A Whole New Mind: The Six Conceptual Senses and Education

First, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this book. I was pleased that this was the book I selected. I also think it is important for all teachers and other people in the educational profession to think of students and the different learning styles. This book really talked about the right-brained activities, yet I think it is more than just this. It is about letting students reveal their strengths and knowledge in a variety of ways.
Design: I think that we need to seriously consider designing schools that look less institutionalized. I would love to have a room that looked more like my living room with soft color hues that are soothing to students (and teachers). I also think that fluorescent lighting can be a distraction for some students and table lamps and natural light would be the best.
Story: I think that we do remember stories. It makes things real. Stories make a connection for kids. It is sometimes easier to help students see an emotion or action in a character in a book than in a more abstract way.
Symphony: Classical music helps the mind and helps create links. I cannot listen to music with words when I am studying; it is too much of a distraction. I do like to listen to wordless music, and attention must be paid to the tempo for students. I also think it is good to expose students to classical music. If I had music playing in the background during math, I would try to have the same music playing if they were going to take a test. (Perhaps it will remind their brains.)
Empathy: Don’t we all have students who need some of this. The last thing on their minds is school work, yet school may be the safest place for them. We need to remember that children are young and they are not little adults. They will need extra explanations and we have to be careful of assuming that they understand.
Play: Yes, we all need recess! It is interesting to watch students play on the playground. I also think we need to laugh more. I am not so sure about the laughing club, but a child’s laughter is contagious. (In a good way!) Perhaps through play we can show our students how to be even more productive as suggested in the book.
Meaning: Shouldn’t students find meaning in everyday work. We as teachers hate busy work, yet we are all guilty of assigning some of it. (Hopefully not often!) We cannot teach religion in the public schools, but we do need them to understand t hat it isn’t the “stuff” that makes them important. We need to give them the opportunity to discover who they are. It would be interesting to build or paint a labyrinth so children who are having difficulty can walk through the situation. This may help with children with attention issues, but also kids who have difficulty communicating.