Color and the Classroom

Color and the Classroom

Anyone with only a modest degree of experience working with children has recognized that their moods can be impacted by numerous color-related factors ranging from the amount of light in the classroom to the myriad colors surrounding the classroom. The color of the chairs, desks, tables, bulletin boards, floors, furniture, and walls can impact student learning and student behavior.

Since the publication of Faber Birren’s book, Color Psychology and Color Therapy, there has been a growing interest on the part of educators and administrators to better understand how colors can influence the overall climate in the classroom and the role that emotions/mood play in concentration, appetite, relaxation, alertness, and student engagement and thereby, learning. Every educator acknowledges the value we place on memory, but learning precedes memory formation, and emotions often determine when, if, and for how long a memory last. Certain colors stimulate creativity, while others promote collaboration with colleagues (PBL-oriented learning environments), and still other colors keep students “bouncing off the walls.” There are also colors that activate the body-brains alarm systems, which shut down learning and memory.

Not only are there centuries-old and widely-accepted therapeutic benefits of specific colors, that knowledge can be put to good use and classroom planning. While there is no direct one-to-one correspondence between color and student learning/memory, we do know that specific colors can have a significant impact on the emotions and moods that influence learning. Although some colors (example: black) are excellent for keeping a classroom clean and cleaning up daily, they are not ideal colors for stimulating student participation in conversations that advance learning. The best ergonomically-designed furniture will not counterbalance the impact of the colors that negatively affect learning.

Before the bell rings for dismissal, teachers frequently admonish kids, “…And don’t touch the walls in the hallway!” Research from cognitive science tells us that stimulating the hands and fingertips is how we stimulate the young brain. Most adults will notice that children walking past a picket fence on the way to or from school will want to touch every single picket as the child passes by. The first 3 feet of school hallways should be composed of paneling, burlap, or any material with indentations, varied surfaces, crevices and protrusions that activate the high density of specialized receptors in the fingers, which “turn on the brain” readying young children for learning.

 

Colors in the classroom

·       Aqua blue and light green – are calming colors (conducive to relaxation, comfort, and a sense of well-being and healing). Light blue is a tranquilizing color (decreasing nervousness and irritability), and regularly persuades our body-brain into thinking that the room temperature may be cooler than it actually is. The body-brain message sent by these colors is “calm down.”

·       Bright yellow – promotes excitement, optimism and liveliness in children, which can be an asset to creativity (“sunshine and energy”), but can be over-stimulating to some learners. The body-brain message sent by this color is “be alert.”

·       Red and red/orange – stimulates the alarm systems in the brain and can promote anxiety learners. They can be disturbing to anxious individuals, as well as students with ADD and ADHD. The message sent by these blood-like colors is “you had better pay attention!”

·       Off-white - promotes and helps to maintain one’s attention, because it is not distracting, although it does little to stimulate thinking either. The body-brain message sent by this color is “only look around occasionally at your surroundings.”

·       Neutral colors like beige - also a common effect on children, but can lead to lethargy. (Thus, these colors are also referred to as “institution beige,” because of their use in hospitals, correctional institutions, and many schools). The larger challenge is that one will often “calm down” to the point of drowsiness or slumber. Neutral wall colors can be matched with colored furniture as the stimulant. The body-brain message sent by beige and related bland colors is “relax.” Dark brown promotes a sense of security and relaxation, but can promote feelings of fatigue, particularly during winters.

·       Gray - elicits depression, sadness, and edginess in students. Gray to the human body-brain suggests clouds overhead and the absence of sunshine, promoting negative moods that are not conducive to long-term learning. In geographical regions where there is little sunshine for long periods of time, inhabitants regularly experience “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD), because each time they look up, everything is still gray with dark clouds. The body-brain message sent by gray and related melancholy colors is “not much reason to be happy or excited here.”

·       The free play centers and common gathering areas should have bold vibrant colors (red and/or canary yellow tables that are stimulating and exciting. These colors generate immediate smiles from children.) The body-brain message sent by vibrant colors is “have fun!”

·       The reading center should have blue chairs, beige rugs and only slightly decorative walls.

Using large wide rolls of colored paper (including wrapping paper) to cover student tables on which specific learning tasks are planned, can promote specifically sought-after behaviors. For artwork or creative STEM projects, bright colored and/or patterned paper is an appropriate stimulant. For student discussions cover the table with calming greens or aqua blue paper promotes the desired behaviors.

School furniture, classroom decorations, and displays of artwork (streams of crêpe paper) that complement the learning goals of the environments can enhance student responses that move them towards the intended learning goals rather than away.

Picture a long vinyl couch manufactured in each of these colors inside your “mind’s eye.” Then, ask yourself, “How would I feel as I walked towards that couch, and what would I do on that particular couch?” As you think of your own response, you will quickly detect the impact of that specific color on your own mood(s). In planning colors for your classroom and students, whether you are investigating furniture or wall colors, deploy the “couch color test” as a practical barometer for the most probable affect that a particular color will have on the moods of the students in your classroom.

The Brain, the Enlightenment, and Coffeehouses

Over the centuries, there was never a shortage of admonitions based on the negative effects of alcohol and frequent drunkenness. While the mountain of related warnings continued to increase, there was a distinct period in Western Civilization during which all caution went largely unheeded. Today, we recognize the long- and short-term effects of alcohol on the human brain.

Neurons are the brain cells that are largely responsible for communicating with one another to produce behavior and cognition. However, alcohol can block the communication signals between neurons, prompting the conspicuous signs of intoxication including slower reflexes, poor recall, slurred speech, moderated judgment and decreased problem-solving capabilities. Cognitive impairment is a long-term  consequence of heavy drinking, with his own visible signs including difficulties in paying attention, verbal fluency, working memory and controlling impulses. Excessive alcohol consumption eventually leads to a decreased brain cell count.

During the Middle Ages, due to the poor sanitary practices of the times (primarily associated with human waste disposal), water was rarely potable in England and therefore, unsafe for human consumption. The most common substitutes for water were ales, beers, and wine, which were indulged in both day and night, resulting in a slightly intoxicated public most waking hours.

Coffee, which originated in Ethiopia in the 10^th century, ushered in a new era in England and Europe. When water is heated above the boiling point to produce a coffee, bacteria and parasites that cause most illnesses are eliminated. Not only could large numbers of people remain sober, as a bonus to their newfound sobriety, the caffeine in coffee was a stimulant. Suddenly, coffeehouses spread throughout England in the early 1600s, and this addictive brain stimulant helped to usher in the European period known best for a "rationalist and scientific approach to the understanding of human society, the law, religion, and individualism" or the period of Enlightenment.

Coffeehouses became the central hub for exchanging ideas, conducting business, spreading the latest news and gossip, and meeting up with other like-minded thinkers. Coffeehouses were places where one could discuss and debate with his ideological, theological, and political opponents, as well as friends. For a mere penny entry fee, the door to nearly any coffeehouse would open as if by magic giving one access to uniquely stimulating conversations fostered by the stimulant caffeine.

Most importantly, 17^th and 18^th century coffeehouses became the primary location where one could learn from colleagues, "authorities," friends, and complete strangers who gathered in the coffeehouses to introduce, explain, critique, compare, and exchange innovative and scientific ideas. The Enlightenment also saw individuals challenge the traditional religious-based pseudo-scientific notions that opened the window to transformative scientific examinations of commonly held ideas that were intensely advocated by the church. Thus, these establishments became known as “penny universities,” and emerged as the most appropriate and most common venue to conduct business, becoming an integral component in British commerce. 

Coffeehouses became the most dynamic social, intellectual, and commercial hubs where professionals, merchants and farmers could confer with colleagues and complete strangers in specified businesses and in support of specific professions. Coffeehouses near the Westminster became the places for politicians to meet. Coffeehouses in the proximity of the Royal Exchange catered to the merchant and business communities, while theologians and clergymen gravitated to the coffeehouses nearest the major churches. Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctioneers were spinoffs of the coffeehouses near the auctioneers. “Jonathan’s coffeehouse” was the principal hangout for London’s stockbrokers and was the location from which the London Stock Exchange emerged. The establishment known as "Lloyd’s Coffeehouse," was the main scene for insurance transactions. It evolved into the Lloyd’s of London insurance company.

Recognizing the  high neurological price one pays when small or moderate doses of alcohol impact the central nervous system (processing, learning, remembering, rational thinking, etc.), what might the long-term toll be on the CNS brought on by a lifetime of nearly nonstop alcohol consumption? Diminished cognitive performance would be the first expected outcome.

During the Enlightenment, the needle for all cultural, religious, political, and scientific conversations moved dramatically after the introduction of sustained sobriety brought about by the introduction of coffee. The coffeehouses and their "secret ingredient" caffeine were instrumental in developing and expanding complex circuitry in sober brains during the Enlightenment, rather than damaging brain cells and the vital dendritic connections that formed the basis of transformational and creative thinking.

Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part VII: Key Science Organizations and Conclusion

Key Science Organizations

·        1857 – The National Education Association is founded in Philadelphia by forty-three educators with a total membership of 100 educators.

·        1900 – The American Association of Universities is founded for the purpose of overseeing the competitive nature of American universities compared to their European counterparts.

·        1916 - The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is founded, and; the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is founded.

·        1920 - The National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics is founded.

·        1944 - The National Science Teachers Association is founded.

 

Among the historical events directly and tangentially shaping the nature of contemporary science instruction are the transformative demographic changes that modified the target population of students we serve. When over 3 million immigrants entered the country in the mid-19^th century, educational policy was created to successfully absorb them into the American fabric. A similarly monumental challenge faces us today in successfully preparing millions of students of color, who constitute the new “majority minority” (an oxymoron although accepted in educational circles) and science and STEM education. Effectively educating students who are different than the type of students for whom our colleges of education were initially designed, becomes a primary concern of mathematics, science, and STEM education. This consideration has important implications in the implementation of the NGSS over the next five years.

Addressing this goal translates into a carefully planned professional development undertaking concentrating not only on how to teach the Next Generation Science Standards, but also on how the human brain best encodes, processes, stores, retrieves, and applies the new 3-D content, practices, and protocols for assessment. In cognitive science, we recognize that all brains are basically gray and it is exclusively the gray matter that truly matters in the areas of learning and memory. However, are there teaching and learning strategies expressed or implicit in the NGSS that should be underscored in professional development for classroom practitioners teaching the “new majority” in our schools? When the new assessment items on the NGSS assessment tools are written and field-tested, how will the needs of these students be reflected? Hopefully, history is not poised to repeat itself.

The relationship between economic prosperity and the successful delivery of science and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education has become increasingly apparent to economists, policymakers, and educators. Stephen Priutt, who played a lead role in crafting the NGSS said, “The need for a quality science education for all students has never been more critical than it is in the 21^st century.”  While the fundamental principles of science have not changed, how we will teach those principles in the future has changed. The degree of student engagement in long-term science investigations, where students take a “deep dive” into the content with new performance expectations (combining content with claims, evidence, and reasoning) and enhanced learning outcomes in mind, indeed will differ dramatically from how students learned science in the past.

In 1865, British mathematician Charles Dodgson, wrote the children’s tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, under the pseudonym “Lewis Carroll.” Well into the story, Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, “Which way ought I go from here?” The Cheshire Cat responds, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” When Alice says that she really doesn’t care where she gets to, the Cheshire Cat informs her that, “If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.” Equally important, not knowing where we hope to be in science education would lead us anywhere, including places we have already gone, as well as places at which we do not wish to be. The path formed by scientific discoveries, public policy, and educational psychology over this vast time period have taken us to where we currently are in science education. Fortuitously, with the Next Generation Science Standards we know where we are headed, we know how we will get there, and we have established the benchmarks tell us that we have indeed arrived.

Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part VI: Tools and Technologies for Learning

Tools and Technologies for Learning

·        1609 – Galileo observes the moon with a telescope, moving astronomy out of the realm of religion and into the world of science.

·        1638 – The first printing press in the American Colonies is installed at Harvard College permitting the production of academic literature and textbooks.

·        1654 - The first slide rule with the familiar inner sliding rule is invented by instrument-maker Robert Bissaker. Until handheld calculators are invented 300 years later, slide rules remain the most commonly used calculation tool in engineering and the sciences. 

·        1801 - The blackboard is invented by James Pillans, allowing teachers to share information with an entire class simultaneously. It becomes the most widely used educational tool worldwide for the next two centuries. 

·        1868 - The “modern” typewriter is invented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Sholes, Frank Hall, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule.

·        1902 - Pencils and paper are mass-produced for the first time making them affordable and readily available to nearly all American students, teachers, and schools. In tandem, the two products quickly replace slates as the most dominant means of learning and practicing the 3R’s in classrooms.

·        1939 - Televisions are introduced into the classroom as an instructional learning tool.

·        1959 The Xerox Corporation introduces the Xerox copier rendering the ditto machine obsolete; personal computers (PCs) are used for the first time in public schools (New York).

·        1962 - Roger Appledorn, an engineer with the 3M Corporation, advances the technology that makes overhead projector one of the most widely used tools in the history of classrooms and boardrooms.

·        1964 - IBM releases the first Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter (MT/ST).

·        1972 - Texas Instruments produces the first line of electronic handheld calculators.

·        1973 – The first handheld cell phone (mobile telephone) is invented by Martin Cooper.

·        1977 - The Apple Computer Company headed by Steve Wozniak and Steven Jobs introduces the Apple II personal computer, which is enthusiastically adopted by American schools.

·        1981 - IBM introduces the PC and MS-DOS.

·        1990 - The Internet becomes accessible to the public; Whiteboards are introduced to American schools replacing blackboards; Multimedia features were developed into PCs making possible high-capacity simulations, videos, games, sound and animation.

·        1991 - The Smart Board (an interactive Whiteboard) is released by SMART Technologies.

·        1994 - Netscape Communications (previously Mosaic Communications) releases Mozilla 1.0, the first commercial web browser.

·        1998 - Google begins operation.

·        2002 - 99% of American schools have Internet access.

·        2007 - The Kindle electronic readers (e-books) are commercially sold for the first time by Amazon.com revolutionizing how people read books and store books in their libraries; the Apple Company introduces the iPhone, the first touchscreen cell phone.

·        2010 - The Apple Company releases the iPad, a “slate computer” and schools begin substituting multiple textbooks with single iPads.

·        2013 - Approximately 36% of humanity worldwide has Internet access

·        2015 – The beginning of the Innovation Age as more than 50% of humanity has access not only to the Internet, but to the Cloud.

Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part V: Research and Practices

Research and practices

·        1500 - Leonardo da Vinci declares that experimentation and observation are essential to all human learning, particularly the sciences.

·        1637 - René Descartes presents “The Scientific Method,” which influences science teaching and learning for the next 350 years.

·        1690 – The Essay Concerning Human Understanding is published by John Locke, an advocate of the tabula rasa theory (“clean slate” or “blank slate”) of the human mind.

·        1779 – A future US President, Thomas Jefferson, proposes a two-track educational system with one track intended for students destined to become laborers and another track for the more promising "learned" individuals. 

·        1892 - The Committee of Ten, a working group of leading educators convenes at the behest of the National Education Association, and publishes its trailblazing report offering the first standard curriculum for US schools. It recommended that science (with labs) should constitute 25% of the curriculum.

·        1899 – The first US Science Curriculum is published calling for two lessons per week in K-8 schools on Nature Study (an interdisciplinary investigation of plants, animals, and ecology). It recommends four lessons per week on physical geography, biology, physics, and chemistry for secondary schools.

·        1916 - John Dewey’s Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education is published, arguing that student centered, hands-on curriculum constitutes the most effective approach to student learning, and that schools are the best agents of democracy.

·        1956 - (Benjamin) Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is published dividing the cognitive domain into six levels.

·        1958 - Paul DeHart Hurd coins the term “scientific literacy” in his article Science Literacy: It’s Meaning for American Schools, defining scientific literacy as a conceptual understanding of science and its application to societal experiences.

·        1960 - “New Math” is introduced to American schools. Lev Vygotsky’s 1934 book Thought and Language introduces the concept of “Zones of Proximal Development.”

·        1966 – Jerome Bruner offers an alternative to behaviorism in his book Toward a Theory of Instruction, which introduces his Constructivist Learning Theory.

·        1964 - the NSF sponsors 20 innovative hands-on, interactive curriculum projects marking the first time that science curriculum was influenced from a national level.

·        1970 – Jean Piaget’s book, the Science of Education is published in which his Learning Cycle Model stresses the value of discovery-based teaching approaches, particularly in the sciences.

·        1975 - Why Johnny Can’t Write is published in the December 8 issue of Newsweek magazine bringing literacy to the political forefront, and contributes to the “Back to Basics” Movement reversing 20 years of progressive education.

·        1982 - Howard Gardner introduces the Multiple Intelligences Learning Theory in his book Art, Mind and Brain.

·        1983 - A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform is released by the National Commission on Excellence in Education calling for reforms in public education and teacher training, stating that “the educational foundations of our society are being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity.”

·        1993 - Benchmarks for Science Literacy is released providing coherent end-of-year learning goals for students in grades 2, 5, 8, and 12 in the areas of science, mathematics, and technology. The Benchmarks shape future state and national science standards.

·        2007 - The American Competitiveness Initiative is signed into law adding $136 billion over a 10-year period for research, development and education in the STEM fields.  

·        2009 - The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts is launched. 

·        2013 - The Next Generation Science Standards establish new science standards and curriculum recommendations for standard-specific performance expectations.

·        2017 - Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards begins nationwide.

 

Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part IV: Law and Policy

Law and Policy

·        1791- The US Bill of Rights passes and makes formal education a function of the states rather than a responsibility of the federal government.

·        1833 - The Factory Act is passed prohibiting the employment of children until they are at least 9 years of age.

·        1865-1877: With the end of race-based legalized slavery in the US, African-Americans establish a network of black public schools throughout the South.

·        1867 - The U.S. Department of Education is established to coordinate the policies and practices used in public school systems throughout the states.

·        1925 - In the Tennessee vs. John Scopes trial (the “Monkey Trial”), Scopes is convicted of the then-scandalous crime of teaching evolution.

·        1950 - The National Science Foundation is founded for the purpose of upgrading the teaching of science, and addressing the national manpower shortages of talented scientists and engineers.

·        1954 - Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka, Kansas) ends the pretentious policy of “separate but equal” public in education based on race.

·        1958 - Triggered by Sputnik, Congress passes the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) allocating $887 million to boost research and education in science and mathematics.

·        1965 - The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (“Title I”) is signed into law by Pres. Johnson providing funds for poor children attending America’s public schools.

·        1968 - The Bilingual Education Act is passed by the US Congress providing federal funding to local school districts for teaching students with limited English backgrounds.

·        1970 - The National Environmental Education Act creates the Office of Environmental Education (although it is eliminated by Congress in 1981.)

·        1996 - The National Research Council publishes the National Science Education Standards (NSES) setting new goals for producing a scientifically literate populace.

·        2001 - Pres. George W Bush signs the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) into law, which holds schools accountable for student test scores (“standards-based reform”) in the areas of reading and mathematics (but no mention of science education).

·        2005 - Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District reignites the evolution debate presenting “Intelligent Design” as an instructional alternative to evolution.

·        2010 - The Race to The Top was approved as a new educational reform initiative in which states would compete for federal grants (in the midst of an economic recession).

Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part III: Advances and Inventions in Science

Advances and Inventions in Science

·        1687 – Isaac Newton formulates his three laws of motion.

·        1800 – The electric battery is created by Count Alessandro Volta.

·        1859 – Charles Darwin’s revolutionary treatise on evolution, the Origin of Species, is published.

·        1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev unveils the Periodic Table.

·        1879 - Thomas Edison invents the incandescent lamp (the “light bulb”), one of his 1,093 inventions.

·        1905 - Albert Einstein explains the relationship between speed, time and distance in his Theory of Relativity.

·        1953 - James Watson and Francis Crick describe the double-helix structure of DNA. 

·        1957 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik I, the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth, beginning the “space race.”

·        1960 - Stephen Hawking publishes the Grand Unified Theory, which explains the origin of the Universe.

·        1969 - The United States “wins” the space race when Apollo 11 lands on the moon, and Commander Neil Armstrong steps off the Lunar Module’s ladder and onto the surface of the moon.

·        1990 - The Hubble Space Telescope is launched into orbit from the space shuttle Discovery

·        1995 - Although originally developed in 1960 by the U.S. Navy, the GPS (Global Positioning System) becomes fully operational for general and commercial use.

·       2018 - Stephen Hawking dies at age 76. At the age of  22, Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of a motor neuron disease and was given only a couple of years to live.