Motivating Middle School Minds with BrainSMART

Impassioned educator Christina Issac has never shied away from a challenge – like focusing her talents on tumultuous ‘tweens in middle school. Isaac has taught for six years, all with middle school students and currently teaching sixth graders at Washington Middle School in Cairo, Georgia.

Issac says BrainSMART retention strategies have transformed her classroom – including inclusion students in special education. Her students are allowed to look up during tests, to activate the visual part of the brain that is connected to memory.

Practical optimism and the EFFORT strategy help get her adolescent students in a receptive mindset for learning. With their hormones in full fluctuation, it is easy for this age group to become moody and pessimistic. But aided by visuals of an ant carrying a watermelon, Issac keeps the kids focused on their brains’ tremendous potential for learning and achievement.

Issac earned a Master of Science degree with a specializing in BrainSMART Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University. She encourages other educators to look into the BrainSMART program, saying it helps teachers earn the respect and pay increases they deserve, it will help equip them to reach more children with diverse needs and learning styles. It’s easy to get complacent in the classroom and this is a new way to look at teaching and a new way to reach children.