Jane’s Brain on Pedagogy - Understanding the black box, aka, the brain.
In this series I discuss various pedagogical perspectives and what makes the OmniLearn model so effective. Humans are social animals and our brains are hard-wired for learning. Multi-sensory learning across disciplines is more than a pleasant experience. It leads to the formation of long-term memories and fosters new questions. But the greatest outcome of all from this experimentation and social interaction is becoming a self-motivated, life-long learner whose cognitive and affective skills are well-honed!
Teaching has always come naturally to me, even from a young age. I was drawn to the world of theater before I found my way into education, and in many ways, those two worlds aren’t so different. In the classroom, I have a live audience, and I’m doing public speaking—working the room, engaging students, and responding to the energy in the room.
Teaching is like live theater; it’s a process, it’s science, and it’s an art form.
But teaching isn’t just about standing in front of a class and delivering information. It’s about constantly learning and adapting. Just recently, I had one of those moments where I realized I still have more to learn. I was teaching a lesson, and it was clear from the students’ faces that they were lost. I thought, “How do they not know what to do next?” It was a reminder that even after decades of teaching, self-reflection is crucial.
One of the buzzwords in education today is “metacognition”—the ability to step outside yourself and observe your own thought processes. Why am I thinking this? Why did I approach it that way? This kind of self-awareness is essential for teachers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “I’ve been doing it this way for 25 years, and it always worked.” But that’s fine only if you’re teaching ancient history where nothing changes. In most other subjects, especially science, knowledge evolves constantly.
Self-reflection keeps you humble and in touch with your effectiveness. It’s a powerful tool, whether you videotape yourself, have someone else observe you, or simply question your own methods. You might go home and ask yourself what your students understood or didn’t, and then adjust your approach accordingly.
One of the biggest mistakes a teacher can make is becoming stagnant.
I knew a teacher who taught for 30 years using the same materials he created in the 1960s and 70s, “Ditto Dave”. He never updated his lessons. He used the same dittos (pre-photocopier handouts) until he retired. I always felt this was a crime. How can you earn a senior teacher’s salary while doing nothing but showing up and passing out the same old handouts?
Science changes by the minute, and the beauty of it is that it’s always evolving.
Scientists get excited when they discover something new, even if it means they were wrong before. Unlike history, where changes often come from revisionist perspectives, science is about facts and truth. It doesn’t care about opinions; it’s about the pursuit of knowledge.
Teaching is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of your students, the subject matter, and yourself. It’s about knowing how your students learn best, whether they’re random or sequential thinkers, abstract or concrete. I’m a random abstract thinker, which means I rely on others who are concrete and sequential to keep everything organized. There’s a beauty in this collaboration because it ensures that all bases are covered, making the teaching process more comprehensive and effective.
But teaching isn’t just about following a formula or sticking to a lesson plan. It’s about being nimble, knowing when to move on from a topic, and when to spend more time on it. It’s about recognizing that subjects like Earth Science aren’t isolated—they’re connected to biology, chemistry, and physics. It’s a process of integration and constant reassessment.
In my approach to teaching, I’ve never embraced rigid structures or lesson plans. For me, teaching is like a blank slate every day. I walk into the classroom with my materials, but I’m ready to tweak and adapt as needed. It’s like stand-up comedy or jazz (which I have talked about before!) — improvisational and responsive. And when the day is done, I reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to change. Even if I’ve taught the same lesson a hundred times, I’m always open to the possibility that it could be better.
Self-reflection is one of the five pillars of OmniLearn because it keeps you humble and grounded. Just because you’ve “covered” a topic doesn’t mean your students have truly understood it. The word “covered” drives me crazy—just because you’ve said something doesn’t mean it’s been absorbed, let alone committed to long-term memory. Teaching is about more than just delivering information; it’s about ensuring that information sticks.
Great actors don’t stick to one delivery, and neither should great teachers. Every class is a new performance, a new opportunity to engage, connect, and inspire. By embracing the art and science of teaching, by being honest with ourselves and constantly seeking to improve, we can truly make a difference in the lives of our students.
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