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Synchronization as a Classroom Dynamic: A Practitioner's Perspective
Author(s) -
Kent Alexis
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
mind, brain, and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.624
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1751-228X
pISSN - 1751-2271
DOI - 10.1111/mbe.12002
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , instinct , curriculum , synchronization (alternating current) , mathematics education , natural (archaeology) , order (exchange) , cognition , psychology , computer science , pedagogy , cognitive science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , ecology , channel (broadcasting) , computer network , history , archaeology , finance , economics , biology
While carefully plotted lesson plans are invaluable in a classroom, tuning into the flow of the moment is just as essential. My experience has shown me that the most effective teaching happens when everyone in the room is in synch with one another. Teaching requires intuiting what each student is experiencing individually and adjusting in order to bring the room to a united rhythm. Too often we define teaching in terms of curriculum, assessment, and practical measures that do not encompass this instinctive evolutionary skill. Teaching is a natural cognitive ability that requires human interaction and is optimal when a form of synchrony or flow exists in interactions. As an experienced classroom teacher, I describe how these principles infuse my practice, which I hope serves as a useful lens for the Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) research community in its quest to uncover the underlying processes of teaching.