Dr. Chris Long, Director of Academic Resources, spearheads a new course, empowering students to "learn how they learn."
The students sitting in the classroom of Dr. Chris Long are divided into groups of four, each leaning forward in their seats to better hear the members of their learning community. They are discussing their past experiences with education—the good and the bad—and personal goals for their time at La Salle. Supplied with notecards, poster paper and a variety of crafting supplies, their reflections will soon be displayed for all to see, presented in a “Learning Panel” intended to draw visual connections between student experiences
While good grades remain a high priority, it is the interpersonal goals that echo around the classroom: learning how to be strong role models, meeting new people, trying new activities, and not comparing themselves harshly to others. These high level goals demonstrate a level of self reflection that is incredible to see at the start of high school, but Dr. Chris Long isn’t surprised. This kind of language around learning is exactly what his course, “Learning How to Learn and Think Critically”, aims to develop.
“Learning,” Long says, “is about developing the language of any specific subject area. In neuroscience we learn that people build these integrated language networks while they're learning, that's a part of their higher-level learning. And so if we can get students to develop their language around these subjects, that's how they really develop.”
The syllabus of “Learning How to Learn and Think Critically” is built on the foundations of Neuro Education, focusing on the ways that psychology has shown that students learn best.
“It shows us how children grow and develop through language development, and it shows us how the brain works within those domains,” Long says.
Psychology also supports the implementation of the course at the start of students' high school careers. According to findings published in the open-access, academic journal Brain Sci., the schooling years are the prime time for neuroplasticity, which amplifies students’ capacity for learning. “It’s right at the age where it’s both needed from an educational and schooling standpoint and is also cognitively appropriate,” explains Long.
For Principal Alanna O’Brien, the scientific foundations of metacognition were a championing factor in her support of the course.
“There's so much new information coming out within the past five to 10 years around brain based learning, neuroscience and how people learn best that could really impact our institution, not just in supporting students around their own awareness of how they learn and how they reflect on learning, but also how our faculty uses this research in instruction,” O’Brien says. “The learning of the future is no longer about knowing information. It's about learning how to learn so that you can be adaptive, especially in the workforce today, which is rapidly changing. People need to learn how to develop new skills.”
Along with the metacognitive research supporting this work, Long also views the course as an important seedbed for a sense of community that will stay with freshmen throughout their next four years.
“It is about helping them feel safe, helping them feel belonging in the classroom, helping them discuss ideas in a safe space which can then get them to open up and share more ideas in class,” he says. “And then they can do what's called perspective switching, which means they're not just considering their own perspective, but start considering other people's perspectives, which is the root of critical thinking.”
These goals align seamlessly with La Salle’s purpose statement: “to foster faith-filled creative and critical thinking.” And with the expertise of Dr. Chris Long, the curiosity and perseverance of our students, and the investment from administration and the larger community, graduates will leave La Salle fluent in their own unique language of learning.
- Academics