Whole Brain Learning System
Interview with Prof. Cecile B. Manikan
1. What is the Whole Brain Method?
Th Whole Brain Learning System (WBLS) focuses on concepts, theories and principles of teaching learning behavior based on how people prefer to use their brain. Brain preferences result to different ways of perceiving, evaluating, and making judgments resulting to different behavior and styles of teaching, thinking, and learning. The WBLS was introduced to the Philippine educational system by Dr. Eduardo A. Morato, Jr. and Prof. Cecile B. Manikan, based on the theory of Brain Dominance developed by Ned Hermann.
Understanding the principles that drive thought and behavior based on how people prefer to use their brains enable teachers to evaluate their own unique styles and methods, and how these can be developed and expanded to address different learners’ needs. The course provides tools for teachers and administrators to understand their own preferred thinking styles and allow them to develop strategies in dealing with others whose styles may be different or opposite theirs.
By knowing the different mental functions located in the various regions of the brain, teachers are able to translate their subject areas into lifelong learning skills of highly functioning individuals. –
Learning to Think
Learning to Do
Learning to Communicate
Learning to Feel (Values)
Learning to Intuit (Predicting Patterns)
Learning to Lead
Learning to Be
Every lesson in class is, therefore, focused not on memorizing facts but on applying subject area knowledge to these 7 end-states of skills and being.
Thus it is holistic, relevant, and meaningful in terms of developing the full potential of students. Subject areas then become more interesting, alive, and emotional;ly stimulating when students are able to relate each subject area to their own individual lives and experiences.
2. How is WBLS different from Multiple Intelligence, Interdisciplinary Approach, and other theories/methods of teaching and learning?
Multiple Intelligences is an integral part of the Whole Brain Learning System. The former has to do with strategizing and developing instructional methods, the latter is the simultaneous application of the various mental functions of the 7 lifelong learning skills.
The Multiple Intelligences (MI) by Howard Gardner posits the 8 different intelligences that people may naturally have
- logical/mathematical
- verbal/linguistic
- visual/spatial
- bodily/kinesthetic
- musical/rhythmic
- natural/physicall
- interpersonal
- intra-personal
Similarly, they are located in various centers of the brain within the Whole-brain model of Ned Hermann and this has great implications on teaching-learning behavior as well. For example, how do you teach Mathematics to musical/rhythmic or bodily/kinesthetic children who may not have the natural facility for logical/mathematical thinking and skills?
The MI posits that each intelligence has its own code and language for understanding (abc, 123, do-re-mi); thus the best way to cater to different intelligences would be to translate subject area into the language they prefer and understand. But, as a philosophy and approach to education, Multiple Intelligences (MI) is not the same as the Whole-Brain learning system (WBLS).
MI is effective at developing methods for teaching that cater to the language of different intelligences while the WBLS is the simultaneous application of different kinds of thinking and skills development based on the 7 lifelong skills mentioned above. To illustrate, a student solving a mathematical problem (logical mathematical skills) may not be able to sing (musical/rhythmic) or run (bodily/kinesthetic) or meditate (intrapersonal) at the same time. The teacher, however, may use any of these methods to deliver the subject areas according to the needs of students (musical, multiplication, hands-on physical activity, or cognition or reflection exercises).
On the other hand, the WBLS translates subject areas simultaneously to the different functional skills — it is the total use of the capacities of the brain as they relate to subject areas– what cognitive principles the child ought to master in specific subject area (think), how this knowledge is applied to problem-solving (d0), what values are developed because of this knowledge (feel), what the child should be able to communicate because of this new knowledge (communication), how the child can predict patterns of thought and actions given this knowledge (intuit), how he child can influence others because of this knowledge (lead), and how can oje become his best self given this new learning (be).
Using MI for more effective teaching methods is, thus, an integral part of the WBLS. WBLS is a holistic umbrella approach to education supported by methods derived fropm knowledge of MI.
3. Why is WBLS the best method of teaching/learning?
What can be more superior than developing the full capabilities of the child — mind, body, spirit?
4. Is the Philippine educational system ready and open to it?
There is a great demand for the WBLS since we introduced it in 2004. MAPSA (Manila Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools Association) and CEAP (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines) have adopted the system because of its strong moral and ethical development components aside from the strong academic and social responsiveness development aspects of the approach.
5. Is WBLS suited to Filipinos?
Outside of these parish schools and catholic edudctional institutions for basic education, the WBLS has also been adopted in the Entrepreneurship courses introduced by Dr.orato in more than 25 partner schools of higher education in the country — Ateneo de Manila University, Xavier University (Cagayan), University of Sto. Tomas, University of San Carlos, Central Philippine University (Iloilo), Colegio de San Agustin (Bacolod) to name a few.
6. What do you do to disseminate information about the Whole Brain Method?
Our schedule is full of faculty capability training programs for various shcools and we are usually asked to deliver talks in carious educational fora sponsored by various institutions related to education (DepEd, Knowledge Channel, Rex Bookstore, Galileo Enrichment program, etc.)
7. What kinds of individual learners does the method produce?
In adopting the WBLS to specific schools, we begin with a thorough review of the school’s educational philosophy, its vision, mission, and objectives, and from there, derive the school’s idea of its ideal graduate. Then, we conduct the 5-day Whole Brain and Self-Mastery Course for teachers, after which, we translate lesson plans per subject area per level to the 7 whole-brain end states based on their vision of an ideal graduate.
