concrete techniques in areas such as active reading, note-taking, memory, exam preparation, and concentration.

Chrapko is among a growing number of teachers and academics who believe that understanding the brain better makes us better learners.

"It's about teaching and learning in ways that are compatible with the brain's natural processes: how does the mind like to learn, what strengthens it, and what weakens it," she says.

Chrapko says study needn't be slow and painful.

"A lot of people approach learning as if they're in a canoe paddling upstream. Lots of time and effort put in, but you're not getting very far very fast."

Memory is one promising area of "brain-based" learning. As an example, Chrapko points to a group of school kids who were able to memorize biochemistry terms quickly after associating them with images.

Waving fingers under the nostrils stood for "aromatics," and "fat" was the clue for the group "aliphatics." The students designed a phrase to link them, beginning with "Fat Al (aliphatic) is smelling (aromatics)."

Robert Short, professor of educational psychology at the University of Alberta, says several memory techniques have shown to be effective. He says his own 'doctoral ' students take advantage of "visual maps" to prepare for their dissertations.

"It's much easier to bring that map of the relationship of ideas back, to be able to operate in it, than it is if it's in a formal, linear text form in your head," says Short. But he's skeptical that current knowledge about the brain has educational value.

If the techniques "lead a person to feeling more motivated - then that's great. But whether it taps into a particular way that the brain operates, or a cognitive preference that I have - I would debate that. "

Unlike Short, Rod Anderson is a true believer in "brain-based" learning. The Jasper Place high school math teacher says studying the brain's processes is a key to nurturing better learning and teaching.

"Understanding the physiology and the mechanics of the brain really allows you to separate out which of these habits might be good ones to really get behind, and other ones to let go of."

Tonia Chrapko is Chief Energizing Officer (CEO) and owner of Toolbox Training. 454 -3361

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