Cutting Edge Connections in Today's Classroom

What if you no longer had to imagine the perfect classroom, that is, one in which every child was working to his or her potential and discipline problems were non-existent?  What if I also told you that you could be on the brink of creating an almost perfect educational atmosphere by using simple cutting edge strategies in your classroom based on research in the areas of neurology, psychology, music and, believe it or not,  the marketing industry?  Sounds too good to be true, right?

As an educational consultant, national workshop facilitator and graduate instructor, my many years of research allow me to introduce theories prevalent in one discipline to another field to create new possibilities that enhance the educational experience of practitioners and students alike.  For instance, as I was discussing the physiological impact smells and color have on the brain to my Brain Compatible Strategies in the Classroom graduate class, a student piped up, “Your information sounds so convincing, however, no one ever mentioned this to me in any of my other classes.  I’m curious.  How did you come up with that?”

Good question, but not surprisingly, the answer involved another question.  My research had been prompted by a question I had often asked myself as an educator: “How do we reach every child’s brain in a classroom full of children knowing that every child is different?”   

Fortunately, my role as an educational research consultant allowed me to stumble on research that I realized had tremendous implications for the teaching field.  Current studies in physiology demonstrate that the brain reacts to colors, scents, sounds, visuals, timing, and emotions.  Think about this:  Artists choose certain colors to create desired moods; designers influence the environment to calm or stimulate us; and, marketing companies spend millions of dollars researching color for packaging.  In fact, these companies even understand the marketing impact of using the “right” scents in products.  They also know the “magic” number needed to etch a product in the consumers mind.  Simply put, they are masters at creating an ad campaign to appeal to all individuals.  By asking clients to bake cookies, brew coffee, or have a fire burning when potential buyers visit, even real estate agents understand the importance of creating an emotional “tag” of comfort when selling a home.   

Now, if artists, designers, marketing agencies, and even real estate agents can manipulate “the brain” through the environment, it dawned on me that educators, who are responsible for molding the future of our world through our children, could also understand these “manipulations.”  Hence, my proposition that the “imagined” world of the