Teaching & Learning

LEARNING AND THE BRAIN: Teaching Students to Know and to Think for a Complex World

BY LEAANNE PARLETTE, MFA, DIRECTOR OF LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

I recently had the chance to attend the 2022 Learning and the Brain conference, in person, which was fantastic because with the pandemic, I’ve been really hungry for more learning (and not of the COVID-19prevention and response variety).

The official theme of the conference was “The Science of Knowledge: Applying Brain Science to Build Student Expertise, Reasoning, Reflection, and Critical Thinking,” in acknowledgment of how students today face a world full of problems, falsehoods, and future careers that require critical thinking and expertise. Experientially, the theme included the question of how we, as educators, can help to reduce the divisiveness in our country. Key to this is teaching critical thinking and rationality, both of which are vital for the ability to distinguish fact from fiction. Science shows these skills can be learned, and they are essential for a peaceful and just future.

Not surprisingly, current brain science is affirming our School’s 172-year commitment to purposeful learning and our Dominican-inspired core values of reflection and service as powerful tools in the educator’s toolkit

for building critical thinking and rationality. The insular cortex, or insula—that part of the brain that runs basic biological functions—is thinner and lower-functioning in children, making it harder for them to process a nonstop barrage of information, stress, and/or violence. The insula plays a role in sensory processing, motor control, self-awareness (understanding us vs. them, me vs. other, we and us), nervous system stability, and emotional regulation. Pausing (reflecting) for three seconds after sharing new information with students allows their insula to work more effectively, relaxing the body

Teaching Students to Know and to Think for a Complex World

• Critical thinking, analysis, and complex problem-solving are top sought-after skills among employers, according to the “Future of Jobs Report 2020” released by the World Economic Forum. Yet many students lack these basic skills. A 2019 MindEdge Survey found that 74 percent of millennials and 69 percent of college students failed to pass a quiz measuring critical thinking skills. • A 2018 study by the MIT Sloan School of Management found that falsehoods are 70 percent more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than truth. Yet studies show many children lack the basic skills needed to distinguish fact from fiction. A 2019 report from the Stanford Higher Education Group found the majority of the ninth to 12th graders in the study lacked basic digital evaluation skills, and two-thirds couldn’t tell the difference between real news stories and ads, while a 2019 study by Reboot Foundation revealed that over a third of middle schoolers say they “rarely” or “never” learn how to judge the reliability of media sources.

and supporting the integration of new learning and rational thinking.

In his talk “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, and Why It Matters,” presenter Steven A. Pinker, PhD, said that educators should look at rationality as being the fourth R: reading, ’riting (writing), ’rithmetic (arithmetic), and rationality. The message

was that norms of rationality should be promoted; we must always question the objectivity and the rationality of news sources and what we read, watch, and hear on

our screens. We as a society must demand that “experts” show their work, their logic, rather than just accepting that anything posted or reported is fact, not opinion. We must, as a society, demand of ourselves that we not just listen and hear and accept but actually hold media/ politicians/influencers accountable to support the information they share—much as we educators make our students back up their answers.

In her presentation “Solving the Frankenstein Problem: Why All Learning and Thinking Is Social, Emotional, Cultural, and Cognitive in the Brain,” Mary Helen ImmordinoYang, EdD, affirmed the importance of purposeful learning. Meaningful learning always involves emotion. How do we become inspired? How do we build curiosity? How do we make meaning? Service and personal stories make us reflect, and it is the connections we build inside ourselves that construct meaning in learning, and meaningful learning moves the experience from that of outcomes and results to one of emotions that lead to ideas. And we all know we need new ideas for a healthier, more peaceful, and sustainable future.

BOARDING PROGRAM NEWS

WELCOMING NEW DEAN OF COMMUNITY LIFE

Our School would be a very different place if not for the boarding program. For generations, residential students from near and far have made the community a diverse and international one, adding to the richness of experience for students, teachers, and families. Living away from home and residing on campus in a dorm setting provides invaluable opportunities for personal growth. Boarding school students tend to develop life skills such as time management, work ethic, and independence in a more accelerated manner than that of students in a day school.

This year, San Domenico welcomes Todd Loffredo, Dean of Community Life, who will work closely with Carrie Robley, Assistant Head of School for Student Life and Director of Residential Life, to continue to elevate the program. “We are so thrilled to welcome Todd to SD,” says Robley. “He has extensive boarding school experience and understands the unique needs of a residential program as well as our unique philosophy and student-centered approach.”

San Domenico’s lived value of community is what drew Loffredo to choose SD among his many options. “I am most looking forward to meeting the students and joining the people who live and work at San Domenico,” he says. “On campus, I cannot wait to wander the Loma Alta Preserve with my dog Bowser, stop by the elementary school, feed the chickens, play tennis, and swim in the pool. I am also eager to explore all the Bay Area has to offer.”

He joins us from the Hun School of Princeton, where he has been Academic Dean, Science and Experiential Learning teacher, Resident Faculty member, Mentor, Tennis coach, and Peer Leader Program Director. He holds an MS Ed. in Independent School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Economics with Departmental Honors and Francophone Studies and a Minor in Biology from St. Lawrence University. Todd’s work has been published in many education journals and he holds certifications in Red Cross CPR, wilderness first aid, and PADI Open Water Diver Scuba.