The word "failure" is not in Debbie Wheat's vocabulary.

As principal of Oak Grove Elementary School in Peachtree City, she advocates reaching students through their strengths be it music, movement, art, or math. Last week she shared her thoughts on the brain compatibility theory and multiple intelligences at the third annual Fayette County Preschool Director's Winter Conference.

"Teachers are telling me, 'Nothing I have ever done is working with this child, he's not responding like a normal child.' I hear this more and more," Wheat said.

"These children's brains are wired very differently and their homes are extremely varied as to the support system that is in place," she explained. "We need new tricks to get these kids engaged in learning."

Understanding the role emotions have in the learning process is imperative, according to Wheat. She explained that, based on scientific findings, the brain stem, limbic system and neocortex the three physiological layers of the triune brain interact with each other while having individual functions.

In essence, the limbic system influences what learners find important. Memory does not exist without emotion, making meaningful activities essential for classroom learning. Finally, under stress, learners revert to primitive behavior, limiting rational and creative thought. The implication is that a child's ability to learn is limited when he feels threatened, embarrassed or ridiculed, making a non threatening environment essential for optimum operation of the neocortex, the part of the brain regulating language and reasoning.

Providing a nonthreatening environment for learning is the "only concept I work on in my elementary school," Wheat said.

The results of this cutting edge approach to teaching are projects which go beyond the average, plastic-covered report, according to Wheat. During "Project Week" at Oak Grove, she gave examples of what the students were producing.

"One third grader took the entire class out to the playground and marked out the size of the Titanic the length, breadth and depth. Another took us on a fictional journey to Mars and built a model Land Rover for the trip," Wheat said.

Making students' subject matter meaningful is another key to improving their learning capacity, Wheat explained. "Their brains have been described as sponges, but they are more like sieves: some information is trickling through and what the child selectively keeps is determined by what is meaningful to him."

Wheat said children are still introduced to information before they are ready. "Kids cannot generalize beyond their experience," she said. For example, teaching the solar system to a preschooler is not relevant, she explained.

"Make Peachtree City meaningful," Wheat said. "Teach them about the terrain, the lakes and streams in their city," she told the educators present.

In an outline for a brain compatible classroom, Wheat listed the following elements: absence of threat, immediate feedback, enriched environment, adequate time, mastery, collaboration, choices and meaningful lessons.

"These are the things I need for my brain to do its best," Wheat concluded.

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