by Ron Miller

In recent years, new discoveries and attitudes about the learning process have challenged the field of education to expand its horizons. Thanks to the pioneering research of Howard Gardner, Marian Diamond, Robert Sylwester, Paul MacLean and other investigators, we now have a more holistic understanding of how the brain works and how we take in and make sense of experience.

We now know that genuine learning involves the whole child: the thinking mind doesn't work alone but in alliance with intuition, emotions, physical experience and social relationships. We understand that intelligence is not just being smart in school but involves a range of diverse skills, from analytical problem-solving to self-awareness to musical and kinesthetic sensitivity. In other words, as Gardner explains, there are actually "multiple intelligences," different ways to be effective in the world, and each of us has our own blend of strengths and limitations.

Identifying different expressions of intelligence has led to the emergence of a new field of "social and emotional learning." In the mid-1990s, Daniel Goleman's popular book Emotional Intelligence and research by Peter Salovey and John Mayer focused on how the experience of emotion contributes to our knowledge of the world. Educators began to explore "emotional literacy" - the ability to recognize, understand, handle and appropriately express emotions.

"Most of us have assumed that the kind of academic learning that goes on in school has little or nothing to do with one's emotions or social environment," writes Goleman on his website, "Now neuroscience is telling us exactly the opposite. The emotional centers of the brain are intricately interwoven with the neocortical areas involved in cognitive learning. When a child trying to learn is caught up in a distressing emotion, the centers for learning are temporarily hampered. . . . In short, there is a direct link between emotions and learning."

This field is spreading widely, with publications, websites, conferences, and professional development training devoted to expanding the purpose of education to include emotional health, personal happiness, and positive social relationships.

Still, even with these exciting new ideas in circulation, traditional educational methods do not recognize or support whole child learning. Kids who happen to excel at academic tasks succeed in school, while many others become discouraged. But parents who understand the multi-faceted nature of learning and intelligence can advocate for the particular needs and learning styles of their children, and work with their teachers (or seek out educational alternatives) to provide a more stimulating and nourishing learning environment.

Fortunately, parents do not need degrees in psychology or neuroscience to become familiar with the research in this field. Several writers have made these findings available to educators and concerned laypeople. Dr. Thomas Armstrong, for example, has been writing informative, inspiring books on whole child learning for over twenty years; some of his titles are Awakening Your Child's Natural Genius, In Their Own Way, and The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice, among many others. He is also concerned with the simplistic labeling of many children as having "ADD." or "ADHD."

"All children are gifted children," says Armstrong. "Each child comes into the world with unique potentials that, if properly nourished, can contribute to the betterment of our world. The biggest challenge for parents and teachers is to remove the roadblocks that keep those gifts from being recognized, celebrated, and nurtured." More information about Armstrong's writings and other work can be found at thomasarmstrong.com

Another popular author in this field is Joseph Chilton Pearce. His books Magical Child and Magical Child Matures, published nearly thirty years ago, declared that human beings hold vast potentials for learning that are systematically diminished by modern childrearing and educational practices. His more recent books include Magical Parent Magical Child (co-authored with Michael Mendizza), Evolution's End and The Biology of Transcendence. Pearce writes passionately about the natural striving for growth and fulfillment that animates human development, and explains how we can work with instead of against natural energies. He emphasizes that our intelligence is centered in the heart, not the brain.

In a 1999 interview in Journal of Family Life, Pearce commented that "Children's emotional experience, how they feel about themselves and the world around them, has a tremendous impact on their growth and development. It's the foundation on which all learning, memory, health and well-being are based. When that emotional structure is not stable and positive for a child, no other developmental process within them will function fully. Further development will only be compensatory to any deficiencies."

Pearce's work is summarized on the web at ttfuture.org and sponsored by an organization called Touch the Future, whose mission is "to optimize learning, performance and well-being by cultivating an awareness of the way ‘states of relationship' impact human development, at any age, in any field. . . . [and] to bring about a deep change in the way adults view and relate to the developmental needs of children." At ttfuture.org, parents can find challenging ideas from visionary researchers, educators, and social activists who believe that the quality of our future depends on a "deep respect for the limitless capacity of children to love and to learn."

New Horizons for Learning was for many years a major hub for information about brain and learning research. Although the organization is no longer active, its website, newhorizons.org, still features dozens of informative articles and summaries, including "News from the Neurosciences," discussions of teaching strategies, and a comprehensive list of books in the field.

Zephyr Press specializes in materials on whole-brain and whole-person teaching and learning. These resources, including videos as well as books, and publications and games for young people, translate the sophisticated findings of neuroscience into practical applications for diverse educational settings. Their authors include some of the leading educators in the field, including Geoffrey and Renate Caine, Nancy Margulies, and David Lazear. See zephyrpress.com.

Some readers may want to explore even further into the research that is dramatically changing how we think about education. Some books that explain the applications of brain research are Magic Trees of the Mind by Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson, Your Child's Growing Mind by Jane Healy, and A Celebration of Neurons as well as How to Explain a Brain by Robert Sylwester.

To gain a fuller understanding of Howard Gardner's groundbreaking ideas about multiple intelligences, see his books Intelligence Reframed and Frames of Mind, and writing about his work at pz.harvard.edu and newhorizons.org.

Social and emotional learning is a booming field in the corporate as well as educational world. Some good places to gain an overview include websites such as casel.org, aboutourkids.org, and eiconsortium.org, and books such as Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators by Maurice J. Elias and Joseph E. Zins, and Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? edited by Joseph Zins, Roger Weissberg, Margaret Wang and Herbert J. Walberg.

The research literature supporting whole child learning continues to grow. Now it is up to parents and teachers to change attitudes and policies so that educational practices expand accordingly.