I heard something interesting the other day…
When sitting and listening, our brains are about as active as when we are sleeping.
Besides that, children are not taught nor are they wired to sit and listen anymore.
I am fortunate to visit classrooms every day where teachers are asking deep thinking questions and empowering student passions. Students are talking to each other, brainstorming, dreaming, exploring curiosities, getting to know each others’ interests. Teachers are talking to the students, but most of the time it is to ask questions, to elaborate on student thinking, or to encourage them.
When sitting and listening, our brains are about as active as when we are sleeping.
We have to ask ourselves, are we in the business of providing brain rest time, or are we in the business of empowering students to learn, think, and explore their own curiosities?
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. -Ellen Parr
For more information, check out this blog post by the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society that describes the MIT study regarding brain activity during sleep vs. during lecture: https://hapsblog.org/2013/08/25/10-professional-development/
Image source: HERE
