Susan Kovalik, Inc. - Educational References and Materials



		Overview

Three independent areas of best knowledge and best practice form the structure of the model.

Growing Responsible Citizens

1. Research on the biology of learning has given us a window on learning never before realized in the history of civilization.

Translate the biology of learning into practical application
Implement the nine bodybrain-compatible elements

2. Teaching strategies that align with the way the human brain learns have the greatest impact.

Design the physical classroom to support long-term learning
Create workable teams of students
Develop classroom management that uses agreements, procedures, Lifelong Guidelines and LIFESKILLS

3. Curriculum development by classroom teachers makes learning meaningful.

Anchor curriculum to a yearlong theme and rationale
Align district and state learning goals within the theme
Orchestrate being there experiences tied to meaningful content being there.
Reach out to the community

Click on the graphic to view a flash presentation.

The ITI model begins with an understanding of four learning principles derived from bodybrain research: Click each one for more information.
	Intelligence is a function of experience
	Learning is an inseparable partnership between brain and body Emotion is the gatekeeper to learning and performance Movement enhances learning
	There are multiple intelligences or ways of solving problems and/or producing products
	Learning is a two-step process: Step one: Making meaning through pattern seeking Step two: Developing a mental program for using what we understand and wiring it into long-term memory
	Personality impacts learning and performance

For more information on these brain research concepts, check out Associate Ann Ross's
Explanation of ITI's Brain Research Concepts

Nine Bodybrain-Compatible Elements Once fully understood, the ITI model leads educators to the nine bodybrain-compatible elements as a guide for applying the research through thoughtfully written curriculum and carefully selected instructional strategies:
Absence of Threat/Nurturing Reflective Thinking: Help students feel free from anxieties and associate positive emotions with learning.	Enriched Environment: Provide a learning environment that reflects what's being taught.
Meaningful Content: Develop curriculum that has relevance.	Collaboration: Have students work together to solve problems, explore, and create.
Choices: Provide options as to how learning will occur, considering multiple intelligences and personality preferences.	Immediate Feedback: Provide coaching to promote effective first teaching/learning.
Adequate Time: Provide enough time for students to thoroughly explore, understand, and use information and skills.	Mastery/Application: Ensure a curriculum focus so that students acquire mental programs to use what they've learned in real-life situations.
Movement to Enhance Learning: Movement is crucial to every brain function, including memory, emotion, language, and learning. It is obvious that having students sit quietly in rows is a worst case scenario for the brain. What it needs is active participation from its partner, the body.
In an ITI classroom, students know what they are studying and why. The focus is on developing student understanding of important concepts, such as change, cause, effect, and interdependence. Curriculum begins with a location or event in the student's world, they investigate and conduct research to answer the big question, "What's going on around here?", state district standards, and local learner goals are integrated into the content being studied. The key question is How will what students are learning lead to responsible, productive citizens? At SK&A WE BELIEVE that students must possess:
conceptual understanding of content basic skills and the foresight to know when to use them the ability to apply what is learned to "real world" situations capability to work collaboratively with others a vision of themselves as contributing members of society